Keeping up

Kyle wasn't expecting Sam to be home. Really, it was a surprise. Sam and Kyle's Mom were waiting for him as if it was time for some bad news.

"Is-is Amanda all right?" She was suppose to be here, but she wasn't. He hurried as quickly as he could. He'd came home in the cold snow and his feet were wet and they felt like ice, but now he felt as if someone had choked all the air out of him. He felt faint.

"She's laying down," his mom nodded. "She's probably sleeping. She said she was tired."

"But-" Still they were telling him nothing. "Did somebody die? Something wrong with Dad?" His mom was red-eyed. He knew she'd been crying. Ellie's dad wasn't there. What had happened to him?

"Sit down," Sam told him.

Maybe they'd broke up. Already. Wouldn't that be just like his mother? Get married and call it quits in a total of two month. If that. Really, he was disappointed.

"What's the matter?" He sat down then. Everyone sat down. Maybe they'd turn on the TV and watch the news, but they kept looking at him as if it was him.

"Dad's just fine." Sam nodded.

"OK." Kyle couldn't take his eyes off his Mom. "So its Ellie's Dad? Is that it? Where is she? Did they leave or something?"

His mother shook her head, no. "Remember, he had to go out to west Nebraska for a while. Out to Alliance."

"Oh." Kyle felt a bit better now about them. They were still here. He hadn't just gone to sleep to wake up to everything completely different.

"I really- I don't know where to start," she then said.

"Mom, I'm sorry." He knew he was. What ever it was he'd done? "I'm really trying hard in school. Its just Algebra is killing me." He'd been going in early, lately for help. He wasn't sure how it was helping. Little by little. He was barely passing.

"I know. And, and I didn't think you'd get job, already." She told him. "I'm amazed actually. Really, I'm proud of you, Kyle. I am." She sighed then. "Its just I've been keeping something from you. It seemed the right thing to do, but I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you."

Kyle stopped listening after that. He thought he went deaf perhaps. Was this about him? Really. He watched her mouth move.

Kyle pushed his fingers back through his hair. He looked at Sam. There was no smile. Nothing.

Kyle thought his throat was raw. He got himself up.

"Guess I need to shovel snow then." He barely manged to say. He felt weak in the knees, but he kept going. That's all he could do. Keep going.