Andrew was in his glory. He couldn't wait until the dance tonight. As he moved through the hallway he felt like he was walking on clouds. It had been a long time since Andrew felt this good. In fact, he couldn't actually remember a time when he did. All of his memories were mostly filled with pain and tragedy from as far back as he could remember.
Andrews mom had left him and his dad when Andrew was just a young boy. His dad was a union longshoreman who made great money. But an accident at the workplace had disabled Andrews dad, and was now collecting a small pension and a social security check every month.
Quickly things got tough for them financially. It became a struggle to keep the bills up to date, and Andrews mom and dad were fighting a lot. The more they struggled it seemed the more they fought.
His dad began drinking to drown out his sorrow and shame, and his mom began spending more and more time out of the house. When asked of her whereabouts, she would tell Andrews dad that she was staying at her mother's.
Of the memories Andrew had of his mom,...