Chapter 6

Bloberta's new found confidence became a new found rage and sadness, but her inclination to help Clay made her repress the anger...only the anger.

"Ahem...Clay?"

Clay didn't respond right away but feigned a "Hey, hey. whats going on sweet cheeks?" without turning his head, just facing the outside windows.

Bloberta tried to laugh but had no joy in her to do so.

"Clay...I saw someone at church today. Someone you might know."

"Should I be jealous?"

Clay said gritting his teeth in both anger and curious optimism. Bloberta simply coughed a little bit confused by that question.

"Um no, this was someone you really know."

Clay's mind went blank for a bit, he hardly paid any attention to anyone in Moralton. There was no one, absolutely no one he could have known. A small jump in the heart put his mind into a panic. Bloberta spoke...

"Your father..."

Glass shattered in his brain, the man he wanted to get away from was now seemingly getting to his new wife of all people. What had been a mild anger with a bit of curious optimism, turned to a furious rage with a some of underlying sadness. Clay got up from the couch and turned to his wife.

"You. You talked to my FATHER."

His tone had become intimidating. Bloberta decided to stand her ground on this subject and do her best to tell it how she had heard it.

"Yes, he spoke to me, he told me he wanted to help you and to stop fighting."

"What else did he tell you?"

Clay sneered.

"Look Clay its not important what happened back then, its important that your father could probably help us now!"

"So you believe his side of the story is that it?!"

Bloberta had been holding it in for so long, now she had to let it all out.

"I don't believe in ANYONE anymore."

Clay almost looked a little hurt, and Bloberta noticed.

"B-but please, he sounded genuinely like he wanted to reconcile with you, you need to give it a chance! I want to help you, I love you, Clay!"

Bloberta had handed him a scrap of paper with a number on it.
Clay looked down at it, he smirked.

"You know what, Bloberta...I love you too. Because you gave me the opportunity to do this."
Bloberta froze at the statement both being happy and freighted given the context Clay finally gave her any "I love you" as Clay punched in the number on the phone . Bloberta's face went white as Clay winked at her while the phone rang.
As the phone stopped ringing the two Puppingtons said simultaneously:

"Puppington residence, whose speaking?"

Clay being the younger man he made the faster response:

"Um, excuse me I'm the REAL Puppington residence, you are more like a Puppington dwelling than a residence."

"Ahem...Clay, I understand you are trying to assert some sort of dominance but it isn't necessary."

"Ho ho. Look how the mighty has fallen! All of the sudden I have a wife now and you're trying to act like you're sorry? The past 10 years you've been acting like a victim to your own actions."

Arthur was grasping on the ropes of sanity at this point, to falter would be to lose in life, and Clay was in fact getting to him.
"Clay I swear I am sorry for what I had done. I do not blame you for your-"

"But you know what? I FUCKING blame you. YOU TRIED TO MAKE ME INTO A MAN WHEN I WASN'T READY AND SHOWED ME THAT TOY OF A GUN MAKING ME BELIEVE IT WAS NO BIG DEAL!"

"BECAUSE it was no big deal and YOU made it a BIG DEAL."

"OH I'M SORRY DAD FOR NOT KNOWING GUNS WEREN'T A BIG DEAL, ITS NOT LIKE THEY CAN GIVE PEOPLE HEART ATTACKS OR ANYTHING!"

"I DIDN'T GIVE YOUR MOM A HEART ATTACK, YOU DID ON ACCIDENT."

"THAT WAS NO ACCIDENT, YOU DID IT ALL ON PURPOSE."
Clay remarked with vicious animosity.

"FUCK YOU."
Arthur had enough of Clay's voice. In fact he was through with him for good this time.

"FUCK OFF."
Clay hung the phone up and exhaled and then smiled.
"I think we reached an understanding."

Bloberta looked appalled, her stomach churned and for the second time in her life she felt truly disgusted by this man. She attempted to reason with him
"Please Clay, I know how you feel but why can't you just let him in?"

"No!"

Clay yelled at her and then stormed out of the apartment. Bloberta had yet to see Clay truly angry at her. The one thing she thought would bring them a little closer had drifted them more apart. She felt...alone...alone with a man who was so happy to be alone. Maybe she shouldn't have gotten in the way of his dreams? She pondered, and yet still this strange glimmer of light still resided in her mind...That boy entered her thoughts every time she felt hopeless. Tears rolled down her cheeks he frown turned to a tiny smile.
Bloberta though her dream of a happy home life wasn't panning out she realized she needed a different strategy in creating a somewhat happy home. Seducing Clay never worked ever. Being nice to Clay made him sad and distant.
That anger...Towards his dad over his mom's death...Something dawned on her. All the caring and being a house wife to Clay turned Clay off because it reminded him of his mother. Eureka. Bloberta weak smile turned to smirk. He wants me to play hard to get!

Clay stopped by the church into the confessional, with Putty present. Putty opened the conversation with a unenthusiastic
"Talk to me."

"Reverend its me, Clay..."

Clay said looking to his shoes.

"Clay! Where the heck were you today?!"

"That's not important. I need to talk to you about something, then we can get to work on that stupid election stuff."

"Woah hoh busy busy aren't we?"

"I yelled at Bloberta today..."

"Oh...um I do feel you are angry. Did she take away your bottle or something?"

"Ugh...She...she talked to my father, and I called him."

"Oh."
Putty paused and grimaced unsure how to continue. So Clay spoke again.

"I feel bad...I don't know what she was thinking but I'm kinda sure she was trying to help somehow..."
Putty started again

"You...you don't like your dad. That's it isn't?"

"I don't 'don't like him' I HATE HATE HATE him."

"You didn't tell your wife that you hate him."

"I-it never came up..."

"Should it have?"

Clay felt like yelling again why was it that everyone needed to know every facet and every little detail about him? Why could he just not talk about it and curl up in a cave somewhere? Why the hell should I need to have told her? Clay left his father years ago it wasn't relevant to his humdrum life. He was happy leaving that past self behind to create a new image for himself. Why did they all want to get to know me? Clay ended his thought process as Putty was blathering on about secrets and marriage or some other crap.

"Clay, I want you to do something for me, and then tomorrow we can start working on your election again."

"Okay...what?"

"I want you to go home and apologize to your wife."
For a fleeting moment Clay wanted to fight that statement but the other more human side conceded he did need to say sorry to her.

"Alright. I will."

"Tell me how to goes tomorrow. And you better come back tomorrow, understood?"
Clay was about ready to punch his fist into putty's face.

"Understood."
Clay walked out to the rainy streets of Moralton dejected and guilty.