"Hey, honey. What's going on?" Tim said coming through the door.
"Tim, we have a problem," Jill said, getting up from the couch.
Tim suddenly got a worried look on his face. "Uh... I didn't do it. And if I did, then I have dinner credit from the other night."
"No, Tim. It's about Randy."
Tim's expression grew concerned. "Is he allright?"
"Yeah, physically, but emotionally, not really."
"What do you mean? He's been acting like his normal self."
"Yeah, because he's trying to bury his feelings. I just told him he could drive the car and he said he never wanted to drive again and then ran down to his room."
Tim sighed. "Allright, I'll go talk to him."
"Tim, I'm his mother and a psychiatrist. I should talk to him."
"Honey, you're just a student, not a..."
Tim was suddenly interrupted by Jill giving him THE LOOK.
"Uh... I mean, you're one of the best students around..I mean, not a student, a-"
"Tim, shut up."
"Uh, okay, well what I'm trying to say is, I'm his father and a man. I know how to get involved with his feelings. Men don't like expressing their feelings."
"You don't have to tell me twice. But not Randy. He's always been so sweet and-"
"You see, there you go. Just assuming. I know him more than anything, feeling wise. Just let me talk to him, okay?"
Jill hesitated a moment. "Fine, but if he's not better afterwards, than I'm intervening."
"That's all I ask," Tim said walking downstairs.
Randy sat on his bed, reading a book when Tim suddenly knocked at the doorway.
Randy looked back at him and then looked back at his book. "Look, dad, I appreciate you coming down here, but I don't want to talk about it."
Tim nodded. "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"
"Nothing."
Tim nodded again. "Okay, nothing it is then."
They both sat there in silence, and Tim growing board, found a sock hanging from the top bunk of the bunk beds, and starting hitting it because it was in his face. When it wouldn't move he grew upset and kept hitting it and yelling at it in an Arnold Swartzenager type voice.
"Hey, come on Mr. Socky Man, you think you have the power? Come on, I'm tough, bring it, Socky, bring it!!"
Randy got up from the bed and grabbed the sock. "Dad, dad! It's okay, relax."
Tim gave an evil glare at the sock and looked back at Randy who sighed.
"Allright, fine. You wanna talk, I'll talk."
"Good. First of all, why did you get upset at your mom like that? Why don't you want to drive ever again?"
"Because, I don't okay."
"Okay, why not?"
"Because?"
"Because...?"
"Because, I'm afraid, dad, that's why!! That drunk driver took away a piece of me that night! Physically and emotionally! When I couldn't walk, I felt like I was completely useless. Not to mention a piece of respect I had for myself was ripped from me. I felt utterly and completely useless, dad."
"Randy, I understand-"
"No, you don't!! How would you feel if you lost total control? Or if everyone had to wait on you hand and foot and give you special treatment because you can't walk?!"
"Look, son, I know it's not fair, but-"
"Fair?! You want to talk about fair, dad?! Was it so fair that some stupid person had to solve his problems by getting drunk and then driving?! Was it fair that he walked out alive and me, an innocent bystander got the result from his mistakes?! And what if Lauren had been with me? She would have been killed, dad! The side that she would have been on was totally creamed. And I had just dropped her off like two seconds before it happened. I just... It sucks dad, it totally and completely SUCKS!!!!"
Randy then started throwing things around, and was eventually grabbed by Tim. He then fell into his dad's arms onto the floor, and cried, Tim holding him and not letting go, for however long he needed it. He couldn't turn his back on his son now. Not now and not ever.
TBC...
"Tim, we have a problem," Jill said, getting up from the couch.
Tim suddenly got a worried look on his face. "Uh... I didn't do it. And if I did, then I have dinner credit from the other night."
"No, Tim. It's about Randy."
Tim's expression grew concerned. "Is he allright?"
"Yeah, physically, but emotionally, not really."
"What do you mean? He's been acting like his normal self."
"Yeah, because he's trying to bury his feelings. I just told him he could drive the car and he said he never wanted to drive again and then ran down to his room."
Tim sighed. "Allright, I'll go talk to him."
"Tim, I'm his mother and a psychiatrist. I should talk to him."
"Honey, you're just a student, not a..."
Tim was suddenly interrupted by Jill giving him THE LOOK.
"Uh... I mean, you're one of the best students around..I mean, not a student, a-"
"Tim, shut up."
"Uh, okay, well what I'm trying to say is, I'm his father and a man. I know how to get involved with his feelings. Men don't like expressing their feelings."
"You don't have to tell me twice. But not Randy. He's always been so sweet and-"
"You see, there you go. Just assuming. I know him more than anything, feeling wise. Just let me talk to him, okay?"
Jill hesitated a moment. "Fine, but if he's not better afterwards, than I'm intervening."
"That's all I ask," Tim said walking downstairs.
Randy sat on his bed, reading a book when Tim suddenly knocked at the doorway.
Randy looked back at him and then looked back at his book. "Look, dad, I appreciate you coming down here, but I don't want to talk about it."
Tim nodded. "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"
"Nothing."
Tim nodded again. "Okay, nothing it is then."
They both sat there in silence, and Tim growing board, found a sock hanging from the top bunk of the bunk beds, and starting hitting it because it was in his face. When it wouldn't move he grew upset and kept hitting it and yelling at it in an Arnold Swartzenager type voice.
"Hey, come on Mr. Socky Man, you think you have the power? Come on, I'm tough, bring it, Socky, bring it!!"
Randy got up from the bed and grabbed the sock. "Dad, dad! It's okay, relax."
Tim gave an evil glare at the sock and looked back at Randy who sighed.
"Allright, fine. You wanna talk, I'll talk."
"Good. First of all, why did you get upset at your mom like that? Why don't you want to drive ever again?"
"Because, I don't okay."
"Okay, why not?"
"Because?"
"Because...?"
"Because, I'm afraid, dad, that's why!! That drunk driver took away a piece of me that night! Physically and emotionally! When I couldn't walk, I felt like I was completely useless. Not to mention a piece of respect I had for myself was ripped from me. I felt utterly and completely useless, dad."
"Randy, I understand-"
"No, you don't!! How would you feel if you lost total control? Or if everyone had to wait on you hand and foot and give you special treatment because you can't walk?!"
"Look, son, I know it's not fair, but-"
"Fair?! You want to talk about fair, dad?! Was it so fair that some stupid person had to solve his problems by getting drunk and then driving?! Was it fair that he walked out alive and me, an innocent bystander got the result from his mistakes?! And what if Lauren had been with me? She would have been killed, dad! The side that she would have been on was totally creamed. And I had just dropped her off like two seconds before it happened. I just... It sucks dad, it totally and completely SUCKS!!!!"
Randy then started throwing things around, and was eventually grabbed by Tim. He then fell into his dad's arms onto the floor, and cried, Tim holding him and not letting go, for however long he needed it. He couldn't turn his back on his son now. Not now and not ever.
TBC...