The Fridge That Rot, The Promise That Rotted Too Chapter 04

The Fridge That Rot, The Promise That Rotted Too Chapter 04

Nothing.

I reached in again, my fingers brushing against the wooden back of the cabinet. Still nothing.

I froze for a moment, then turned and crawled toward the fridge. I pulled the door open and a thick wave of rot hit me, making me gag.

I reached into the top shelf, found a box, and ate—handful after handful of foul, slimy, sour mush. I was too hungry to care.

I found the milk. The carton was bloated. I bit through the straw and sucked hard. A sour, rancid taste flooded my mouth. I couldn’t swallow it. I threw up all over the floor.

Then the pain came.

I curled up by the fridge, drenched in cold sweat, holding my stomach as it twisted. I bit my lip to keep from crying out.

Day four. I lay in my own vomit, writhing. My throat was parched. I pressed the call button on my watch.

It rang for a long time. I thought she wouldn’t answer.

“Hello?” Her voice came through, distant—cheers and clinking glasses behind her.

“Here’s to Serena’s bright future!” Dad’s voice.

“Mom… it hurts…” I pressed my watch to my lips, barely breathing the words. “Mom… Pearl… has bugs in her tummy… when are you coming back?”

A pause. Dad’s voice: “What is it now?”

“Pearl says her stomach hurts.”

“Yesterday it was the power, today the water, now this. Every time we sit down, she calls. It’s always false. If you go back now, what about Serena?”

I heard Mom cover the receiver, but I still caught her words. “She says her stomach hurts.”

Then Mom’s voice came back, cold and hard.

“Pearl Hartman. Listen carefully. Do you think the whole family has to drop everything just because you say you’re in pain?”

I sobbed silently, tears streaming down my face. “No… Pearl ate bad food… it really hurts…”

Serena’s voice again: “Mom, the cake’s here—come blow out the candles.”

Mom must have told her. “Pearl says she’s sick.”

Serena’s laugh died. “You believe her every time, and she does this every time. You’ll always choose her. I won’t even say anything else.”

Silence. Then Mom back on the line.

“Pearl Hartman. Listen. I’m not saying I don’t love you. But you keep lying. If you don’t get it together, I’ll take you to a foster home when I get back. Think about that.”

I couldn’t speak. The line went dead.

Mom was going to abandon me.

I closed my eyes as the pain crested. My body went cold.

In the dark, I felt for Mom’s jacket—the one she’d left behind. It still smelled like her. I pulled it close, buried my face in it.

“Mom, Pearl won’t call anymore. Pearl will be good. Please don’t leave Pearl…”

I saw a crack of light, Dad at the door with a strawberry cake, smiling. “Pearl, look what I brought you.”

Mom held me gently. “Pearl is such a good girl. Let’s go eat cake.”

Serena stood beside her, smiling. “Let’s eat together, Pearl.”

I reached out, but my hand wouldn’t move. Everything grew blurry.