New Parents

I turn away from the rundown door with disgust painting my features. How dare they fight when they know their only two children are outside the thin walls that could get knocked over with a simple breeze? As I turn around I see her. My sister Audrey. Or Aggie as I have called her since we were young. She looks from the door to me with tears in her eyes. In her arms is the small bear that has been here since I was young. I remember that time with longing when my parents didn’t fight. 

“They aren’t going to stop anytime soon are they?” She asks in a small voice. I walk forward and wrap her in a hug. 

“Hey, it’s going to be alright.” As soon as I finish that sentence I hear a scream come from the other side of the door. 

“Well if you hate it here so much why don’t you leave?!” It sounds like my mother. It sounds like she screamed that sentence from her deepest core. Deepest desperation. I hug Aggie tighter as tears spring into my own eyes. I can’t lose control here especially not in front of her. Blinking away my tears I say:

“Are you hungry? I’ll make you dinner.” I walk downstairs after she nods her head vigorously. Ever since our parents have started fighting, I have been the one being more a parent to my sister than our actual parents. As I reach the bottom of the stairs I look back up to the door where the screams and shouts come from. I considered pounding on the door until they open it and reminding them that their sixteen-year-old son and ten-year-old daughter are out here listening to them. I think about perhaps screaming at them screaming until my lungs give way to the pressure of the way they are making me grow up. The pressure of my responsibilities. Except I don’t. I turn back around taking deep breaths to control my anger and turn to the kitchen. I see Addie sitting on a chair on the island. I go to stand on the other side of it. 

“Well, what do you want for dinner?” I ask as I see her hug her bear tighter. 

“I don’t know, surprise me.” She looks from her bear to me.

“Alright and if I make it you’re going to eat it right?” I give her a specific look. 

“Yes, I promise.” She curls her hand, her pointer and the middle finger next to each other are the only fingers out the others in her fist. She moves her hand to her forehead. “Scouts honor.” I smile as I watch her do this and stand up from where I’m leaning on the island. I walk to the refrigerator on the other side of the kitchen and start pulling ingredients out that I’ll need. I know exactly what to make. Aggie’s favorite dish. Lemon chicken alfredo. From the refrigerator, I grab a lemon, cheese, butter, and other things. I start to go to work. Since I am always making dinner I have had a lot of practice so the food I make is usually really good. Unless I try something new then maybe not so much. As I work I feel Aggie’s eyes on me. She likes to watch me work or at least that’s what she says.

I bend and take out a pan that’s big enough to fit the sauce in and pour in the whipping cream, cheese and a bit of butter and heat it up. Then I turn and grab a knife off the counter and a clove of garlic and with a flash from my knife and faster than anyone can blink I have it minced. Aggie laughs and claps as I pour the garlic in the pan. I hide a smile. She and I both know that I try to impress her as I cook. We also both know that her and I love it. I bend again and get a skillet and place it on the stove next to the pan and cut a tablespoon of butter and put it on so it can melt. I turn back to the island where I put all of my ingredients and get several uncooked chicken breasts. I place them side by side on a cutting board and slice them with a few quick movements. 

Then I get several bowls and crack a few eggs in one, whisking them up I pour breadcrumbs in the other. I dip each one in the egg then in the breadcrumbs to get a thin coat on each one. As I am done with them I place them in the skillet carefully. The sound of them sizzling is music to my ears. I reach and stir the sauce with one hand. Cooking is the only thing I take pride in anymore. Well, that and Aggie. As each chicken breast is done I put them on a plate I have next to the stove then cut each one into little strips. I move the skillet to the sink and take a big pot out to get water boiling. When it starts boiling I get the fettuccine and crack the noodles in half so they fit in the pot and drop them in. About ten minutes later the noodles are cooked and dinner is ready. I cross the kitchen again and reach up to the cabinet to get plates then close it and open the drawer beneath it to get silverware. Behind me, I hear Aggie whimpering in anticipation. Like I said this is her favorite dish. I spoon out enough noodles for Aggie and cross over to sauce and chicken. 

“Do you want chicken and sauce first?” I ask looking at the chicken and sauce.

“Chicken then sauce, please.” Comes the reply. I do as she asks then place the dish with her food in front of her and with the fork I gave her a second earlier, digs in. I laugh again and turn to get my own food. As I sit next to her eating I hear a new commotion upstairs. Then it all goes quiet. I hear a door opening then I see the shapes of my parents coming down the stairs. I feel another coil of anger inside me. One I did not quite extinguish. It feels like a big angry red snake inside me that wants to burst free. I scowl at them both as they approach us. 

“Hi,” my mother says in a voice so small Aggie could not accomplish. 

“Dinner is on the counter.” I don’t look up at them as I say this I am too angry at them to care about the hurt look they give me. They step forward to take their plates then make their food. When they have it they walk out of the kitchen. I frown down at my plate as they leave. I try to ignore a new feeling I have that is overtaking the emotion of anger. Guilt. But it finds its way back into my feelings. I sigh and get up.

“Where are you going?” Aggie askes behind me.

“Just to talk to Mom and Dad. It’s alright to keep eating.”

“Peter? You’re not going to yell at them right?” I was wrong Aggie can, in fact, make a voice smaller than my mother’s.

“Of course not. I just need to talk to them.” I turn away from her and walk through the doorway to the dining room. In front of me, I see my parents. Unspeaking as they eat. 

“Hey,” I say harshly they both look up at me in unison. “How dare you? How dare you fight with each other as if we are not here? You both had Aggie in tears earlier!” They look at each other then at me guilt in both of their eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Dad says. He looks down.

“No, you're not. If you were you wouldn’t be apologizing to me it would be her.” I change my stance so they can tell how angry I am. “So I suppose if you want to keep this family together you fix things out between you two or I will.” I spin on my heels and march out of the room. When I get back to the kitchen I see that Aggie is done eating. 

“I’m done!” She says proudly all sadness erased. 

“Good job Aggie!” I say grinning at her. “Are you ready for your bath?”

“Yup!” We walk upstairs to where the bathroom is and I turn on the water for the tub turning the knob for the right temperature. When it’s ready I leave so she can get in. She claims she can do it by herself and she also does not want me helping her. When she’s in I ask through the door:

“Are you alright?” 

“Yup,” comes the reply. I leave her to go downstairs to put the leftovers away and clean the kitchen. When I get there I see my parents standing side by side. 

“What? Come to yell at each other in my face?” I growl as I step past them and start cleaning. 

“No, we wanted to say we were sorry. We talked about it and it turns out the past three years have been a misunderstanding. We were mad at each other for no reason at all.” My mom says as I feel my mouth drop open. 

“So you mean to tell me that all that shouting and misery was for no reason?” I ask incredulously.

“Well yes.” I stand for a moment in dumbfounded silence. Then I run forward and wrap my arms around each of them in turn. 

“Then do me a favor and never fight so we hear you again,” I say.

“Deal.” They say in unison. And then I feel the big angry red snake dissolve. Like salt in water. Quickly and without pain.