Ficlet
((Ficlet. Thanksgiving Day at the Nash’s, relates with upcoming parts 2 and 3 soon to be posted by ‘Jay’))
And they rise in the morning
And they sleep in the dark
And even though nobody's looking
Everything was just about set up. Ellie set up the last of the silverware and called her dad to dinner. He was upstairs in his room again. She called to him again, there was no answer. Puzzled, she went upstairs to check on him. She rapped lightly on the door.
“Dad? Dinner is ready.” She put her ear to the door and listened quietly. There was a faint gagging noise coming from the bathroom in the room, “Dad?” she repeated again, louder this time.
“I’m coming Ellie, I’m COMING.” He yelled from the bathroom.
Ellie jumped back and thought it better not to bother her father until he came down for dinner. He seemed absolutely fine on the drive home yesterday, but things seemed to worsen when he came back to the house.
“Where is your father?” her mother asked her.
“Upstairs still, he said he’s coming soon,” Ellie didn’t mention anything else.
----------------------------------------------
They all finally settled at the table a few minutes later. There was little talking as food was being passed around the table and hungry stomachs were being filled.
“Rich, you hardly have anything on your plate.” Ellie’s mother was quick to point out. She put more mashed potatoes and stuffing on the half empty plate.
“I don’t want anymore food, Maggie” he put the food back in the dishes.
Maggie shook her head and looked at Ellie. Ellie looked down at her plate. “Don’t force him to eat…”
The rest of the meal was relatively quiet and remained so until desserts were being served in the living room.
Rich looked around the living room, a pleasant smile on his face as he picked at the pumpkin pie. “The same as we left it two years -”
His voice dropped as well as the pie and fork. His eyes were set upon the mantle and more specifically a picture on the mantle. It was of Dan and Maggie. Maggie had apparently forgotten to rid the house of all the pictures.
Rich got up and walked to the mantle piece and picked up the picture of Maggie and Dan in a close embrace. He held the picture with two hands so tightly the glass broke between his palms. His voice was soft and unnerving as he spoke slowly, “Two years I’ve waited for you and you couldn’t even get rid of his portrait…”
Ellie looked at her mother scornfully. “Daddy…Its okay, it was a mistake.” She didn’t want to see her father like this.
“He wasn’t speaking to you, Eleanor.” Her mother snapped.
Ellie retreated and looked down at her piece of pie; it didn’t look the least bit appetizing anymore. She looked around the room and saw the pie on the floor her dad had let fall, it was beginning to get caked into the floor.
“Don’t you talk to her that way! This is your fault Maggie. Always has been.” Rich threw the picture into the fireplace. “Worthless piece of -”
Then Ellie’s eyes set upon her father’s face. He stopped himself from saying anything further. Ellie was snapping the rubber band on her wrist uncontrollably fast and hard that it snapped in half and left a red mark.
“Ellie,” her father’s voice soothed. “go to your room for a few alright?”
Without a word at all Ellie went upstairs to her room, as soon as she got to the top of the stairs the arguing continued. The consistent yelling rang through out the house and well into Ellie’s room. She went to her stereo and turned to volume up to drown out the voices of her mother and father. They never yelled like this…even if they didn’t Ellie had no prior knowledge of it.
------------
Ellie didn’t leave her room until an hour later. She shut off the stereo and was relieved that the house was quiet…eerily silent.
She walked downstairs to the living room the pie was still on the floor and seemed to have been smashed further into the carpet, the picture of Dan and Maggie was lying broken on the floor and yet there was no sign of parents anywhere.
She continued and walked into the kitchen where she found her mother washing dishes. Her hands were raw and it seemed like she had spent hours by the sink, just washing dishes. The strange thing was, her mother was washing perfectly clean dishes.
“Mom?”
She didn’t respond, leaving Ellie to think she didn’t want to be bothered.
“Your father is upstairs.” Maggie said plainly.
-------
Ellie awoke. She had fallen asleep and her stereo had been turned off. Immediately she got out of bed. Though it was a dream, she was certain she would find her father in the bedroom.
And there he was, with his back to her. She walked up to him. “Dad?”
“Go, Ellie…please, just go” her father’s voice sounded strained and Ellie soon found out why. In his right hand there was a needle, his left arm sleeve had been pushed up and a piece of loose clothing was tied to his arm.
“D-dad…” Ellie backed away, tears filled her eyes.
“You’re still my little girl.”
Ellie ran into her room and shut her door hard behind her. She opened her desk drawer and threw aside school paper and books, digging until she found it.
The black CD case, her sanctuary, her sanity, her immediate release she had gone so long without! She unzipped it. The sound of the zipper even sounded pleasing…
She picked up the razor, rolled up her sleeve and-
Her cell phone rang.
TBC
And they rise in the morning
And they sleep in the dark
And even though nobody's looking
Everything was just about set up. Ellie set up the last of the silverware and called her dad to dinner. He was upstairs in his room again. She called to him again, there was no answer. Puzzled, she went upstairs to check on him. She rapped lightly on the door.
“Dad? Dinner is ready.” She put her ear to the door and listened quietly. There was a faint gagging noise coming from the bathroom in the room, “Dad?” she repeated again, louder this time.
“I’m coming Ellie, I’m COMING.” He yelled from the bathroom.
Ellie jumped back and thought it better not to bother her father until he came down for dinner. He seemed absolutely fine on the drive home yesterday, but things seemed to worsen when he came back to the house.
“Where is your father?” her mother asked her.
“Upstairs still, he said he’s coming soon,” Ellie didn’t mention anything else.
----------------------------------------------
They all finally settled at the table a few minutes later. There was little talking as food was being passed around the table and hungry stomachs were being filled.
“Rich, you hardly have anything on your plate.” Ellie’s mother was quick to point out. She put more mashed potatoes and stuffing on the half empty plate.
“I don’t want anymore food, Maggie” he put the food back in the dishes.
Maggie shook her head and looked at Ellie. Ellie looked down at her plate. “Don’t force him to eat…”
The rest of the meal was relatively quiet and remained so until desserts were being served in the living room.
Rich looked around the living room, a pleasant smile on his face as he picked at the pumpkin pie. “The same as we left it two years -”
His voice dropped as well as the pie and fork. His eyes were set upon the mantle and more specifically a picture on the mantle. It was of Dan and Maggie. Maggie had apparently forgotten to rid the house of all the pictures.
Rich got up and walked to the mantle piece and picked up the picture of Maggie and Dan in a close embrace. He held the picture with two hands so tightly the glass broke between his palms. His voice was soft and unnerving as he spoke slowly, “Two years I’ve waited for you and you couldn’t even get rid of his portrait…”
Ellie looked at her mother scornfully. “Daddy…Its okay, it was a mistake.” She didn’t want to see her father like this.
“He wasn’t speaking to you, Eleanor.” Her mother snapped.
Ellie retreated and looked down at her piece of pie; it didn’t look the least bit appetizing anymore. She looked around the room and saw the pie on the floor her dad had let fall, it was beginning to get caked into the floor.
“Don’t you talk to her that way! This is your fault Maggie. Always has been.” Rich threw the picture into the fireplace. “Worthless piece of -”
Then Ellie’s eyes set upon her father’s face. He stopped himself from saying anything further. Ellie was snapping the rubber band on her wrist uncontrollably fast and hard that it snapped in half and left a red mark.
“Ellie,” her father’s voice soothed. “go to your room for a few alright?”
Without a word at all Ellie went upstairs to her room, as soon as she got to the top of the stairs the arguing continued. The consistent yelling rang through out the house and well into Ellie’s room. She went to her stereo and turned to volume up to drown out the voices of her mother and father. They never yelled like this…even if they didn’t Ellie had no prior knowledge of it.
------------
Ellie didn’t leave her room until an hour later. She shut off the stereo and was relieved that the house was quiet…eerily silent.
She walked downstairs to the living room the pie was still on the floor and seemed to have been smashed further into the carpet, the picture of Dan and Maggie was lying broken on the floor and yet there was no sign of parents anywhere.
She continued and walked into the kitchen where she found her mother washing dishes. Her hands were raw and it seemed like she had spent hours by the sink, just washing dishes. The strange thing was, her mother was washing perfectly clean dishes.
“Mom?”
She didn’t respond, leaving Ellie to think she didn’t want to be bothered.
“Your father is upstairs.” Maggie said plainly.
-------
Ellie awoke. She had fallen asleep and her stereo had been turned off. Immediately she got out of bed. Though it was a dream, she was certain she would find her father in the bedroom.
And there he was, with his back to her. She walked up to him. “Dad?”
“Go, Ellie…please, just go” her father’s voice sounded strained and Ellie soon found out why. In his right hand there was a needle, his left arm sleeve had been pushed up and a piece of loose clothing was tied to his arm.
“D-dad…” Ellie backed away, tears filled her eyes.
“You’re still my little girl.”
Ellie ran into her room and shut her door hard behind her. She opened her desk drawer and threw aside school paper and books, digging until she found it.
The black CD case, her sanctuary, her sanity, her immediate release she had gone so long without! She unzipped it. The sound of the zipper even sounded pleasing…
She picked up the razor, rolled up her sleeve and-
Her cell phone rang.
TBC