Okay, this chapter is meant to give you a better understanding of what's going on in Ford's head in the previous chapter. Also, I had the idea and couldn't shake it. You know how that goes.
Chapter Eighteen: Red Flags
Glass Shard Beach, New Jersey, 1972
Maude Pines hissed as she pressed the antiseptic-soaked cotton ball to the cut on her wrist. The tears in her brown eyes weren't from the pain but from the memory of how she got the cut.
She had been cutting an apple for a snack, and her husband, Filbrick, had confronted her about talking to their son, Stanley, on the phone. One week ago, without so much as a warning, Filbrick had thrown Stan out of the house, saying that he couldn't come back until he'd "made the family a fortune." Maude had been furious. Filbrick had always been rather strict with the boys, but he had never been so cruel to them. The two of them had started arguing over the matter, Maude (once again) begging Filbrick to let Stan come home, but her husband was furious at the suggestion. He had smacked at her hand, sending the knife slicing into her skin, and simply walked out of the kitchen, no sign of remorse or apology.
Maude choked back a sob at the memory. What was happening? Filbrick had been a stern man as long as she'd known him, but he'd never been so...awful.
"Ma?" She turned her head and, to her horror, saw her other son, Stanford, standing in the bathroom doorway, looking at her with concern. "What's the matter?"
What time was it? Had school already let out? How long had she been standing there, crying? Not wanting to worry her son (especially just after his last day of high school), she forced a smile. "I-I'm fine, sweetie. Mama just had a little accident, is all." Ordinarily, she was an excellent liar, but she was already caught crying. Really, she didn't even know why she bothered trying to pretend she was alright.
So, naturally, Ford saw right through her. "Then-Then, why are you crying?" His gaze traveled lower, and Maude inwardly flinched at the look on his face. "And, what did that?" He demanded pointing to her wrist.
Maude realized what this must have looked like. "Really, sweetie, I'm okay. I was just cutting up an apple, and the knife slipped. Accidents happen."
Ford didn't look convinced, but he nodded. "Alright. Well...be more careful. I guess."
"I will, baby," she assured just before kissing her son's cheek, seeing a small smile pull at his lips. "Now, why don't I patch myself up, and you tell me about your last day?"
"Well, it was quite a last day. 'Couple of jocks decided to pull a senior prank and let a bunch of birds and rodents loose in the school." He chuckled. "Scared the heck out of the cheerleaders."
The next day, Filbrick still hadn't apologized for cutting her. She reasoned that perhaps he simply hadn't noticed the injury. Yes, that made sense. Why else would he have stormed off like he did?
Then, he'd spotted the bandage on her wrist and simply said, "Maybe that'll teach you not to argue with me."
Maude was floored. What was happening to her husband? Sure, he'd always had a bit of a temperament, but to purposely hurt her?
Another argument broke out. It ended rather abruptly, when Filbrick slapped her in the cheek hard enough to knock to the ground.
"Remember your place, Maude," Filbrick said too calmly. "I may love you, and we may be married, but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you please. Stanley's not what he seems. The last thing I need is you getting yourself killed."
Maude just stared up at him in shock. What happened to the man she loved? Why was he being so cruel to her? And, what did Stanley have to do with anything? How was their son "not what he seemed?"
"Close your mouth, boy," she heard Flibrick say before heading upstairs.
Boy? Why did he say… Oh, no.
Ford raced to his shell-shocked mother's side and helped her to feet. "What in the- What was that?" Maude shushed him. They didn't need Filbrick to hear any of this. Ford looked somewhere between horrified and pissed off. He pointed in the direction his father went. "He. Should not. Be hitting you!" he hissed.
Were his eyes glowing? Maude immediately dismissed the thought. Eyes didn't glow; it was probably a trick of the light. "Baby, it's-it's nothing-"
"'Nothing!?' How can you say- Wait. That cut. That wasn't an accident, was it? Pa did that too, didn't he?"
"Your Pa's just a bit mad is all." God, she hated lying to her own flesh and blood.
But, it didn't matter, because he obviously didn't believe her. And, after what he'd just seen, why would he? He narrowed his blue eyes - his father's eyes - and said firmly, "No. Don't lie to me about this, Ma. If he's hurting you…" His voice cracked on the last syllable, and so did Maude's heart. Ford groaned and pulled his six-fingered hands through his hair. "I just- I love you, Ma. If Pa's hurting you, then we should get help. You know, call the cops or something. Isn't that what abused spouses do?"
Maude didn't know what to say. Choking back tears, she said, "We don't need the police, Ford. You know how your Pa is. He's just blowing off steam." Ford still looked suspicious. "Don't worry about me, hun. Things will be back to normal in no time at all."
Ford stared at her so intensely that he gave his mother goosebumps. Then, he nodded, looking a bit too much like his father. "Okay. I trust you. But, if he hurts you again, I'm hurting him three times as hard."
Maude smiled and rolled her eyes. Inside, she was petrified. She couldn't bare to tell her son the truth: that this had been going on for months.
Backupsmore University wasn't exactly Ford's first choice for college. In fact, he hadn't even considered it until he's seen his father hit his mother. His chances at West Coast Tech had been ruined, and he had been looking at a few other colleges. But, Backupsmore was the closest to his house, and he didn't feel comfortable being farther from his mother than he needed to. What if Pa did something to her? Who would she turn to if Ford wasn't nearby?
Ford sighed as he unpacked his bags in his dorm room. It wasn't a great college, but it wasn't the worst one out there (probably). He'd have to work twice as hard to make anything of himself here. But, it was worth it to protect his mother. Did that make him a momma's boy? Given the circumstances, he didn't think so.
He heard the door open. A startled Southern accent said, "Oh! Uh, hello."
Ford turned around. The man standing in the doorway looked to be about his age and had a mop of pale brown curls and glasses and was at least a head shorter than Ford. The man blinked his light blue eyes and glanced at the number on the door, as though wondering if he was in the right room. He was obviously very nervous.
Ford offered a kind smile. "Am I right to assume that I have a roommate?" The other student swallowed hard and nodded. Softening, Ford walked up to him and held out his hand, briefly forgetting about his extra fingers. "Stanford Pines, but call me Ford."
The student hesitantly shook his hand. "Uh, I'm Fiddleford McGucket." Fiddleford took a closer look at Ford's hand, and Ford jerked it back and held both hands behind his back, a blush creeping across his face. "Sorry. I-I didn't mean to stare. I've just never seen polydactyly before." Fiddleford smiled shyly. "It's actually kind of neat."
"Neat?" Ford's birth defect had been called a lot of things over the years, but that was a new one. "Well, uh, thank you."
Fiddled rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. "Heh. Yeah."
Ford frowned. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Sorry. It's just-" Fiddleford's face reddened. "It's kind of embarrassing, but, uh… You're… Well, you're an awful lot bigger than me. Not fat, but muscular. Back home, guys your size would attack me like a bull to a chicken, know what I'm saying?"
No, he really didn't. "Um, I guess?"
Fiddleford laughed. "What I mean is, I'm so gosh darn scrawny that bigger folks like to rough me up."
"If that's the case, then try growing up in New Jersey with six fingers on each hand." Ford smirked". And, don't even ask me why I never wear sandals."
They both got a laugh out of that, and Ford decided that maybe this school wouldn't be so bad.
Z HGFYYLIM, GLFTS MVD QVIHVB MZGREV.
I think I'm gonna do a part two to this, but I'm not sure if I'll post it next or hold off. I guess I'll play it by year. Review!
