Nobody in the room wanted to start. Ryan grew impatient and demanded what
was going on. Sandy was the one that was the strongest to stand up to the
challenge.
"Ryan, you might need to sit down for this." Sandy spoke as he pushed the chair back.
"What are you guys not telling me?"
"I think that Marissa is going to need you now more than ever. You can miss school today and go see her."
"Did something happen to Marissa?" Ryan looked paranoid.
"No, not Marissa. Ryan, (long pause) her father died early this morning. There was a plane crash."
Ryan froze dead in his tracks. He could not believe what he was hearing. This had to be a lie.
"When did you guys find out?"
"Early this morning. Julie called the house. She told us to tell you as soon as you got up. She wants you to go see her."
"I don't know when I'll be back." Ryan spoke not knowing what else to say.
"I'll come with you for a while." Seth followed Ryan out of the kitchen.
Nothing else mattered in the world around him. All that was on his mind was how Marissa was feeling at that moment. He practically ran next door and grew impatient at the wait at the door.
"Hi Ryan and Seth. Please do come in. She would love to see you." Julie spoke between sobs.
Julie was cold and heartless, but she still loved Jimmy no matter what. They had two beautiful daughters as a product of when they had a happy marriage. Now any hope that Marissa had that they would get together is gone.
Ryan followed by Seth rushed up the stairs to her room. The place was in total shambles. Things were scattered everywhere. From papers, to pictures, the place looked like a tornado hit her room. In the corner of the room was a broken picture frame of Marissa and her father taken three years ago. The odd part was Ryan did not see her at all. He looked further into the room and saw her crouched in the closet with a box of tissues next to her. Eyes that were all bloodshot and puffy were what he noticed first. Then he saw an open bottle of vodka next to her right foot. It was empty. Under different circumstances, he would have demanded an explanation, but today was an exception. This was not over an argument, or just plain reckless fun. Alcohol was her choice to help numb the pain and he accepted this to a certain extent. Ryan did not want this to be her only way to cope with what happened. Seth just stood near the doorway. He had not idea of what to do, or say.
Marissa first saw Ryan's boots coming closer towards her. She did not have energy to look up into his face. He would have to put the effort of kneeling down next to her. She did not even attempt to hide the bottle from his view. He would smell it on her breath so what was the point. The only movement she made was for another tissue from the box. More tears began to fall when coming to the realization that the fight over when things were going to go back to normal would never come true.
Ryan wanted so much to help wipe away those tears than the tissue that she was holding. Hell, he even wished this pain were over something he did and not what really happened. She would be able to live with hating him for the rest of her life and be able to move on, but this would stay with her forever.
The only thing that came to mind to say to Marissa was for her to please stand up and to hand over the bottle. It was as if Ryan was speaking a different language because she did not even move a muscle. Not even to wipe the tear running down her cheek. She just stared at the wall of her closet.
"Marissa, please stand up from the closet." Ryan pleaded.
"I can't. I won't." Marissa's first words.
"Do you want anything? Anything at all?"
"What I want you can't get me."
"If you won't stand up then I guess I will do the job for you."
Marissa didn't even protest when he lifted her up. She nestled herself more closer to him. Seth decided that he should let them be alone. Maybe he would come back later when she was in better shape, not that she would be doing much better than this. Ryan kept stroking her hair as she sat on his lap and held her arms tightly around his neck. No words were exchanged because none were needed. Silence was the best thing in this situation.
After ten minutes Julie walked into the room assuming that no one was in there. Ryan looked up at her and pointed out the bottle of vodka in her closet. She immediately went over to the closet and picked it up and took it out of the room. The next thing she did was lock up any of the other bottles that were lying around the house. No more passing out drunk for her daughter. She already lost Jimmy; losing Marissa too would devastate her.
"I am so glad you are here Ryan." Marissa barely got the words out of her mouth.
"There is nowhere else I would be."
"Could you get me an aspirin? My head is starting to spin."
"No problem."
Ryan left the room in search of Julie to get her that aspirin. Marissa then walked over to the corner where the broken picture frame was. She picked up the picture and stared at it for what felt like hours. When Ryan walked back into the room, he saw this and immediately grabbed her in an embrace. This time she was able to control the flow of her tears and released herself soon after. She took the glass of water and two aspirin and proceeded to lie down on her bed.
"Anything else I can get for you? Maybe a sandwich. You probably haven't eaten anything this morning."
"No. I'm not hungry. Just lay here next to me while I try to get some sleep."
"Gladly."
Two hours later Ryan stirred from his sleep. Marissa was still out cold. He moved off the bed as motionless as possible. When he went downstairs Julie was sitting on the couch. He wanted to have a talk with her.
"Ryan, what's Marissa doing now?"
"She is sleeping. I want to talk to you."
"Okay."
"I know you probably don't want to talk about this now, but I am wondering what happened exactly."
"Jimmy gave me a call right before he was going to board a charter plane. He couldn't wait to tell Marissa the good news. Unfortunately he never made it home. I don't know any more than that. Now I have to blame myself for this for the rest of my life."
"Don't say that. You didn't know this would happen."
"He wanted to make this family work and I never gave it a second chance. I should have looked in the best interest for my daughters instead of being greedy and all about me."
"Marissa still loves you and you both will get through this together."
"I'm not even sure about that now. She will hate me forever for this. She will blame me."
"Just give her some time. I just want you to know I will do all that I can to help her."
"If you didn't mention that, I would have asked you to. I won't take anything that you do for her for granted again. You have done more for her in the past year than I have done probably for her whole life."
Marissa descended the stairs and both Ryan and Julie looked up. She looked disheveled, but in a better state than in her room earlier. Julie asked if she felt better and she replied that she did. Marissa told her mother that she wanted to go for a walk to the beach with Ryan. He did not have any complaints at this and left her house side by side with her.
"Ryan, you might need to sit down for this." Sandy spoke as he pushed the chair back.
"What are you guys not telling me?"
"I think that Marissa is going to need you now more than ever. You can miss school today and go see her."
"Did something happen to Marissa?" Ryan looked paranoid.
"No, not Marissa. Ryan, (long pause) her father died early this morning. There was a plane crash."
Ryan froze dead in his tracks. He could not believe what he was hearing. This had to be a lie.
"When did you guys find out?"
"Early this morning. Julie called the house. She told us to tell you as soon as you got up. She wants you to go see her."
"I don't know when I'll be back." Ryan spoke not knowing what else to say.
"I'll come with you for a while." Seth followed Ryan out of the kitchen.
Nothing else mattered in the world around him. All that was on his mind was how Marissa was feeling at that moment. He practically ran next door and grew impatient at the wait at the door.
"Hi Ryan and Seth. Please do come in. She would love to see you." Julie spoke between sobs.
Julie was cold and heartless, but she still loved Jimmy no matter what. They had two beautiful daughters as a product of when they had a happy marriage. Now any hope that Marissa had that they would get together is gone.
Ryan followed by Seth rushed up the stairs to her room. The place was in total shambles. Things were scattered everywhere. From papers, to pictures, the place looked like a tornado hit her room. In the corner of the room was a broken picture frame of Marissa and her father taken three years ago. The odd part was Ryan did not see her at all. He looked further into the room and saw her crouched in the closet with a box of tissues next to her. Eyes that were all bloodshot and puffy were what he noticed first. Then he saw an open bottle of vodka next to her right foot. It was empty. Under different circumstances, he would have demanded an explanation, but today was an exception. This was not over an argument, or just plain reckless fun. Alcohol was her choice to help numb the pain and he accepted this to a certain extent. Ryan did not want this to be her only way to cope with what happened. Seth just stood near the doorway. He had not idea of what to do, or say.
Marissa first saw Ryan's boots coming closer towards her. She did not have energy to look up into his face. He would have to put the effort of kneeling down next to her. She did not even attempt to hide the bottle from his view. He would smell it on her breath so what was the point. The only movement she made was for another tissue from the box. More tears began to fall when coming to the realization that the fight over when things were going to go back to normal would never come true.
Ryan wanted so much to help wipe away those tears than the tissue that she was holding. Hell, he even wished this pain were over something he did and not what really happened. She would be able to live with hating him for the rest of her life and be able to move on, but this would stay with her forever.
The only thing that came to mind to say to Marissa was for her to please stand up and to hand over the bottle. It was as if Ryan was speaking a different language because she did not even move a muscle. Not even to wipe the tear running down her cheek. She just stared at the wall of her closet.
"Marissa, please stand up from the closet." Ryan pleaded.
"I can't. I won't." Marissa's first words.
"Do you want anything? Anything at all?"
"What I want you can't get me."
"If you won't stand up then I guess I will do the job for you."
Marissa didn't even protest when he lifted her up. She nestled herself more closer to him. Seth decided that he should let them be alone. Maybe he would come back later when she was in better shape, not that she would be doing much better than this. Ryan kept stroking her hair as she sat on his lap and held her arms tightly around his neck. No words were exchanged because none were needed. Silence was the best thing in this situation.
After ten minutes Julie walked into the room assuming that no one was in there. Ryan looked up at her and pointed out the bottle of vodka in her closet. She immediately went over to the closet and picked it up and took it out of the room. The next thing she did was lock up any of the other bottles that were lying around the house. No more passing out drunk for her daughter. She already lost Jimmy; losing Marissa too would devastate her.
"I am so glad you are here Ryan." Marissa barely got the words out of her mouth.
"There is nowhere else I would be."
"Could you get me an aspirin? My head is starting to spin."
"No problem."
Ryan left the room in search of Julie to get her that aspirin. Marissa then walked over to the corner where the broken picture frame was. She picked up the picture and stared at it for what felt like hours. When Ryan walked back into the room, he saw this and immediately grabbed her in an embrace. This time she was able to control the flow of her tears and released herself soon after. She took the glass of water and two aspirin and proceeded to lie down on her bed.
"Anything else I can get for you? Maybe a sandwich. You probably haven't eaten anything this morning."
"No. I'm not hungry. Just lay here next to me while I try to get some sleep."
"Gladly."
Two hours later Ryan stirred from his sleep. Marissa was still out cold. He moved off the bed as motionless as possible. When he went downstairs Julie was sitting on the couch. He wanted to have a talk with her.
"Ryan, what's Marissa doing now?"
"She is sleeping. I want to talk to you."
"Okay."
"I know you probably don't want to talk about this now, but I am wondering what happened exactly."
"Jimmy gave me a call right before he was going to board a charter plane. He couldn't wait to tell Marissa the good news. Unfortunately he never made it home. I don't know any more than that. Now I have to blame myself for this for the rest of my life."
"Don't say that. You didn't know this would happen."
"He wanted to make this family work and I never gave it a second chance. I should have looked in the best interest for my daughters instead of being greedy and all about me."
"Marissa still loves you and you both will get through this together."
"I'm not even sure about that now. She will hate me forever for this. She will blame me."
"Just give her some time. I just want you to know I will do all that I can to help her."
"If you didn't mention that, I would have asked you to. I won't take anything that you do for her for granted again. You have done more for her in the past year than I have done probably for her whole life."
Marissa descended the stairs and both Ryan and Julie looked up. She looked disheveled, but in a better state than in her room earlier. Julie asked if she felt better and she replied that she did. Marissa told her mother that she wanted to go for a walk to the beach with Ryan. He did not have any complaints at this and left her house side by side with her.