Title-Single Father
Characters-Noah,Kenneth(Kenny),Maria,Luke(eventually)
Chapter-1
Rating-PG-13
Genre-Drama,Romance,Alternate Universe
Disclaimer-ATWT characters are not mine, all others are
Notes-Yes yes I know I know, I still have Guardian but this just came outta the blue and I wanted to write it. All places are fictional except Chicago

Apartment 74, Milton Road Complex,Haysburg,Chicago, 1977

This, Noah decided, as he rubbed his temples, feeling the threat of a headache come on, is what he got for staying in the closet

This is what he got for marrying a woman who was more interested in sex and drugs than she was being a wife

This is what he got for letting her leave after her son was born

This was his punishment

This was his punishment.

Kenneth cried, loudly shaking Noah from his thoughts as he went to the babies crib that was against the wall of Noah's crappy one-bedroom apartment somewhere in the ghetto area of Chicago.

"Hey Hey Kenny it's ok son shh it's ok baby" Noah picked him up, sighing at himself as the baby cried, he was probably hungry but he was low on formula and he wouldn't get paid till Friday.

Kenny screamed, loudly, Noah put him on one arm and walked with him to the tiny kitchen, making a bottle for him, as he put him on his lap and began to feed him, his favourite song started playing from the tiny radio on the kitchen table.



As Noah hummed to the music he thought of how his life had come to be this way, of how he ended up all alone raising his son in a tiny 250 square foot apartment in the slums of Chicago.

He had been young, only 20 and sick and tired of his father's constant glare of disapproval, pressuring Noah to join the army, after all HE had been in Vietnam(as he reminded Noah over and over again) and Noah should be proud to serve his country.

Noah went out and got a job as a cashier in a Five and Ten and after saving some money, found the first willing woman he could and married her.

His father had approved at first, then he got angry when Maria(Noah's ex wife) left him just five hours after the birth of Kenneth, demanding a divorce.

She could have it, Noah never loved her anyway, he wanted a man.

Not that he could tell anyone that, god no.

His neighbour,Alice, a sweet 50 year old babysat Kenny during the day while Noah worked at the Five and Ten.

Being a cashier in a dumpy convenience store didn't pay much though, and Noah was having a hard time raising his son on it.

He wanted to get enough money to go to college,then after he graduated he would apply for a real job.

He would take Kenny and move them to a real home

And he would get a man

And they would live happily ever after

Noah shook his head, yeah maybe in fairy-tale land, but not in Noah Mayer crap land.

Kenny was crying, Noah picked him up and burped him, laughing at the babies content little giggle after it.

Noah smiled and cuddled the infant close, no matter how crappy his life was, he adored his son.

"Just you wait bubby, daddy is going to make life better real soon, I promise."

Kenny just stared at him.

Then he smiled

And Noah smiled too.

Outside it was raining, making Noah sigh since on rainy days his front window leaked.

Yep 21 years old, a crappy job and out of school, single with a baby on his knee,

Noah Mayer, you are a royal fcuk up. Noah told himself

He wondered, as Kenny began to fall asleep, if there was any hope for him and Kenny.