Contessa (49 page)

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Authors: Lori L. Otto

Tags: #Fiction, #Coming of Age

BOOK: Contessa
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You

d never sue me.
You wouldn

t do that to my parents.


Funny. It was your mom that asked me to do this.
So take it or leave it.

Brandon just stares at Dad in contempt.


Get out of my house.

Brandon starts toward the door.

How am I supposed to get back to Piscataway?


You say you

re a grown man. Figure it out,

my dad says, walking past my cousin and opening the door for him.


You can get a train at Penn Station that

ll take you to Edison,

Jon says suddenly, ignoring my dad

s stare.

I think there are buses that go to Piscataway from there.

Brandon turns around, unaware that we were behind him.

Like I have cash for a train.


Sorry, man,

Jon answers, shaking his head. I know for a fact that he has cash on him–he always does–but I

m pretty sure my dad would throw punches if any of us did anything to help my cousin out.


Let

s go,

Dad says, motioning for Brandon to leave.

And I don

t want you to come back here until you get your life back on track.


You won

t need to worry about that.

Dad closes the door behind him and looks at the four of us, the shock still evident on all of our faces.


His behavior is unacceptable.
Irresponsible and reprehensible. I won

t tolerate it in my family.

He looks directly at Jon when he says it, but doesn

t wait for a response. He goes up to his bedroom, his face red, his arms tensed.


I

m not sure I

ve ever seen him like that,

I whisper. Jon simply raises his eyebrows and heads toward the kitchen. The rest of us follow, Trey in my mother

s arms, holding her tightly.

Jon grabs on his backpack, putting the camera inside, and holds my hands.

I

m gonna take off for a bit.


No, don

t go.


Livvy, I think it might be a good idea right now,

my mom says.

The invitation

s still open for dinner, though. We

ll probably eat around seven.

He looks at me.

Why don

t you call me and let me know if–

He glances to the third floor of our house.

You know.


He

ll be fine,

Mom assures him.

I

m sorry you had to witness that.


Oh, no, don

t apologize. I can tell he just wants to protect his family.


Yeah,

she responds softly with an understanding smile.

I hope you

ll come back tonight.


Thank you, Emi. Walk me out?

he asks me. We walk out the front door together.

You think any of that was for us?


Huh?


Maybe he was using it as an opportunity to scare us. You think, maybe?


I don

t think so.

I hadn

t had time to process most of what just happened, though.


I don

t ever want to get on his bad side,

Jon says.


You won

t,

I tell him.

Brandon

s had that coming for a long time. He hasn

t really done anything right since he flunked out of college.


Well, maybe this will open his eyes to his responsibilities or something. I know it opened mine, and I thought my head was pretty clear.


You don

t need to worry. Please come back tonight for dinner.


I will. I just want to get out of your hair for a bit and let him cool off.


Okay.


Be nice to him.


I will,

I tell him convincingly.

I love you.


I love you, too, Olivia. Good luck.

I watch him until he makes it to the bus stop, waving at him when he turns around and sees me.


Were you two in the basement?

Mom asks me when I get back in the kitchen. She

s got a scotch on the rocks ready in one hand and a cookie in the other.


Yeah. We were just looking at the painting of the lake house. Remember I told you–


Yeah, I know. Did your Dad see you two come from there?


Yep.


Okay.


I

m sorry, Mom. I didn

t know he

d be coming in then–


I

ve got this, Livvy. Don

t worry. If anyone can calm him down, it

s me. Keep an eye on your brother?

She starts to head upstairs.


Sure thing,

I tell her. I catch Trey sneaking a cookie off the counter.

Last one, buddy,

I tell him. He takes a tentative bite, and I notice the tear streaks down his face.

What

s the matter, Trey?


Why was Daddy so mad?


That?

I say as nonchalantly as I can muster.

Nah, he wasn

t mad. He was animated.


Like a cartoon?


Well, kind of, yeah. Our cousin Brandon hasn

t been on his best behavior lately. So he

s a little bit in trouble, but it

s all under control.


I think Dad was gonna hit him.


Hey,

I talk to him softly, grabbing another cookie for him to eat.

Daddy wouldn

t hurt a fly, Trey. I know he was loud and he looked mad, but he would never hit anyone. Okay? Has he ever even spanked you?


No. Mommy has.


I know Mommy has. But Daddy won

t do that. He

s never hit me, either.


I was scared.


I know, buddy. But I bet when he comes downstairs, he

ll be back to the daddy we know and love. And whatever happened with Brandon will just be one of those bad memories we leave behind. Right?


Right,

he says weakly.


It

ll be fine. Wanna go watch a movie in the basement with me?


Yeah!

Once downstairs, I let him pick the movie and we settle in with some sodas and popcorn. In no time, Trey

s completely entranced by the movie and has almost forgotten anything had happened when Dad finally comes downstairs. He

s changed out of his suit into some sweatpants and a long-sleeved t-shirt. He seems completely relaxed.


What are we watching?

he asks.


Cars. What else?


Of course.

He laughs as he takes a seat on the couch next to Trey.

Hey, Jackson, can I pause it for a second?


Yeah, Daddy.

Remote in hand already, I hit the pause button for Dad.


I wanted to apologize to both of you. And Tessa, I wish Jon was here, too, because I want to apologize to him, as well. There

s no excuse for how I handled myself with your cousin. He was just pushing my buttons all day–


What do you mean?

Trey asks.


He was provoking me–

he pauses, realizing Trey probably doesn

t know that word, either.

You know how when I ask you to do things, and you don

t do them? You know how I can start to get a little upset about that?


Yeah.


Well, it

s like that. I

d ask him to do things, to be a certain way, and he just kept... he just kept letting me down,

he says finally, looking sad.

And I just don

t know how to fix it anymore.


You can fix anything, Daddy!

Trey says. Typically, he can, and I can see the sorrow on my dad

s face when he realizes this situation isn

t one that can be easily mended.


Thanks for your vote of confidence, little guy,

he says. Trey hops up quickly and hugs my dad.

I think your mom has a job for you upstairs, Jackson. Can you go help her out for a few minutes? We can finish watching the movie a little later.

I brace myself for what

s coming when my brother bounds up the stairs quickly.

I

m sorry you and Jon had to see that,

he says once we

re alone.

It didn

t help seeing you two come upstairs together,

he says as he raises his eyebrows.


Dad, we were–


Your mom told me she asked him to help you carry down the laundry. It

s fine. I jumped to conclusions, and I think that just got the best of me.


Oh, yeah,

I say, a little caught off guard by my mother

s lie.

We wouldn

t come down here without permission. No, I know the rules.

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