Phoebe Moons

Tommy was excited. He had never been to a Drive-In before.
And he was getting out of this house for awhile.
He had been at Dave and Barbara's house for almost a month now. They were nice people, but they lied to him all the time.
She was the only one who told him the truth. He waited for her, his earnest face pressed against the wooden screen door watching dusk settle on the front lawn.
When her car pulled up, he yelled, not looking behind him.
"She is here!"
He ran outside and slid his lean body into the passenger seat of the car, looking up to a warm smile.
"Hey, Kiddo, ready to go see Gremlins?" she asked.
He nodded his head, turning it then to wave at Barbara standing on the porch as the car pulled out of the driveway.

Tommy was quiet as they rode through the streets on the way out of town; but she was used to it.
Tommy was still hard to get talking and she knew better than to say much. She was not surprised when he did speak. He always asked the same question first.
"Have you seen Momma?"
"Yesterday," she replied, keeping her eyes on the road.
Tommy felt the jealousy, slick, sliding down his throat. He could not find words.
"One more month, Tommy," she sighed. "Just one more."
He bit at his fingernails, pulling off a chunk with his teeth.
"Is she getting better?" he asked, hopeful.
"Yes, Tommy, she is."
"Is she still in that big building like the one I was in?"
"Yes."

It was dark when they pulled into a long driveway. As it took them around a corner, Tommy saw the huge green and blue sign flashing.
"Phoebe Moons Drive-In," he sounded out. "Hey! I bet you like to come here, hey, Phoebe?"
"I am partial to the name," Phoebe smiled back.