Chapter 12 – Civil War. September 15th, 2140.
Author's note: Hey everyone! Hope you're enjoying the holiday season. Sorry for a bit of the delay in posting and the short chapter, but I'll be back with another chapter update soon and then back to weekly updates after the New Year begins. Thank you all for the kind & constructive reviews. You are all wonderful people - Enjoy!
Edd and Marie parted ways as they exited the woods, Marie to her trailer and Edd to his home. Marie had no problem explaining to her mother and sisters why she was out so late, as it was normal for her to head out for a few hours in the evening. Edd however, was never tardy, and as he was heading home, noticed a few missed calls from his mother. He quickened his pace, knowing that he would have hell to pay once he returned. About fifteen minutes later, he walked through his front door, announcing his presence to rapidly allay any worry he assumed his parents would be experiencing. His mother emerged from the living room, arms crossed across her chest and began interrogating Edd:
"Well, where have you been, and why didn't you pick up your phone? I was worried sick," Elizabeth, his mother asked.
"Apologies mother, but I was assisting one of my fellow students with a personal matter, and she was in turn assisting me preparing for my physical fitness exam for the academy." Edd replied.
Elizabeth sighed. "You know," she began, "if you were any of your friends, I'd assume that was a euphemism for you running off the have sex with some young land. Still, you know better than to lie, and you rarely screw up, so I'll let this slide. Be more attentive to your phone," his mother demanded.
"Yes mother, I will," Edd replied.
"Why were you working on your physical fitness? You're already an excellent runner, and I'm sure you'll do fine," Elizabeth asked.
"Well, my upper body strength isn't ideal at this point, and I was working on my pullups," Edd replied.
"You can do enough pullups to get in," Elizabeth said.
"Possibly, but more is better, and though I'm looking forward to the prospect of being a submarine officer and working with the nuclear navy, who knows? Maybe a few years into my training I'll be interested in flying jets or crawling in the mud with the Marines, and I need to be at peak form to keep those options open," Edd added.
Elizabeth tensed up, approached Edd, pointed a finger in his face, and roared "No son of mine is going to be a grunt! You can end those damn fantasies right this second! I'm hardly thrilled at the prospect of you joining the service by any means, but if you do, I explicitly forbid you from joining the Marine Corps, Army, or being a soldier! I will disown you and never let you set foot in this house again!"
Edd stood silent, stunned, and shocked. His mother never yelled at him in this manner, and he was afraid. He didn't know how to respond. From out of nowhere, his mother went from being the rational individual he was able to have numerous logical conversations with, and through this simple act of extrapolating on his possible futures, she turned into a hostile and angry human. Edd opened his mouth, unsure of what to say, and nervously he began:
"Mother, I'm sorry. I'm just exploring possible futures. I have no idea what I will want to do in a few years, and isn't it natural to keep all possible doors open until they close?" Edd asked.
"You shut your mouth with that nonsense! Some futures are off the table for you, and there's no way I'm going to let any son of mine turn into a man who's only skill is to handle a rifle. Submarines, sure, you have a future in engineering afterwards, but what does holding a rifle get you? I'll tell you, one of two futures: you'll either be dead or working security for the rest of your life and I'll never tolerate such a waste of potential in my household!" Elizabeth screamed.
Whether it was because it was late, he was tired, he didn't care, or he was scared, Edd will never be able to tell, but for a moment, he dropped all sense of logic, cordiality, or decorum and responded, "Well mother, in a year I'll be eighteen and a legal adult, and it won't be your decision at that point, it will be mine. I don't know what my future will hold, and I take note of your objection, but I'm not going to close any doors as to my future unless they are illegal or immoral. This is my life."
Elizabeth's face turned red with rage, "Well if that's the case, you can get out of my damn house! Go sleep somewhere else! Go to Ed or Eddy's or whoever you spent most of the evening with, because you obviously care more about them than you do me!" she yelled.
"Mother, you are not making any sense at all," Edd said, "I haven't signed a contract or anything, I'm just saying that my future isn't written!"
"Well, if the marines are part of your future, you can leave this household!" Elizabeth screamed, as she turned her back on her son and went up to her room.
Edd was shellshocked. He had never seen his mother act in such an angry and irrational way before, and he didn't know what to do. He didn't cry, he wasn't sad, and he wasn't angry. He was confused and empty. A steady person in his life, his mother, suddenly and in his mind, irrationality, pulled away a sense of comfort and safety which existed for a large portion of his life, and he didn't know what to do. He thought of crying, but his soul was void of any emotion. Robotically, and without thinking, he grabbed his backpack, which was still full of his school supplies, and threw in a toothbrush, soap, toothpaste, a water bottle, a few granola bars, and a quick change of clothes and walked out the door, trying to contemplate what just happened.
As he stepped into the cool evening, he looked at his phone. He tried to call Ed and Eddy, but their phones went straight to voicemail. Taking a deep breath, and saying a quick Hail Mary, he dialed Marie's number.
"Hey Edd, what's up? Make it home okay?" Marie asked.
"Marie, I can't explain this right now, but I need help. I was just thrown out of my own house, and I need a place to spend the evening. Would it be possible for me to sleep on the floor of your trailer? I won't take up much space, and I think this will be for one night only," Edd pleaded.
"Whoa. Yes. Are you okay? What happened?" Marie asked.
"Honestly, no. I'm not okay, and I don't think I can tell you what happened over the phone," Edd responded.
"Hurry up, I'll have some tea when you arrive," Marie responded.
"Thank you; I'll be going now," Edd responded as he hung up the phone.
As he set off into the night, tears formed at the corner of Edd's eyes, but his emotions were too scattered, and his chest felt so empty, that he couldn't bring himself to cry.