Chapter 2 #3
“And just so we’re clear, you are grounded for the next month.”
“A month?” he complained.
“Yes, a month. No hanging out with your friends. You go to school and come straight home. That’s it. You got it?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And I want you to see a counselor.”
“Come on, Mom. I don’t want to see another counselor. They don’t do anything...They just ask stupid questions. It’s a waste of time.”
“It will be different this time. You’ll see.” I reached out and placed my hand on his shoulder. “I love you, Corry. I know there’s a reason behind all this, and I want us to work together to find out what it is. You willing to do that for me?”
His eyes dropped to the floor, and after several moments, he finally nodded. “Yeah, I’m in.”
“Great.” I wound my arms around him and pulled him close, hugging him tightly. “We’re going to get through this. You’ll see.”
“It’s not like I have cancer or something, Mom. I bought a little pot with my buddies.” He pulled back, and when he saw the expression on my face, he held up his hands in surrender. “I won’t do it again. I swear it.”
“Good, I’m going to hold you to that.” I stood, and on my way out the door, I told him, “Finish cleaning up in here. It’s a nightmare.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I left his room and went straight to my office.
I pulled up my laptop and looked up Dr. Archer.
When I saw all the rave reviews, I sent him an email, telling him about Officer Reynolds suggesting that I reach out to him about Corry.
I told him all about our situation and left him my cell phone number, asking for him to call with his next available appointment.
As soon as I was done, I closed the laptop and went to bed.
I was exhausted and ready to call it a day.
The following day, I received a call from Dr. Archer.
Turned out that he had a cancelation at ten that morning.
I hated for Corry to miss school, but I knew it was important for us to get started.
Besides, Dr. Archer had made it pretty clear he was booked up.
He let me know right away that it would be several weeks before we could get an afternoon appointment, so I set up several morning appointments for this week and next, then several more afternoon appointments for the weeks after.
The following days were hectic, but good.
I was actually feeling pretty good about things until later in the week when I was hit with another unexpected surprise.
I’d gone to pick up Sean from basketball practice—something I’d done a hundred times before.
That night was like any other. As soon as I got to the school, I parked and lay my head back.
It wasn’t long before my mind start drifting, and I found myself thinking about Corry.
He hadn’t been happy about missing school to see Dr. Archer, especially three times in a row, but after that third appointment, he seemed to be feeling a little better about things.
I, on the other hand, was still a nervous wreck and worried something was terribly wrong with my son.
I didn’t know if I was doing enough to help him, but at the same time, I didn’t know what else I could do.
I felt so torn. By the time Sean made it to the car, I was on the verge of tears.
I didn’t want him to know I was upset, so I put on a brave face and smiled as I watched him buckle his seat belt.
As I pulled out of the school’s parking lot, I asked, “How was practice?”
“It was good.” Sean was practically beaming as he announced, “Coach said he was going to start me in this week’s game.”
“That’s awesome, Sweetie. I’m so proud of you.”
“I’ll be the only sixth grader starting. It’s kind of a big deal.”
“It’s a very big deal, and you totally deserve it. You’ve worked hard to get that spot.”
Unlike his brother, Sean had always been very driven.
If he wanted something, he wasn’t afraid to work for it.
I’d always hoped that Corry would find something that motivated him the way basketball had done for Sean, but that hadn’t happened.
It seemed the divorce had made him even less motivated.
It was a thought that had my stomach twisting into knots.
As soon as Sean picked up on my change of mood, he asked, “What’s wrong? ”
“Nothing’s wrong. I was just thinking about what to get for dinner.”
“Hmmm...that’s not it. What’s really going on?” Sean’s brows furrowed as he asked, “Did Corry do something?”
“What makes you ask that?”
“Cause Corry is always doing something.” He shrugged as he let out a frustrated sigh. “Just wish things could be like they used to.”
“How so?”
“Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it matters. Tell me what you meant.”
Before he could answer, my car started to wobble and shake,, making it difficult to stay on the road. Sounding completely freaked out, Sean shrieked, “What was that?”
“I think we have a flat?” I eased over onto the shoulder and grumbled, “Good grief. I can’t seem to catch a damn break.”