Free Lingering Touch - A Story of Young Love by Anna Howard Page B

have had time if I wanted to. He passed out and slumped to the floor, still holding a half empty beer bottle. When he was sleeping he looked peaceful, like the man I used to love. I only allowed a single tear to glide down my cheek. It splashed on the wooden floor beside his head.
    All thoughts of Trevor and his new puppy were wiped from my mind. All I could think about were the days before my mother left us. I was only 11 when it happened. I had thought our little family was so happy. Sure, mom was usually gone during the holidays and every other day, and dad was gone a lot, too, and I heard them fighting behind closed doors more often than I probably should have, but we were together, and we loved each other. But then one day she was just gone. My father explained that it was like an extended business trip, except she wouldn't be coming back. He had said I might see her sometimes, but that they weren't married anymore and I would be living with him. I have not, in fact, seen her since that day, nor do I plan to. My mother was cold, she only cared about her work. She was never home and when she was she was usually on the phone or yelling at my dad for something.
    For the first month or so after she left, my father just stayed locked up in his room where I knew he was crying, or stayed at work and left me with the nanny. But then he started drinking. In the beginning he only drank a little and for a while he almost seemed happy again, if only a little more violent and moody, but as time went on he started drinking more and more and well, you know what happened next.
    The last thing I remembered before I fell asleep was when my mother, father, and I went to a carnival. My mother had forgotten her phone and pager at home, and my father wouldn't go back to get them. This was the only time I think I ever remembered her actually paying attention to me and even, dare I say, have fun. We got cotton candy, went on the Ferris wheel together, and held hands. I remembered she smiled at me more than she ever had before that day.
     

Chapter 7 - Cherries and Chocolate
     
    Trevor wasn't kidding about wanting to go out with Casey again, apparently. He took her to the movies on the second date, just the two of them. Then on another date he took her to a random little league baseball game and they gave chocolate pudding to the kids playing. Random, yes, but really cute. One day they went to a tiny park and had a little picnic under a little tree by candle light. He brought her roses or chocolate or teddy bears almost every day, which is totally cliché but also really adorable. They talked about everything together, and did everything together. I knew all this because Trevor told me about it. Every. Day.
    One day he would explain to me what they had done the night before, the next he'd tell me how beautiful she is and how much he likes her. He hadn't said anything about loving her or anything like that, but he already acted like he was planning to propose, showering her with gifts and compliments all the time. It would normally have been really annoying, but I couldn't bring myself to hate seeing him so happy.
    He hadn't missed a Wednesday or Friday with me to be with her yet, but I felt like it wouldn't be long before that happened.
    Casey sat with us at lunch every day, with Trevor, anyway. I was almost jealous. But not of Casey! I didn't like Trevor like that… No. I was almost jealous because Alyssa and her new flavor of the week, (I think his name was Josh) were always together, Amber and Drew were always together, Trevor was now always with Casey, and then here I was, lying on the table just like always. Alone. It was hard to hate her, though. She was on the student council and president of the volleyball club, which I decided not to join this year for some reason… She also volunteered to help with peer tutor and despite her annoying cheerleader tendencies, she was actually really likable. Her baby face and big eyes made her seem so