Puttering into the living room, lost in his own thoughts, Bradin didn't
even notice the couple staring across the kitchen at him until Johnny
spoke. "Get over here and sit down, Bradin."
The authoritative tone threw the teen. Well, that and the authoritative figures. He had thought he had at least an hour before anyone else would be up. He was far from mentally prepared for the confrontation he knew awaited him. Stopping in his tracks, the teen was momentarily dumbstruck as he stared at the pair.
"Sit down, Bradin." Ava reiterated the directive.
Snapping back to reality, the teen cautiously crossed the room to take the seat Johnny pointed at. He wanted the other one. It was much further away from the inauspicious pair.
"I want to know exactly what you were doing last night." Ava demanded.
Johnny was quick to add his voice to emphasize the 'request'. "And don't even think about lying to us."
"I went down to the beech and surfed for a while." Bradin started cautiously.
Johnny immediately filled his momentary pause. "Then?"
"Then I watched a softball game." The teen continued.
Ava was immediately suspicious. "You just stood around and watched?"
"Well," Bradin continued hesitantly, driven to tell the truth by the intensity of the eyes boring into him. "I talked to a couple of people."
"And had a couple of drinks." Johnny added for him.
"Yeah, I had a couple of drinks." Bradin replied shortly. "What of it?"
"'What of it'?" Ava repeated hotly. "You're 16, Bradin. That's 'what of it.'"
"You think you can just take off, not tell anyone where you're going, go for a surf, hang on the beach and drink? You can't be so stupid to actually think we wouldn't have something to say about that." Johnny added hotly.
"Why not?" Bradin shot back with just as much fire. Indignation had taken the place of his former trepidation. "Who are you to tell me what to do?"
Ava's calm, quiet voice silenced him. "I told you, Bradin. You are never to drink as long as you live here."
The teen stared at her silently, forgetting his anger at the man to her left. She was talking about it. The looming threat that had haunted his sleep the entire night before. She had been more than clear the last time he came in drunk: he drinks again, he's out. He had been praying it was an idle threat.
"I warned you, Bradin. And you did it anyway." She told him pointedly.
The boy looked back at her pleadingly. "I'm sorry, Aunt Ava."
"Sorry isn't going to work this time, Bradin." She told him flatly, amazed at her own ability to manage the conversation so well. "I told you that you could never drink and you did anyway. I can't simply let that go."
"Aunt Ava." He began to plead.
She wasn't interested in hearing it, though. "Three weeks."
"What?" The teen questioned, dumbfounded.
Ava wasn't budging from the point, though. Bradin needed to know she was serious. "You will take these next three weeks and think about this, Bradin. You need to take a serious look at where you're at and figure out where you want to go from here. Who do you want to be? What do you want to do? This isn't you, Bradin. Drinking. Taking off. This isn't the person my sister raised."
"But." He didn't have the slightest clue what to say to her.
"Three weeks, Bradin." Ava told him flatly. "You knew there would be consequences and you took off and drank anyway. Now you have to live with those consequences."
"What happens then?" The teen asked hesitantly, not really wanting to think about what would happen after his grace period was over.
Ava and Johnny exchanged a questioning glance, unsure exactly what he meant. Johnny finally stepped in. "You'll stay in this house for the next three weeks. And, Bradin, I seriously suggestion you use the time to figure out what kind of man you want to be. But after that, it'll be a clean slate. For all of us."
"A clean slate?" Bradin repeated, amazed that Johnny would use that analogy for kicking him out.
Ava nodded soundly. "You made a mistake, Bradin, and you're going to have to face the consequences. But we're still you're family. You take these three weeks, tow the line and we move past this."
"We?" Bradin repeated, dumbfounded.
Johnny looked at him squarely. "We, Bradin. No matter what stupid thing you do, we're gonna be here. We're gonna come down on you, man. But we're still gonna be here."
Now the teen was really confused. They were kicking him out, but were still going to look out for him? He was definitely not getting their logic. "Right."
"Right." Johnny repeated, suddenly unsure of where the conversation was going.
Ava shared in the uneasiness. Something was definitely off in this conversation. She had a ways to go to perfect these 'parenting talks'. "Go up to your room until breakfast, Bradin."
"Yes, ma'am." He replied dutifully, rising slowly. He wasn't sure exactly where they were coming from, but he definitely wasn't going to push his luck. He needed these next three weeks to figure out what he was going to do. He wasn't going to risk Ava making him leave any sooner.
The authoritative tone threw the teen. Well, that and the authoritative figures. He had thought he had at least an hour before anyone else would be up. He was far from mentally prepared for the confrontation he knew awaited him. Stopping in his tracks, the teen was momentarily dumbstruck as he stared at the pair.
"Sit down, Bradin." Ava reiterated the directive.
Snapping back to reality, the teen cautiously crossed the room to take the seat Johnny pointed at. He wanted the other one. It was much further away from the inauspicious pair.
"I want to know exactly what you were doing last night." Ava demanded.
Johnny was quick to add his voice to emphasize the 'request'. "And don't even think about lying to us."
"I went down to the beech and surfed for a while." Bradin started cautiously.
Johnny immediately filled his momentary pause. "Then?"
"Then I watched a softball game." The teen continued.
Ava was immediately suspicious. "You just stood around and watched?"
"Well," Bradin continued hesitantly, driven to tell the truth by the intensity of the eyes boring into him. "I talked to a couple of people."
"And had a couple of drinks." Johnny added for him.
"Yeah, I had a couple of drinks." Bradin replied shortly. "What of it?"
"'What of it'?" Ava repeated hotly. "You're 16, Bradin. That's 'what of it.'"
"You think you can just take off, not tell anyone where you're going, go for a surf, hang on the beach and drink? You can't be so stupid to actually think we wouldn't have something to say about that." Johnny added hotly.
"Why not?" Bradin shot back with just as much fire. Indignation had taken the place of his former trepidation. "Who are you to tell me what to do?"
Ava's calm, quiet voice silenced him. "I told you, Bradin. You are never to drink as long as you live here."
The teen stared at her silently, forgetting his anger at the man to her left. She was talking about it. The looming threat that had haunted his sleep the entire night before. She had been more than clear the last time he came in drunk: he drinks again, he's out. He had been praying it was an idle threat.
"I warned you, Bradin. And you did it anyway." She told him pointedly.
The boy looked back at her pleadingly. "I'm sorry, Aunt Ava."
"Sorry isn't going to work this time, Bradin." She told him flatly, amazed at her own ability to manage the conversation so well. "I told you that you could never drink and you did anyway. I can't simply let that go."
"Aunt Ava." He began to plead.
She wasn't interested in hearing it, though. "Three weeks."
"What?" The teen questioned, dumbfounded.
Ava wasn't budging from the point, though. Bradin needed to know she was serious. "You will take these next three weeks and think about this, Bradin. You need to take a serious look at where you're at and figure out where you want to go from here. Who do you want to be? What do you want to do? This isn't you, Bradin. Drinking. Taking off. This isn't the person my sister raised."
"But." He didn't have the slightest clue what to say to her.
"Three weeks, Bradin." Ava told him flatly. "You knew there would be consequences and you took off and drank anyway. Now you have to live with those consequences."
"What happens then?" The teen asked hesitantly, not really wanting to think about what would happen after his grace period was over.
Ava and Johnny exchanged a questioning glance, unsure exactly what he meant. Johnny finally stepped in. "You'll stay in this house for the next three weeks. And, Bradin, I seriously suggestion you use the time to figure out what kind of man you want to be. But after that, it'll be a clean slate. For all of us."
"A clean slate?" Bradin repeated, amazed that Johnny would use that analogy for kicking him out.
Ava nodded soundly. "You made a mistake, Bradin, and you're going to have to face the consequences. But we're still you're family. You take these three weeks, tow the line and we move past this."
"We?" Bradin repeated, dumbfounded.
Johnny looked at him squarely. "We, Bradin. No matter what stupid thing you do, we're gonna be here. We're gonna come down on you, man. But we're still gonna be here."
Now the teen was really confused. They were kicking him out, but were still going to look out for him? He was definitely not getting their logic. "Right."
"Right." Johnny repeated, suddenly unsure of where the conversation was going.
Ava shared in the uneasiness. Something was definitely off in this conversation. She had a ways to go to perfect these 'parenting talks'. "Go up to your room until breakfast, Bradin."
"Yes, ma'am." He replied dutifully, rising slowly. He wasn't sure exactly where they were coming from, but he definitely wasn't going to push his luck. He needed these next three weeks to figure out what he was going to do. He wasn't going to risk Ava making him leave any sooner.