Pleasantries - Chapter 2, Part 5
Navigation
Index
Chapter 1
Part 2
Part 3
Chapter 2
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
* * *
If you haven't already please read: The Future Of Pleasantries
Continued from Part 4
Notes: Advisories etc are in Part 1.
Pleasantries - Chapter 2 - Much Ado About No Thing - Part 5
5:20 PM Saturday, April 12
Lilith glanced up as Ripp slid into the booth beside her, setting a large dish of ice cream before her.
“Mrs. N. said the cookies are still in the oven but she’ll make sure we get the first ones when they come out,” he told her setting his own dish down.
“Oh,” she grinned happily, “They are better when they are still warm.”
Ripp nodded agreement and happily set about attacking his banana split with his spoon.
Tybalt flopped down across from them with his own ice cream looking much less pleased with the situation. They had spent all day going from one store to the next and had even checked out a couple of art galleries and the museum and Tybalt had found nothing that sparked his interest.
Lilith smiled sympathetically, “You’ll figure something out,” she assured him.
He leaned back in the booth and stared down at the table, “Can you guys keep a secret?”
Immediately Lilith and Ripp set down their spoons nodding.
“Okay,” Tybalt sighed, ‘So I know I said I was looking for a hobby right? Extra curricular activities and all that?”
“Right,” Lilith nodded tilting her head curiously.
“It’s more than that,” Tybalt admitted, “But I figured if I put it that way it wouldn’t sound so bad.”
Exchanging a concerned glance with Ripp, Lilith nodded once more, “So what is really
going on?”
Tybalt folded his arms and glared out a distant window, “Old money comes with a lot of old ideas.”
Lilith and Ripp sat quietly and waited for him to continue.
“So when Grandpa found out about Damon, he was okay with it sort of. Meant I couldn’t be heir anymore, because I couldn’t produce the next heir, but I am okay with that,” Tybalt explained quietly, “I think it bothered Damon more than me because he felt like he was interfering. He wanted to break it off just because of that, but Jules is a better choice anyway. She cares about that shit more. I never really wanted it in the first place.”
He paused for a moment staring back down at the table, “Grandpa’s got this thing though, about people wasting their lives,” Tybalt dropped his voice in an imitation of his grandfather “You must have direction! You can not drift through life and expect others to do everything for you!” he mimicked.
Ripp ducked his head and fiddled nervously with his hands in his lap. He could sympathize with the other boy there.
Lilith arched her brows, “Go on.”
Tybalt sighed, his voice returning to normal as he continued explaining, “He gave me a week to figure out what I want to do with my life or I am completely disinherited.”
His friends stared at him in stunned silence.
“I don’t really care!” Tybalt added quickly, “But if Damon felt that guilty over the heir thing …”
“He’s going to feel really bad over this,” Lilith finished for him.
Tybalt nodded, “You have to promise me you won’t tell him.”
“Tybalt, he’s going to find out …” Lilith started to protest.
“Lil, please,” Tybalt interrupted, “Promise you won’t tell him.”
Lilith frowned and opened her mouth to argue more when Ripp interrupted.
“So what did you want to be when you grew up?” he asked.
“What?” Tybalt shot Ripp a puzzled glance.
“When you were little,” Ripp elaborated, “What did you want to be when you grew up?”
Lilith perked up, catching on to Ripp’s train of thought, “I wanted to be a baker. What did you want to be?”
“That won’t help,” Tybalt grumbled, “It’s stupid.”
“Can it be any worse than mine?” Lilith prompted.
“I wanted to be a super hero,” Ripp put in, “You could probably still do yours though, Lil. That could be your thing if you wanted. You know besides the brooms bit.”
Lilith grinned at him, “I could couldn’t I?”
“I will taste test for you,” Ripp volunteered, “That sounds better than being a super hero anyway.”
Tybalt shook his head at their banter, “Photography,” he grumbled at last.
Lilith and Ripp stared at him for a moment.
“See,” he said scowling at the table, “I told you it was stupid.”
“What kind of photography?” Lilith asked.
“I don’t know,” Tybalt shrugged, “Maybe like landscapes, people. Haven’t really thought about it ‘cause it’s dumb.”
“Actually,” Ripp spoke up, “It sort of sounds extremely cool.”
“It does,” Lilith agreed.
“You think?” Tybalt asked, uncertain.
“Yeah!” Lilith nodded.
“Can’t hurt to try I guess,” Tybalt agreed at last, “So I guess that just leaves Ripp out as the clueless one then, huh?” he flashed Ripp a grin, “Wait, this is really is your secret identity isn’t it? If we stuffed you in a phone booth would you come out as The Dorkinator? Fighting for truth, justice and the socially inept everywhere?”
Ripp forced a laugh, “Funny.”
Lilith kicked Tybalt hard in the shin shooting him a glare.
“Ow! What?” Tybalt whined..
“I’m gonna head home,” Ripp said standing up suddenly, “I’ll catch you guys later.”
“What about your cookies?” Lilith asked, staring after him sadly, “Mrs. N. hasn’t brought them out yet.”
Ripp shook his head, “I’ll get them next time.”
“Did I say something wrong?” Tybalt asked as Ripp walked away.
“Tybalt,” Lilith sighed, “Sometimes you are such an idiot.”
***6:10 PM Saturday, April 12
Angela checked her reflection in the mirror one last time. Satisfied she smiled and made her way to the living room where Dustin was waiting for her.
Dustin smiled as he caught sight of Angela entering the room. She looked amazing. Of course she could have worn rags and he wouldn’t care. She always looked beautiful to him.
He was about to tell her just that when Mary-sue spoke up.
“When will you be home?”
Angela gave her mother a small smile, “We won’t be too late Mom, don’t worry.”
“No, no,” Mary-sue added quickly, “You two enjoy yourselves. You don’t go out that often I know, I just …”
Angela sighed, “I’ll be home before Eight, Mom, and Lilith should be back from shopping with Ripp and Tybalt before then right?”
Dustin frowned. He hadn’t planned on having Angela home that soon. It was Saturday. They hadn’t gone out in weeks. Why should they be back early?
His frown deepening to a scowl, Dustin followed Angela to the door.
“Have a good time,” Mary-sue called after them, “I’ll just watch TV or something until Lilith gets back.”
“I won’t be late, Mom,” Angela forced a smile, glancing at the older woman over her shoulder, “I promise.”
“Why did you tell her Eight?” Dustin snapped once they were outside.
Angela rounded on him glaring, “What was I supposed to tell her?”
“I don’t know Ang,” he retorted, “Maybe that just this once you’d like to spend some time with me? She’s a grown woman, I am sure she can spend a few hours by herself sometimes.”
“Dustin,” Angela stared at him, her eyes swimming with tears, “She’s my mother and she’s going through a rough time, you know this.”
“She is,” Dustin agreed, his tone hard, “She is your mother, so how come it seems like you are the one who does most of the mothering?”
Angela just stared at him, her expression stricken.
“Look,” Dustin sighed, “I know you are trying to be there for her, and that is great, but I can’t keep doing this Ang. We don’t spend any time together anymore.”
“What are you saying?” Angela asked quietly.
“I’m saying,” Dustin held his hand up, pleading, “That you have to let your parents deal with their own shit for a while and be a kid.”
“No,” Angela shook her head, “I don’t think that is what you are saying.”
Dustin sighed and turned away, “I don’t want to fight with you about this, not today. Just forget I said anything okay?”
Angela stared at him for a long moment before she spoke, “Go home, Dustin.”
“What?” he spun back around, his jaw open in shock.
“I said go home, Dustin,” she repeated, backing slowly away, “I’ll call you later.”
“I thought we were going to …”
“No,” she shook her head, “I think we need a break. My family is important to me and so are you, but you can’t seem to understand that.”
“What I don’t understand is why there is never time for me!” he insisted, taking a determined step toward her.
She backed slowly toward the door, “Go home, Dustin.”
He watched in stunned silence as she turned and went back inside. He was losing her. There was no doubt in his mind that the door she had just closed behind her was as much symbolic as it was physical. He had just been shut out.
***
6:45 PM Saturday, April 12
Ripp was angry. Not with Tybalt. He knew the other boy had been making a joke. A very poor joke perhaps but that had been his intent. No, he wasn’t angry with Tybalt. He was angry with himself.
He hadn’t been aware of where he was going when he’d left the diner; his mind too occupied with his thoughts to pay much attention to his surroundings. It wasn’t until he’d arrived at the park and realized he had walked over an hour in the opposite direction from home that he’d sat on the bench. He’d been there ever since, thinking.
Why was this so much easier for everyone else?
Rising to his feet he folded his arms, slowly pacing beneath the streetlamp.
If he wanted to do something he should just go ahead and do it right? Everyone else did. Even Tybalt who had thought what he wanted to do was stupid to begin with was still going to just go do it.
So why couldn’t he do the same?
Because what Tybalt wanted to do wasn’t pointless. What Tybalt wanted to do wasn’t useless.
What Ripp wanted to do was pointless, useless and if his father ever found out …
He shuddered at the thought of what his father would do if the man ever did find out. Something like this might very well be the last thing he ever did. Of course if he wasn’t careful, making breakfast tomorrow might very well be the last thing he ever did. You just never knew when it came to the General. He had his rules and he expected them to be obeyed under penalty of dire consequences all in the name of shaping his son into his idea of a model citizen.
Ripp stopped pacing.
He didn’t want to be what his father thought was a model citizen. In fact there were a few key points of what his father considered model citizenry that Ripp disagreed with very strongly. He pretended he did agree, it was safer that way, or he’d thought it was; but every time he swallowed his pride and nodded his head he felt himself drowning just a little bit more. He could pretend, but no amount of pretending ever changed who he was.
When you got right down to it, he was screwed either way. Keep being afraid and slowly suffocate in misery or go do it anyway and take the chance of his father finding out.
His shoulders squaring with determination, Ripp pulled out his cell phone and punched in the phone number. He was glad it hadn’t changed since he’d memorized it all those years ago because while he was determined he was also nervous as hell. If he hadn’t had years of practice calling this very same number he probably would have gotten it wrong.
As he heard the first ring on the other end of the phone his stomach gave a lurch. He may as well have been listening to his own death knell.
Telesto checked the call display as he lifted the receiver to answer the phone, “Hey Ripp. You called just in time. They are about to turn on the game and you know once he gets watching hockey with Dad and Rein there is no interrupting the arguing. Hang on one sec and I’ll go get him for you.”
“No! Don’t go get Damon,” Ripp paused to take a steadying breath before pressing on, “Actually I called to talk to you.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
On to Chapter 3
Credits: Mathew for fixing my graphics driver issue! Ran very smooth today. It was awesome! As usuall custom content is by a ton of people much more talented than I am, seriously, I couldn't list it if I wanted to, it would be longer than the chapter. Ask me and I will do my best to remember. All of it is used with my eternal gratitude.
Chapter 3 is about half done at this point. Chapter 4 and 5 are done (gasp! Updates that won't take 2 months to complete) and chapter 6 is well on it's way to completion. See I have been productive while not getting this chapter done. It is done now though! All 11000ish words of it.