Chapter two- Toby
Apparently his dad had been assigned the task of breaking the news to Toby.
John had tried to sound gruff and matter of fact. "Your mother and I…" His voice cracked and he cleared his throat.
"What?" Toby had asked impatiently. His son Carlton was crawling around the floor and he wanted to get a video of it for Lily.
"Your mother and I are getting a divorce." John spit out the sentence like it was one word.
Toby froze his whole body had gone numb and his ears buzzed.
"Toby?" John said into the silence.
"Yeaaah?" Toby said slowly still feeling under water. I'm drowning Toby thought; he tried to take in a breath and could only get a shallow sip.
"Did you hear what I said?" His dad was asking.
Toby exhaled all the air out of his lungs, so his lungs were forced to take in air.
"Toby?!" John sounded worried.
"Yes!" Toby snapped back into reality.
"Did you hear what I said?" John asked again.
Toby was reminding his brain to breathe. "Are you joking?" Toby asked but he knew his dad wasn't. John Kennish didn't joke and certainly not about something as serious as this.
"What?" His father asked.
"That isn't funny dad." Toby said his face prickled with pins and needles. He gulped in a breath.
"I'm not…Toby come on son this isn't a joke." John said then adding softly "I wish it was." His dad sounded small and weak, two things John Kennish never sounded like.
Instead of making Toby feel sympathy for his dad this made him feel angry. If he didn't want to get a divorce he should do something about it instead of sounding pathetic. "Why!?" Toby barked at his father.
"Why?" John repeated.
"Yes, Why! Why are you getting a divorce?!" Toby was shouting now although he didn't realize he had raised his voice until Carlton started crying.
"I-I don't know." John stumbled over his words he sounded small weak voice again.
"You don't know? Well that's brilliant." Toby said taking on a saying his girlfriend Lily used on him when he did or said something very non-brilliant.
Toby hung up with his dad not waiting or wanting a reply.
Carlton was screaming now and Toby wanted to make both things stop, this insane conversation and his son crying.
Toby picked up his upset child and hummed a few notes softly for him, "It's alright, it's alright." Toby reassured though Toby didn't know if he believed his own words.
Carlton calmed down quickly in his father's arms. Carlton was so sensitive to other people's moods Toby noted not for the first time.
He squeezed his son tight.
The boy snuggled into him and the two comforted each other.