What does Eddie Gluskin think of Waylon Park's Wife, Lisa Park?

Another attachment disorder.

This chapter was inspired by two amazing pieces of art:
One, the 'Home Sweet Home' artwork, detailing Eddie Gluskin's horrific childhood.
Two, Hans Zimmer's new song, "My Enemy," that I think describes Eddie's hatred so well.

Eddie couldn't deny it - Lisa was a remarkable woman.

The moment he laid eyes on her, he thought for sure that she wouldn't like him. But as time went on, Eddie was being looked upon as the most interesting human being in the world. Indeed, Lisa was always scared by his disfigured face, but she had come to enjoy Eddie's polite and charming personality. Yes, he did creep her out sometimes when she least expected it, but, she tried not to get overwhelmed by it. She thought the was just somewhat of a mental defect, since her Husband mentioned something about Eddie being slightly unstabled.

Lisa was a proper girl, with a gloss of tradition in her uncanny morals. She liked to base her opinions on facts, instead of jumping the gun. She depended more on the text, rather than just the cover. And she seemed to have feared nothing else of Eddie, other than his scars. She didn't want to treat him like an ordinary guest, though. She really tried to make him feel welcomed, as a friend.

"You made this waistcoat, and everything else, on your own?" Lisa asked, as she and Eddie stood in her sewing room together, looking at Eddie's old tuxedo that he made back in the asylum, that was now fitted onto a male mannequin. Lisa was kind enough to not throw it out, despite the old smell and mysterious stains that blackened the waistcoat's fabric and sleeves. "This is such an amazing piece you've done, Eddie. I really love the bow-tie as well." She complimented wholeheartedly.

"Oh," Eddie felt flattered. "It was just thrown together with anything I could find in the Ward..."

"And it came out beautifully. You must have a very calculated mind, because all the different fabric pieces you've put together fit like a puzzle!" Of course, her words made Eddie feel like his face was reddening. He was just glad she wasn't looking at him, wrapped in her brand new ideas. "You like the formal wear, too? Well, that makes it more fun to create."

Ever since Lisa had discovered that Eddie was such an avid seamster, she had also wanted to share her love for sewing with him. She was just like his other counterpart, showing him different drawings and sketches of dresses and waistcoats she had been asked to make for a wedding couple. Eddie wanted to laugh, finding the disgusting irony in it, but he said nothing about it. Instead, he decided to use the time to help her, definitely with the dress. He saw potential he wanted to make happen with the designs.

And of course, Eddie was more than happy to help create the blasted wedding dress, that the Bride was so detailed and whiny about during her visit to Lisa's home. Eddie almost forgot why he hated some women in the first place, until the visiting Bride-to-be came about and opened her big mouth. God, if that was what Bridezilla was like, then he hated to imagine the Husband's honeymoon with the beast. Mostly likely going to beg and nag for a certain, exotic place to travel to across the world.

During the time spent together, Lisa began to not fear Eddie as much as she thought she should have. Her motherly instincts gave way to make her friendly and kind towards him. She had gone off her project at time to try creating some fun accessories for him to try out. There was one particular thing that she made him, on a Winter's first day. When it was cold out, Eddie wanted to go out and explore the rural area, when Lisa came to see him with a new scarf she made him on her own. It was one of those Arab scarves that teenagers and young adults were so crazy about these days, but this one was homemade.

Certainly from the Wife's heart.

Eddie couldn't help but always remind himself of how he did like the feeling of Lisa's fragile hands adjusting the scarf around his neck, how careful and diligent she was. When she finished, Lisa gave him a grin, which made him shamefully blush to, feeling his ears heat up. When she smiled, she looked like a little cat. Her eyes sparked, and squinted like a cat's would when they napped. Her lips curved just like a feline's as well.

Actually, there were many things Eddie liked about Lisa.

He liked her short, brown hair - how her bangs parted one way, and how her ends barely touched at her shoulders. He liked her heart-shaped head and jaw. He liked her personality, how friendly and motherly she was all at the same time. He liked her large, limpid brown eyes. He liked her soft skin, how pale she was. He liked how short she was, just two inches shorter from Waylon's average five-ten height. Hell, he even liked how quirky and clumsy she was sometimes. All the little facts that made Eddie develop a crush on the woman.

Of course, it was wrong. And needy. Eddie still loved his darling Waylon with all his heart and soul. Lisa begun to connect to him, though, but in a way he was unsure about. He didn't even know if it were love or a dear friend's odd emotions. This was the first time he had ever felt confused about what he wanted. Dear, dear Lisa - how she made him feel so bewildered.

"Can I go with you?" Eddie asked of Lisa one day, as she was getting ready to go to the mall on her own.

Lisa rose her brows. "Sure you can!" She perked up happily. "Wear that red jacket! It's freezing outside!"

Going out into society in such an odd time was something as a large step. He hadn't been around normal people in ages - introduced to the public once again like it were a long lost friend. Eddie dressed up his casual wear, deciding to take the black beanie that Lisa made him. He wouldn't know what people were like these days, but, he just hoped they didn't suffocate him with too much of their presence.

Lisa knew this would be Eddie's first time back out in society, and she understood his worries. She wanted to ask beforehand if it would be fine of him to go out, but he was already dressed and prepared to go. Obviously she couldn't tell him no. The two strolled out the house and made their way to her car parked out front.

"What is that? What're those? When were these invented? Why is there a poster of a man skydiving there?"

And just as Lisa predicted the other half of Eddie's social issues, he was making everything eye-candy. Eddie was in the modern age, so he was overwhelmed with the sights and colors of technology and clothes. Everything was just different! But, oddly enough, Eddie didn't hate anything. In fact, he absolutely loved the brand new electronics and plastered wide-screen television sets that were displaying action scenes and trailers of upcoming films about to hit theaters. He was intrigued by the many sets of items being sold behind the tall windows of individual stores the duo were about to pass up.

Lisa didn't mind that Eddie was heavily influenced to know more about the magnificence surrounding him. She was more than happy to act like a tour-guide, giving him the ultimate tour around the large mall she knew well of over two years. Though, she did have to hold his hand at times, due to the fact that when Eddie saw something glitter from a distance, he'd bolt after it and never come back. And damn, he was fucking fast.

They were stared at by the people passing by them on the fairly bustling floors, giving dirty looks every time Lisa dramatically pointed at something and told Eddie what it was aloud.

They stared at Eddie, but for one obvious reason behind their disgusted eyes. His face. Despite cleaning and washing it often to rid of any red gunk or oozing blood, Eddie was still scarface. His blackened eyes scared older people away, and made young adults or teenagers think Eddie was challenging them to even dare on saying something awful about him. Eddie knew anyone would, and quite frankly, he was mentally prepared for it. He killed countless people in the past - he wasn't scared of normal people. He was also prepared to call out anyone that would dare insult Lisa.

But not everyone would insult, whenever they approached Eddie to closely examine his face. Some actually liked it.

"Aw, dude! Gnarly scars, bro." A young skaterboy with two shaggy-haired friends complimented Eddie. "Swaggie."

Eddie deadpanned at the young man. "... What'd you call me?" He hissed lowly, like a rattlesnake.

"Eddie, let's go, please!" Lisa hooked her dainty arm around Eddie's to pull him away from the petrified boys before he did anything he would regret. "Don't worry, Eddie. When kids say that, it means it's a good thing... They like your scars!" She tried explaining, pulling Eddie towards a tailor shop. Lisa was in need of more white and red threads, follow by more pins and needles. "It's a language teenagers invented. Just ignore them."

Inside the shop, Eddie did love how everything look well placed and somewhat unorganized due to the intensive work being done throughout the shop. Since the holidays were coming up soon, there were many customers waltzing into the tailor shop to begin their new buy on a new suit or designer outfit. One man standing at a triple-body mirror was standing there, speaking on his cell phone, while a tailor measured his shoulders and arms. A woman was sitting down at a leather chair and having her legs measured by a female tailor. Many of these customers looked sophisticated and collective, which made Eddie uncomfortable. Too collected.

"Monroe," Lisa approached the counter with Eddie, seeing a man jotting down something in an opened notebook. "Monroe, it's your favorite seamstress."

Monroe, this tailor, looked up from his notebook to notice Lisa, and then, he looked at Eddie. Out of natural fright, the tailor jumped back with a startled gasp.

Eddie obviously saw this, staring right at the shorter man with daggers, completely offended. He was about to call him out for it, almost use the old word "whore," until Lisa cut him off from doing so with a pat on his arm.

"Monroe, meet my friend, Eddie." Lisa gestured her hand to Eddie. "Eddie, meet Monroe, the owner of this shop."

"Hello." Both men greeted each other awkwardly.

After asking to buy what she needed for the wedding dress project, Lisa paid for the supplies and bidded her tailor friend farewell, walking out with Eddie still at her side. He gave the tailor one last dirty look over his shoulder before taking Lisa's hand into his.

"Well, that was fun." Lisa joked, with her bag in her other hand. "Do you want to keep looking around, or-"

Yank.

Lisa was pulled back by Eddie. When she looked at him, she saw that he was frozen where he stood, head turned to another direction. She thought he must have seen yet another amazing sight of something beyond their point, and also looked to where he was staring at. But, in her confused eyes, Lisa saw nothing there. It was just a small crowd of people walking by, and some standing around and chatting to one another.

But in Eddie's eyes, he saw someone. No, two of them. He held his breath, as everything suddenly became mute into his ears with just a heart beat of his own. Everything seemed blurry in his vision at that point, but, he could see those people sharply. He was staring right at them, and they didn't even know it. His lips parted lightly in disbelief when he began to see their faces more clearly when they began to turn around nonchalantly and keep on chatting to one another about something inaudible. They were a good distance away, to where it seemed as if he was staring at nothing.

Two men. He saw two men. Both looking the same age, reaching likely their mid-seventies. His blue eyes didn't meet their's, but as they continued speaking to one another, he saw a familiar smirk on one of the men's faces. He saw one of them look up to a store's sign briefly to read it over, and Eddie could see that they had the same icy blue eyes as he did. Both of them were bald at the center of their heads, but had some surviving short locks at the sides. One of them was in an automatic wheelchair, while the other was standing straight and walking perfectly fine.

Eddie felt his body tremble suddenly, his hand that connected with Lisa's shook. She felt the shake, and looked up at her friend's blank expression. His eyes were wide, and his face grew more pale the more he stared any longer at those particular men.

"... Dad?" Eddie weakly whispered, before- "No, no, NO!" He suddenly rose his voice, taking a step back, breathing heavily. "No, this can't be!"

"E-Eddie, what's wrong?!" Lisa panicked, still holding onto his hand with both of her's. "Eddie, please, calm down! What's wrong-?!"

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" He screamed to the top of his lungs, to where his voice boomed and echoed throughout the floor they were on. Already, people were looking and staring like he was a street performer. "LISA, GET ME OUT! PLEASE!" He emphasized the word 'please' with so much desperation, grasping both her tiny hands with his large freehand. "I can't breathe-! I can't breathe-!"

"Eddie, c'mon, just follow me!" Lisa shouted, not caring if people were giving odd faces at them. She started dragging Eddie out of the mall, to the nearest exit, while trying to calm him down with encouraging words. "Eddie, don't worry. I'm here, okay? There's nothing going to hurt you, alright?" Her words almost reached Eddie's plugged ears, as he tried hard to stop staring at the men behind him. He forced himself to look at Lisa, and when he did, a sudden flash of a blurred image danced before him. It took form of Lisa's body for a moment, portraying as a different woman he's never even met before. Or maybe he has? He couldn't remember!

Eventually, the two got out before mall security could obtain them. They ran out to the parking lot, finding Lisa's car deep in the automobile jungle and quickly drove back home. Eddie covered his face the entire time, shaking his head feverishly, unable to breathe correctly without giving hitched gasps or wheezes. Lisa didn't know what to do, but all she knew was to keep Eddie calmed.

Just keep calm, Eddie...

When night came of the same day, Eddie was in his guest room, trying still to calm down. It was late at night, while the Park Family was slumbering away.

He had managed to sleep sometimes, but would wake with a sudden start. It would be because of those reoccurring faces that he saw back in the mall. Those men... could it have been true? Could he have seen the ghosts of his past? He was unsure of his own eyes, not wanting to believe that it was the men of his tortured past that were back to haunt him again. But, they didn't recognize him, did they? It's been too long since he's seen his Father and Uncle. Surely, it couldn't have been them. Perhaps he was just mistaking two strangers for the family he had so desperately wanted to leave behind?

Eddie kept telling himself this, as he laid back down to try and sleep again. He covered both his ears as he tried his best to sleep, thinking the voices would come back to talk him out of his rest. No... No, he didn't want to hear them again. He was doing so well now. He didn't want to-

Eddie.

A harsh whisper hissed in Eddie's covered ear.

Eddie, why're you in bed? You need to get up. You need to come downstairs and see Uncle, like a good boy.

"No... no..." Eddie pleaded to himself, for his lost sanity. His heart throbbed, as he felt the first set of tears come back. "No, I don't want to go."

You never listen. Another man's voice slithered into his ears. You thought we were gone? Ha. You ain't seen shit, boy. We saw you, at that mall...

"No, you didn't." Eddie shook his head. "You don't recognize me." He squeezed his fingers around his ears. "You didn't look at me."

Oh, we saw you, Eddie. You've gotten taller, boy. You look like shit, like ya always have, though. His Father's voice was next to laugh cruelly. I should crush that face of yours some more, shouldn't I? Like the time I shoved your face into the pavement at the park? Yeah, that was fun.

You should just shove his head underwater. Make him shaddup.

"No, please!" Eddie begged, his body feeling weightless and alone. "I've been doing so well... Why're you back?"

Because you're shit, Eddie Gluskin. You've always been absolute shit.

"I've been better without you!" Eddie rose his voice slightly, with a growl. "I have something you both never had!"

He heard his Uncle make a scoff. Oh, look who's getting balls for once in his life. He felt a hand stretch out of the darkness to reach for Eddie. Stop talking smack and get downstairs! You know what'll happen if you don't listen to us! And, physically, he felt that very hand latch at his throat, and start squeezing hard, taking the breath right out of Eddie. Your Ma ain't home. Your television dream-family ain't real! You're just a sick lunatic, boy!

"NO! NOO!" Eddie began kicking and swinging his arms, clawing at the imaginary hand that gripped at his throat, scratching at his neck. "STOP IT! LET ME GO! MOTHER! MOTHER, HELP ME!" Eddie wailed out for the parent that never existed in his life. He thought he was going to die, right there, by the wrath of his ghosts' hatred and anger towards him that drove him mad...

"Eddie?" A woman's voice spoke out softly. The squeezing yield, and Eddie's fight stopped. "Eddie, my baby boy...! What've they done to you?!" A blurry, blackened figure of a woman materialized into the white lights behind his eyes, and he almost lost it. Her shadow had long, curly hair, and a thin body. "Eddie-!" The figure approached Eddie fast, with arms opened.

"Mother...!" Eddie grasped onto the shadow and pulled her in, close enough to keep the person pressed to his body, his large arms surrounding the dainty form, crying and sobbing onto the woman's shoulder. "Please... don't leave me anymore."

But, the figure he saw wasn't actually Mother. It was Lisa.

"Eddie..." Lisa said his name, unsure of what to do, but wrap her arms around his broad, shaky shoulders. "Eddie, it's okay. You were having a night-terror." She explained, as she held onto him.

"They lied to me..." Eddie began to cry out. "They shot at me... They were using me... They hated me..."

Lisa listened, hearing this broken man's honesty. She could feel his tension shake at his shoulders, and she could feel that innermost sadness pour out. She knew he was unstabled, but, she had no idea this was the extent. She felt her heart break for this man, that was calling out to a Mother that wasn't even there. Was his Mother dead? Was he mourning for her, for help? She didn't know, but, he needed someone there for him.

"They hated me... They..."

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Eddie. I'm here." Lisa hugged Eddie close, the side of his head now resting on her chest. "No one's going to hurt you, Eddie." It was her Motherly instincts calling out to hold this man in her arms, and cradle him to safety. Her arms were warm around him, one hand resting on the back of his head, while the other was on his shoulder, her thumb stroking over his sleeve. "It's all right, Eddie. No one is going to hurt you. Not anymore. I'm here." She petted the top of his head of messy hair with a careful touch, resting her cheek on his temple.

Eddie's rapid heartbeats began to calm down, after a pattern of deep breaths and reopening of the eyes help him almost lax. He felt Lisa's chest rumble as she hummed a song to him. He didn't know what it was, but, it made him come back down to Earth, hearing her voice. He realized he was not holding Mother, but Lisa. And he was fine with it. He saw that he was back in his guest room, not in his childhood home. And he was so relieved of that.

"Lisa..." He embraced her tightly.

"I won't go anywhere, Eddie." She promised him, and he knew she meant it.

Eddie couldn't deny it - Lisa was a remarkable woman.