Man's Laughter, Woman's Tears
Author: wobbear
Rating: T
Disclaimer: CSI and its characters still aren't mine.
Summary: A drabble glimpse into Sara Sidle's family life.
Author's notes: My father loved word play. Mostly he was witty, sometimes not so much. He liked to pronounce "manslaughter" as "man's laughter". I was thinking about that yesterday, and this odd drabble emerged.
Clouds gather daily, shades of gray darkening into black. He rages against the world. Hidden tears fall like rain as his family weathers the storms.
The boy escapes, stays with friends.
The girl dreams of living in the school library. Anywhere but here.
Puberty is inevitable. Her lanky form, breasts blossoming, starts to catch the man's leering eye.
Tension tautens ragged nerves.
On the fateful night the man's laughter is chilling. Drunk again, he lunges at the girl. A handy kitchen knife ends his life. The woman's tears mingle with the blood on her hands.
Their daughter stands and stares.
–end–