Chapter 2: Just like the waves.
Drake had to get way. He needed an escape. He could have gone to the garage or one of his band mates' houses to jam but he wanted to be alone; alone with his thoughts, alone with his feelings, alone to think about the man who had died, the man who had contributed to his DNA, the man who made his life so miserable. After a few minutes of thinking, Drake knew the perfect place to sort everything out. He got into his car and drove for a while before arriving at his destination, the Pacific Ocean. Drake parked his car and walked out and stared at the massive ocean before him. It looked like it went on forever. Where the ocean met the blue sky seemed like a perfect line being drawn. It was truly a sight. Drake decided to walk on the beach so he removed his sneakers and socks and cuffed up the bottoms of his jeans so they wouldn't get sandy or wet. He stepped onto the sand and kind of jumped for he didn't realize how incredibly warm the sand was as a result from the hot sun. After he got used to it, Drake walked closer to the water's edge and sat down, taking in the sights and sounds of the ocean's waves. As Drake saw the waves raise and crash and the sun shining on the water, watching it glisten, he had forgotten how beautiful and peaceful the ocean looked. Drake inhaled the salty sea air and closed his eyes, thinking about how peaceful the beach looked. Peace. Calm. Those two words hadn't been part of his lexicon for long, just a few years. As he entertained these thoughts, his mind went to the real reason he came to the beach, to think about the news his mom had told him. "Your father died." Drake couldn't believe it. His biological dad was dead. Dead. Drake didn't know he was sick; this was because he hadn't spoken to his dad in years. He hadn't seen or even heard from him in years not since his mom took him and his little sister, Megan from their dad. Drake remembered the day that the three left. It was a cold, December day in northern California where they were living at the time. Drake's family was extremely wealthy; his dad, Michael, working as a high-powered lawyer with a lot of money coming in. The family loved in a mansion in an elite housing development. Drake had everything he wanted; all the toys and coloring books and clothes. He had a huge backyard to play and drive his power wheels truck. He had a nanny who took care of him and the family had a driver. It was a common thing for the family to take yearly trips to their summer home in Catalina. From the outside, it seemed that they were the perfect family. However, things changed. When Drake was five, his dad's business fell apart. They lost everything, the money, the nanny, the driver, the mansion, and the Catalina summerhouse. The family went from leaving in a gorgeous mansion to being in a small apartment. Drake remembered his mom calling his grandmother just to borrow money for groceries, things were that bad. However, if money trouble was horrible, his dad's behavior was even worst. Michael wasn't the most involved dad to begin with; before the business fell apart, Michael worked long hours and was only home on the weekends. Michael rarely came to Drake's soccer games or school plays and even if he did, he spent more time on the cell phone than Drake. However, when the business fell apart, Michael became even more distant. At first, Michael was driven to find a new job that was just as good, if not better, than he last one. But with every passing day, Michael was getting fewer and fewer job opportunities, at least, a few that paid the same amount that his previous job did. He finally settled for a position at a small law firm in Freemont just 90 minutes away from San Francisco. The pay wasn't great; it was a mere 25,000 a year from the six figures he got at his other job. Michael didn't have the money to keep up with his former way of living so he began to feel sad and then, angry. He read in a law magazine that his former partners had started a new business and had gotten back on their feet. In fact, they had succeeded far more at this new venture than at the old law firm. This made Michael interested in asking for his job back; after all, he had been friends with these guys for years, dating all the way back to law school. So, Michael called them up and asked to be a partner, and they turned him down flat. This angered Michael to the extreme. And Michael dealt with his anger by drinking, a lot. At first, it seemed innocent. Michael having a drink with Audrey with their dinner or the two meeting with the other lawyers and their spouses at the trendy law bar. But, the drinking grew worse. Michael would come home, tired after a 12-hour day at the office and walk straight to the fridge to get a six-pack of beer and plopped his lazy butt in the corner in the dark and drink. He would ignore his family, ignored his wife's offers of dinner and intimacy and his son's demands to spend time with him. He would just sit and drink and drink. When the six-pack was gone, Michael would get another six pack or leave to go to the bar or liquor store, leaving Audrey and little Drake by themselves. Even at that young age, Drake knew something was wrong with his dad. His dad wasn't like other dads, teaching him how to play ball or ride a bike. His dad was distant, emotionally. He wasn't a hugger, so Drake rarely felt that kind of emotional support. His dad would shake his hand when he did something good. If Drake didn't do well, he'd get a lecture from his dad. For example, Drake spilled milk one day by accident and his dad yelled, "Drake Michael! Don't you pay attention when you're doing something! You got milk all over!" Drake bowed his head and felt shame come upon him. He felt like a failure, because he had disappointed his dad and made him mad and yell. As soon as his dad's drinking grew worse, Drake's fear began to grow.
As Drake opened his eyes and looked at the ocean, he began to think about the fear he felt. He looked at the width and length of the ocean and decided it was a metaphor to his fear towards his dad; it seemed to go on forever. Well, at least, that what Drake thought it would, he thought his fear wouldn't end, just like the cuts and bruises.
