Chapter Two: [placed before the storm hits, before Chapter One]
Part III
"We're having a hard time tracking this one. It seems as if the storm is having a difficult time choosing its direction as it blasts up the Atlantic."
~~~~~~~~~
"You're not pressuring me into leaving, Deb. It's not happening," Dan's voice boomed through the hallway as she walked away, more so in an effort to keep from throwing something at his head. Deborah Scott was a lot of things – but violent was not something she ever wished to associate with herself. Nevertheless, raw temper was beginning to bubble up inside of her. What was wrong with this man? And what was wrong with her for staying with him for so long?
"I'll do whatever I damn well please, Dan," she stated as calmly as possible turning to look at the man who changed her life is so many ways. "And I advise that you get the hell out of my house before I lose my temper," she seethed.
He laughed, "Your house?" Smirked is perhaps the better word. The cocky bastard. He was showing no sign of fear towards her but she knew he was scared. He was scared to lose the shaky foundation that this house and marriage were built upon. But it was over. They was nothing left to say. He hurt her son. He hurt her. And he hurt himself. Three tremendous reasons for her to make him go.
"Deb, this is not how this going to play out," he sneered. Apparently, he still had something left to say.
"Ha. Right. Trying to control this situation like you attempt to control everything else," she yelled, finally losing her composure. It was like butting her head up against a wall with him. "You don't have the power in this situation, so you can just screw yourself!"
Just then, her beautiful son walked in. His backpack slouched on one shoulder. His keys dangling from the lanyard he was swinging around. His eyes darkened under the dim lighting of the entranceway as he surveyed the situation.
"Home. Sweet home, right?" he shrugged trying to walk past them towards his room.
"Not so fast, Nathan," Dan stopped him with a firm pat to his shoulder. "We need to talk," he said eyeing Deb. Oh god, she thought. More harassing of her son. Just what they all needed at the moment, she told herself sarcastically.
Nathan paused, appearing to study the climate of the room. He sighed in resignation. She took it as a sign of weakness on her part. Her son knew that his father would "talk" to him and she had no strength to stop him.
"Son, you need to decide," he said glowering at her with his cruel eyes. She shuddered in reaction, cursing herself for her many weaknesses. "Your mother is forcing the issue of separation on this family. And unfortunately, that means you have a decision to make."
"Not now Dad," Nathan said pleading with his mom to fix this. But there was no fix. Dan was right. Nathan had a decision to make. Deb just hoped he would make the right one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dan was sick of this. He was not the bad guy, although perhaps it would be easier to paint it that way. He looked at Nathan – the boy he was so proud of even if he didn't always show it. He wanted him to be the best. There was nothing wrong with that. Nathan would thank him for it down the road. Dan was confident of that.
"Nathan, you don't have to decide anything right now just because your father is a jerk," Deb said more to him than Nathan.
"You're such a saint, Deb," he said redirecting his attention. "You such a good mother," the sarcasm dripping with each word.
He could hear the hurricane winds begin outside. The soft rainfall of earlier was thickening with each blow they threw at one another. He only had one final crack, and now seemed appropriate if he wanted to seal the deal with his son. "She's such a good mother, Nathan," he said still looking at Deb's alarmed eyes, "that she tried to leave us a few summers back."
Deb gasped in response. His new approach was obviously working, he told himself before going on. "We tried to keep the ugly truth from you, Nathan," he said glancing at his son with a look of faux regret. "I tried to keep this family together because I love you all so much. But you need to know this now that your mother is determined to rip us apart." The lights flashed ominously but stayed strong as the weather outside and in grew with intensity. "She was with another man, and I forgave her. She wanted to leave this family that I built to be with him. And when it all fell apart, she came crawling back," his disparaging tone took on a whole new level. "It's always been me and you, Nathan. You know I'll never leave you."
"It's not like that," Deb pleaded in Nathan's direction. That's it, beg you whore, Dan thought coldly. "Damn it Dan, tell him what really happened," she looked to him but he wouldn't give her an inch. She turned back to Nathan. "I would never leave you honey., especially not with him," she spoke quietly gesturing towards Dan.
"With me?" Dan hollowed. "You're the one who did wrong!"
"Shut up!" Deb cried back. "Just shut up Dan and leave!"
"You know what? This is bullshit!" Nathan finally screamed interrupting the enraged dialogue between his parents. "I'm not a trophy dad," he spit towards his father. "And I'm not a charity case," he directed towards his mother. The winds picked up outside, the rain pulverizing the naked ground. He threw his backpack across the room, really catching Dan's attention. "I hate you both!" he roared, resentment filling his eyes. "Fight over that new piece meat while I'm out."
Nathan charged out the front door, waking the portraits on the wall with the resounding slam of wood against metal lock. His anger and frustration vibrating through the room like shockwaves. The lights flickered with one last hope – shadows dancing across Deb and Dan's unpromising faces. And then it was dark in the Scott house.
Part III
"We're having a hard time tracking this one. It seems as if the storm is having a difficult time choosing its direction as it blasts up the Atlantic."
~~~~~~~~~
"You're not pressuring me into leaving, Deb. It's not happening," Dan's voice boomed through the hallway as she walked away, more so in an effort to keep from throwing something at his head. Deborah Scott was a lot of things – but violent was not something she ever wished to associate with herself. Nevertheless, raw temper was beginning to bubble up inside of her. What was wrong with this man? And what was wrong with her for staying with him for so long?
"I'll do whatever I damn well please, Dan," she stated as calmly as possible turning to look at the man who changed her life is so many ways. "And I advise that you get the hell out of my house before I lose my temper," she seethed.
He laughed, "Your house?" Smirked is perhaps the better word. The cocky bastard. He was showing no sign of fear towards her but she knew he was scared. He was scared to lose the shaky foundation that this house and marriage were built upon. But it was over. They was nothing left to say. He hurt her son. He hurt her. And he hurt himself. Three tremendous reasons for her to make him go.
"Deb, this is not how this going to play out," he sneered. Apparently, he still had something left to say.
"Ha. Right. Trying to control this situation like you attempt to control everything else," she yelled, finally losing her composure. It was like butting her head up against a wall with him. "You don't have the power in this situation, so you can just screw yourself!"
Just then, her beautiful son walked in. His backpack slouched on one shoulder. His keys dangling from the lanyard he was swinging around. His eyes darkened under the dim lighting of the entranceway as he surveyed the situation.
"Home. Sweet home, right?" he shrugged trying to walk past them towards his room.
"Not so fast, Nathan," Dan stopped him with a firm pat to his shoulder. "We need to talk," he said eyeing Deb. Oh god, she thought. More harassing of her son. Just what they all needed at the moment, she told herself sarcastically.
Nathan paused, appearing to study the climate of the room. He sighed in resignation. She took it as a sign of weakness on her part. Her son knew that his father would "talk" to him and she had no strength to stop him.
"Son, you need to decide," he said glowering at her with his cruel eyes. She shuddered in reaction, cursing herself for her many weaknesses. "Your mother is forcing the issue of separation on this family. And unfortunately, that means you have a decision to make."
"Not now Dad," Nathan said pleading with his mom to fix this. But there was no fix. Dan was right. Nathan had a decision to make. Deb just hoped he would make the right one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dan was sick of this. He was not the bad guy, although perhaps it would be easier to paint it that way. He looked at Nathan – the boy he was so proud of even if he didn't always show it. He wanted him to be the best. There was nothing wrong with that. Nathan would thank him for it down the road. Dan was confident of that.
"Nathan, you don't have to decide anything right now just because your father is a jerk," Deb said more to him than Nathan.
"You're such a saint, Deb," he said redirecting his attention. "You such a good mother," the sarcasm dripping with each word.
He could hear the hurricane winds begin outside. The soft rainfall of earlier was thickening with each blow they threw at one another. He only had one final crack, and now seemed appropriate if he wanted to seal the deal with his son. "She's such a good mother, Nathan," he said still looking at Deb's alarmed eyes, "that she tried to leave us a few summers back."
Deb gasped in response. His new approach was obviously working, he told himself before going on. "We tried to keep the ugly truth from you, Nathan," he said glancing at his son with a look of faux regret. "I tried to keep this family together because I love you all so much. But you need to know this now that your mother is determined to rip us apart." The lights flashed ominously but stayed strong as the weather outside and in grew with intensity. "She was with another man, and I forgave her. She wanted to leave this family that I built to be with him. And when it all fell apart, she came crawling back," his disparaging tone took on a whole new level. "It's always been me and you, Nathan. You know I'll never leave you."
"It's not like that," Deb pleaded in Nathan's direction. That's it, beg you whore, Dan thought coldly. "Damn it Dan, tell him what really happened," she looked to him but he wouldn't give her an inch. She turned back to Nathan. "I would never leave you honey., especially not with him," she spoke quietly gesturing towards Dan.
"With me?" Dan hollowed. "You're the one who did wrong!"
"Shut up!" Deb cried back. "Just shut up Dan and leave!"
"You know what? This is bullshit!" Nathan finally screamed interrupting the enraged dialogue between his parents. "I'm not a trophy dad," he spit towards his father. "And I'm not a charity case," he directed towards his mother. The winds picked up outside, the rain pulverizing the naked ground. He threw his backpack across the room, really catching Dan's attention. "I hate you both!" he roared, resentment filling his eyes. "Fight over that new piece meat while I'm out."
Nathan charged out the front door, waking the portraits on the wall with the resounding slam of wood against metal lock. His anger and frustration vibrating through the room like shockwaves. The lights flickered with one last hope – shadows dancing across Deb and Dan's unpromising faces. And then it was dark in the Scott house.