“You took it away from me, you son of a bitch! I asked you for one thing, for the first, for the only time in my life, and it was still too much to ask! You turned me down flat, you wanted to save the money so Casey could go to college, remember? What about me, why was it so hard to help me just once? You took my future away from me, a chance to be somebody, anybody, except your son. Thanks to you, I’ll never even get to be a has-been, like you, I’ll be a never-was, does that feel good, do you feel proud of me now?”
Steve snarled and swung his hand at him, for it to smack into Robbie’s palm, locked there immobile as Robbie stood up, Steve suddenly really seeing him for the first time, and realising Robbie outweighed him, was a head taller than him, had no reason not to snap his wrist, and plenty of cause to do just that. They stood, silently, as Steve, face twisting in pain, tried to think of a way out of this situation, his hand trapped in Robbie’s closed fist, with Robbie finally angry enough to pay him back for all the years of contempt and neglect.
“Robbie, no, let your father go!” shrilled Angie, and Robbie suddenly realised how harsh and unlovely her voice was, squawking like an angry turkey.
“Shut up, bitch, I haven’t finished yet!” he gritted, twisting his hand, watching the pain flash again across Steve’s face again.
“”I’m going upstairs now; I’m getting my stuff, and I’m going home. Don’t ever speak to me again, I owe you nothing, so don’t expect to hear from me again. I’m letting go now, if you try to hit me again, I’ll break your arm, Steve.”
“This is your home….” trailed off Angie.
“I said shut up, bitch, and I don’t live here. Have fun with Casey until she gives you the finger!”
Sarah Anderson answered the door to Robbie, took one look at his face, and hustled him in, sitting him down and handing him a soda. “Robbie, what’s happened? Joey’s not here, he’s taken Karen to the movies, but you can tell me.” She watched him closely as he told her what had happened, and that he’d walked out, asking if he could stay with them until he figured out what to do next.
“Stay as long as you want, honey, you practically live here anyway. Give me your stuff, I’ll put it through the wash now, be nice and fresh for the morning. You are going to school in the morning?”
Robbie thought about it. “Don’t really see the point in graduating now, I’m not going anywhere, perhaps I should start looking for a job somewhere.”
Sarah snorted. “Around here? My advice is, stay in school as long as you can, you never know when you may need it!”
“Sure thing, Mrs Anderson, thanks for the soda. If you don’t mind, I’ll go out back, lift some weights for a while and wait for Joey.”
While Robbie worked off his anger in the back yard, Sarah thought about what he’d told her. It was beyond her how a family could so despise their child that destroying his future was of no consequence to them, that they could be so indifferent to their child, could leave him out in the cold for years on end, grind away at him, and then be so shocked when he finally reared-up and struck back. At least they hadn’t destroyed his spirit, she thought grimly, he still had enough grit to back Steve down, and shut Angie’s whiny mouth.
A knock came at the door, and Sarah looked through the window to see Steve and Angie Dolan standing there. Good, she thought, I’m just in the right mood to deal with those two! She opened the door and stepped out, closing the door behind her, making it clear they were not invited in.
Steve started to speak. “Sarah, could we speak to Robbie…” but Sarah cut him short.
“No. He told me what you did, what you said. You’re a dick, Steven Dolan, you were a dick in school, and you’re still a dick now. Robbie says he doesn’t want to speak to or hear from you again. He’s over 18, in this state that makes him an adult, and I intend to respect his wishes. How dare you treat your boy like he’s nothing, because he’s not a shit-head jock like you! Right now, everything he owns in the world is sitting on my table; one bag of old clothes to show for a lifetime with you. You couldn’t carry away the things you gave Casey in a big truck! But none of that matters; all he ever needed was a little love from his mom, a little time with his dad, but you couldn’t even give him that, just that, you couldn’t even see him for the glow from Casey. You made him not exist in his own home, the place he’s supposed to be loved and safe. He was fading away in front of you, and you looked away, or looked right through him; you dismissed him out of hand, made him be nobody and nothing.”
“God damn you, both of you, you stood by and let him stumble through life, knowing he’s almost completely defenseless. You never once thought of giving him a helping hand, or being kind to him, or being there for him, or just letting him know that you gave a damn for him. Both of you, you gave all your love and attention to your baby girl, what about your baby boy, where was the love for him? Who the hell looked out for him? If you didn’t want him, why didn’t you just give him up, let someone have him who’d actually love him? For Chrissake, he’d have had a better life if you’d just dumped him along the side of the fucking road! God help the pair of you, one day you’ll pay for what you did to that boy, I swear!” Tears of rage were rolling down her cheeks and she angrily rubbed them away.
“Sarah, I…” began Angie, Sarah cutting across her. “Shut up Angie, Robbie sure got one thing right; you are a miserable, mean bitch! I’m glad he finally slapped you down. One of the few things he’s grateful for is that he never has to hear your damned voice ever again. Now the two of you get off my property before I call the police! Go on, go shove your heads back up Casey’s ass, that’s where you’ve had them stuck for the last 16 years!”
Steve tried to speak again. “Sarah, please…”but again Sarah shut him off. “If you say another word, Steven Dolan, I swear I will kick your ass for you, hand you a beating like poor Robbie had to endure all the time, beatings my son had to put a stop to, because you couldn’t be bothered. He’d come home all busted up, and you never noticed, you just looked right through him, none of you bunch even noticed he was hurt. You are a miserable excuse for a parent, and that goes for you too, Angie. Now get the hell off my property!” Steve and Angie recognised the raw fury in Sarah’s voice and beat a hasty retreat.
*
Casey came in from school, and did her usual twirl in front of the hall mirror, checking herself out, making sure she looked perfect from every angle, that her tight shirt and short, short plaid skirt revealed just enough without looking cheap. She was a pleasant eyeful in anybody’s book, that much was true; long supple legs, taut, trim figure, long Copper-Auburn hair in a ponytail, and gray-hazel eyes. Pretty, slim, limber and athletic; the perfect cheerleader. Trouble was, she knew it too well. She clattered into the lounge, dropping her things on the coffee table and doing a graceful flop backwards onto the couch. Then something about her parents, and the strained silence in the room caught her attention, and she suddenly sensed the atmosphere, both parents looking hunted, drawn, almost furtive.
“Mom, what’s going on, what’s happened?” she demanded, “Dad, what is it?”
“Casey, it’s Robbie…” began Angie, trailing off and looking helplessly at Steve.
“Robbie left, for good. We had… words, about college, and now he’s gone, he took his stuff and left,” said Steve, scowling at the memory of the pain Robbie’d caused him without breaking a sweat.
“Gone!” echoed Casey, “Gone where, why, what are you not telling me?” she demanded, “Why are you so wound-up over it, it’s only Robbie! Where did he go?”
Angie answered “He’s staying with the Andersons for now, long term… I don’t know. But he won’t come back here; he’s gone.”
Casey stalked out and jumped into her car, her brand new Escalade, and drove over to the Anderson residence, intending to give Robbie a piece of her mind. Sarah Anderson was sitting on the porch trying to calm herself after the confrontation she’d had with the Dolan’s when Casey pulled up , got out and walked up to speak to her.
“Mrs. Anderson, may I please speak with Robbie, about…”
Sarah cut her short, a habit she was getting to like with this bunch. “No you may not, Robbie has had quite enough of you and that family of yours, leave him be, he’s got a lot to deal with, and your whining voice is just another thing he wants to forget!”