Like the climate change, everything is harsh

 

It looked like everything was going to be fine. Just fine. Stevie kept telling himself this about J. He actually kept assuring J of this. Like a faith, he never knew he had until now. It was as if the vast notion of life consumed him. Perhaps even radiated through him.

Sure he could see the worry in J's face. He didn't like living with Stevie's parents. But what else were they going to do?

Stevie's mom didn't seem to mind. After all, she cooked for the three of them. These days Stevie's dad was hardly home.

"He found himself a woman," she said one night when they set down to a stirfry. 

"A WOMAN!" Stevie couldn't help himself. How dare his mother say such rot. "Well, she's an idiot."

J and his mother both looked at him to calm down. He winced at the thought of his father thinking he might be a casanova. Besides, if he was home he'd be drunk. He wanted to ask her what she would do, but his mother never said a thing. It was as if she'd spoken of a commercial she'd seen on the TV, or maybe some passing news at five o'clock. 

He ate then as if he had nothing else better to do. It felt like everything was going to hell. Of course, he remembered all those times when his dad would threaten him. He was going to find him a new family because he hated the one he had. It wasn't that he cared if Stevie was gay. He was just useless in his book. But of course, Stevie knew his dad was talking about himself. Perhaps his dad had a job that he hated and made it feel it was everyone's fault but his own.

Stevie chewed on the beef chunks, but he almost choked. It was true he was a vegetable lover, but there was only a few strips of peppers and onions and a whole lot of rice.

"Mom, did you forget the broccoli?' The way he said it, it was as if that was the answer to everything.

But he could see she was confused and tired.

"Did you forget your meds?" He looked at her out of concern. It was hard to say if her blood sugar was too high or too low.

She could hardly shake her head, no.

"Don't worry about Dad," he told her. "And you, you need a day off." 

"Oh, I just couldn't. We're just so short-handed," she sighed. 

"Then I'll cover for you," he said.

She gave him a strange look. Did he really want to work at the daycare?