Chapter 2: Shattered Hope
It was a week since Cynthia's and Lawrence's not so little feud. Lawrence's had been acting a bit off. But Cynthia was her same old self, she didn't smile that much, her husband was hardly ever home and for some reason Lucas seemed distant from her!
Lucas sat in his room on his bed. It was his birthday in just a few days. He was going to be six soon! He wasn't that excited about the idea of being six, every year older he got, the more work and responsibility was laid on him. Lucas sighed, he'd get a few presents from his not so scientific relatives and he just hoped he didn't get another science kit like last year. He was sick of those things.
"Lucas"
His mother was calling him. He rose from the bed and headed downstairs. His mother was sat at the table a stressed look on her face.
"Hi sweetie, sit down!" she said a warm voice.
"Your father's gone on a business trip, I'm afraid he wont be back for your birthday, I'm sorry darling".
Lucas looked down at the floor.
"Ok" he mumbled a slight look of sadness merged on his face.
His father had been on a business trip for his third and fourth birthday as well and had only just made it back home for his fifth birthday, this had given Lucas hope for this year, but unfortunately that hope was shattered. He didn't care if he got any presents or not he just wanted his father to act like he cared!
"Are you alright?" his mother asked sympathetically.
"Yer, it's just, doesn't he care about me?" he asked tears welling in his eyes.
"Oh, yes sweetie he does, he loves you very much, he just, he just gets very caught up in his work. You know how he gets with his research!"
"I know" Lucas whispered. His birthday came and he got a few presents and some of his relatives came round, he didn't have hardly any friends, the average five year old was boring for him to talk too, and anybody in his class didn't want to be seen hanging around with a five year old. Well, life was complicated in Lucas's world!
But having no friends didn't hurt half as much to the fact that Lawrence Wolenczek didn't even bother to send his son a birthday card from where he was staying, which was something to do with the U.E.O.
Most of his relatives had gone and he had gone to bed. That night Lucas dreamt that his father came back for his birthday but when he got back he wasn't like the father he knew, he was warmer and more loving and he had lots of time for him. Lucas woke up, he hadn't been asleep that long and it was only about nine o'clock. He sighed, and thought about his dream, and how he longed it could be true.
A rather loud conversation could be heard coming from downstairs.
"That man, Oh, he just makes my skin crawl, I mean he couldn't even be bothered sending a card to his own six year old son!"
His mother was going on about her husband to his sister, Carol, who looked on with disbelief.
"Calm down Cynthia, I'll have a word with him when he gets back! Ok?"
"Yer, but that man..." she repeated.
"Mummy, what's wrong?" Lucas said as he walked into the kitchen where they were standing.
"Nothing sweetheart, go back to bed."
Lucas nodded, hurried up the stairs and climbed back into bed. He couldn't get to sleep though, not after that dream.
His father was home two weeks later, and it seemed he was in a bad mood, something about an accident at his lab.
"Daddy!" Lucas shouted as his father walked into his house.
He ran up to him, his arms open waiting for his father to take him in his arms and hug him.
"Not now, Lucas I've got work to do!"
"You've always got work to do!" he mumbled.
"What?" his father asked intently.
"Nothing" Lucas muttered.
His father turned away muttering something under his breath.
Lucas stood in that same spot for a moment then turned and ran upstairs. For the first time in his life he threw himself on his bed and cried. He cried for being different, he cried for having no friends but most all he cried for the love he longed from his father.
Lucas stifled, his eyes were red, and his face was streaked with tears when he finally lifted his head from his pillow. He heard the door creak open, about an hour had passed since his father had returned home.
"What's wrong, Lucas?" Lawrence asked as he stuck his head inside Lucas's room.
"Nothing" Lucas said almost silently.
"If it's nothing, you wouldn't be crying, now would you?"
"Well...what's wrong is..." Lucas hesitated.
"Yes"
"...You act like I'm not even alive!"
Lucas had a tint of anger in his voice.
"Now, c'mon Lucas I just have so much work..."
"Work, work, work, Mum's right there's more to life than work, why can't you listen her, hey, hey dad?"
"Don't speak to me in that tone!"
Lucas had never acted angrily towards his father before and it was all new too him and to be honest he didn't know how to handle it.
"Why shouldn't I, this is the only way you'll actually listen to me!"
Lucas was almost shouting now. His mother had gone out with a friend of hers and would be back until later that night. Lawrence's face had already turned a dark shade of red. Lucas sensed an eerie feeling vibrating off his father.
Lawrence came towards Lucas and Lucas backed away.
"DON'T WALK AWAY FROM ME!" he screamed.
For the first time in his life Lucas was scared of his father.
"Dad, I...I"
"Not so tough now are you, are you? Hey"
He shoved Lucas into the wall and pulled him up towards his face.
"Don't you ever speak to me like that again" he stated his hot oily breath in Lucas's face. He spat as he spoke. He dropped Lucas to the floor. His knees collapsed from the fall as he landed back onto the ground.
He had tears of fear in his eyes. He wasn't physically that hurt. But now, now he knew it would be even harder to attract his father's love, and maybe even impossible. He was no longer a father who didn't care; he was now a father Lucas was afraid of!
It was a week since Cynthia's and Lawrence's not so little feud. Lawrence's had been acting a bit off. But Cynthia was her same old self, she didn't smile that much, her husband was hardly ever home and for some reason Lucas seemed distant from her!
Lucas sat in his room on his bed. It was his birthday in just a few days. He was going to be six soon! He wasn't that excited about the idea of being six, every year older he got, the more work and responsibility was laid on him. Lucas sighed, he'd get a few presents from his not so scientific relatives and he just hoped he didn't get another science kit like last year. He was sick of those things.
"Lucas"
His mother was calling him. He rose from the bed and headed downstairs. His mother was sat at the table a stressed look on her face.
"Hi sweetie, sit down!" she said a warm voice.
"Your father's gone on a business trip, I'm afraid he wont be back for your birthday, I'm sorry darling".
Lucas looked down at the floor.
"Ok" he mumbled a slight look of sadness merged on his face.
His father had been on a business trip for his third and fourth birthday as well and had only just made it back home for his fifth birthday, this had given Lucas hope for this year, but unfortunately that hope was shattered. He didn't care if he got any presents or not he just wanted his father to act like he cared!
"Are you alright?" his mother asked sympathetically.
"Yer, it's just, doesn't he care about me?" he asked tears welling in his eyes.
"Oh, yes sweetie he does, he loves you very much, he just, he just gets very caught up in his work. You know how he gets with his research!"
"I know" Lucas whispered. His birthday came and he got a few presents and some of his relatives came round, he didn't have hardly any friends, the average five year old was boring for him to talk too, and anybody in his class didn't want to be seen hanging around with a five year old. Well, life was complicated in Lucas's world!
But having no friends didn't hurt half as much to the fact that Lawrence Wolenczek didn't even bother to send his son a birthday card from where he was staying, which was something to do with the U.E.O.
Most of his relatives had gone and he had gone to bed. That night Lucas dreamt that his father came back for his birthday but when he got back he wasn't like the father he knew, he was warmer and more loving and he had lots of time for him. Lucas woke up, he hadn't been asleep that long and it was only about nine o'clock. He sighed, and thought about his dream, and how he longed it could be true.
A rather loud conversation could be heard coming from downstairs.
"That man, Oh, he just makes my skin crawl, I mean he couldn't even be bothered sending a card to his own six year old son!"
His mother was going on about her husband to his sister, Carol, who looked on with disbelief.
"Calm down Cynthia, I'll have a word with him when he gets back! Ok?"
"Yer, but that man..." she repeated.
"Mummy, what's wrong?" Lucas said as he walked into the kitchen where they were standing.
"Nothing sweetheart, go back to bed."
Lucas nodded, hurried up the stairs and climbed back into bed. He couldn't get to sleep though, not after that dream.
His father was home two weeks later, and it seemed he was in a bad mood, something about an accident at his lab.
"Daddy!" Lucas shouted as his father walked into his house.
He ran up to him, his arms open waiting for his father to take him in his arms and hug him.
"Not now, Lucas I've got work to do!"
"You've always got work to do!" he mumbled.
"What?" his father asked intently.
"Nothing" Lucas muttered.
His father turned away muttering something under his breath.
Lucas stood in that same spot for a moment then turned and ran upstairs. For the first time in his life he threw himself on his bed and cried. He cried for being different, he cried for having no friends but most all he cried for the love he longed from his father.
Lucas stifled, his eyes were red, and his face was streaked with tears when he finally lifted his head from his pillow. He heard the door creak open, about an hour had passed since his father had returned home.
"What's wrong, Lucas?" Lawrence asked as he stuck his head inside Lucas's room.
"Nothing" Lucas said almost silently.
"If it's nothing, you wouldn't be crying, now would you?"
"Well...what's wrong is..." Lucas hesitated.
"Yes"
"...You act like I'm not even alive!"
Lucas had a tint of anger in his voice.
"Now, c'mon Lucas I just have so much work..."
"Work, work, work, Mum's right there's more to life than work, why can't you listen her, hey, hey dad?"
"Don't speak to me in that tone!"
Lucas had never acted angrily towards his father before and it was all new too him and to be honest he didn't know how to handle it.
"Why shouldn't I, this is the only way you'll actually listen to me!"
Lucas was almost shouting now. His mother had gone out with a friend of hers and would be back until later that night. Lawrence's face had already turned a dark shade of red. Lucas sensed an eerie feeling vibrating off his father.
Lawrence came towards Lucas and Lucas backed away.
"DON'T WALK AWAY FROM ME!" he screamed.
For the first time in his life Lucas was scared of his father.
"Dad, I...I"
"Not so tough now are you, are you? Hey"
He shoved Lucas into the wall and pulled him up towards his face.
"Don't you ever speak to me like that again" he stated his hot oily breath in Lucas's face. He spat as he spoke. He dropped Lucas to the floor. His knees collapsed from the fall as he landed back onto the ground.
He had tears of fear in his eyes. He wasn't physically that hurt. But now, now he knew it would be even harder to attract his father's love, and maybe even impossible. He was no longer a father who didn't care; he was now a father Lucas was afraid of!
