Dead Silent: Chapter 9

When I had gotten home from mud swimming, with stained clothes and dirt all over me, someone surprising awaited me in my living room. He was wearing jean shorts and a striped T-shirt, just what he wore when I last remembered him. He had a light brown beard that reached his chin and long hair pulled back into a ponytail which reached his shoulders. I could not believe what he was seeing. I had questions of whether I was going blind or not. 1

The young boy, with my jaw dropped in anger, threw my filthy jacket on the floor and ran up the steps as fast as I could to my room, slamming the door. "Awe, c'mon, Rich!" his father called after me sadly. "I came across the ocean to speak with you! Give me a chance!" In my room I started crying, wondering why it took two en years for my dad to return. I mean, if he REALLY loved me, he wouldn've left me in the first place, right? He and Monica had lived somewhere in the Carribeann for two years, so why don't they just continue their lives without me? My father was a very wealthy man from owning several stores across the U.S., but once he left us he quit. Probably coming for more money, I suppose.2

My dad stayed that night for dinner, with us four all eating in silence. My mother was the first one to speak, since she talks to my dad monthly over e-mail. "So, Sullivan, how's your home?"3

He leaned back in his chair, took a sip of his ice water, and said, "Awful. Monica and I are having multiple finance problems because we simply can't pay for it anymore. I'm not the man I was three years ago, you know. Money doesn't grow on trees for me. I'm actually one of the poorest people in Puerto Rico." I dropped my metal fork in disgust and stared at my spaghetti angrily. My dad went from being rich and saving his money carefully to being a careless man who spent every dime he had on his girlfriend. 4

"What about all of that money we saved up? Like when we were still together?"5

My dad had sorrow wiped all over his face at that moment, realizing who he had become. "I was so happy, Alexis," he went on, wiping his mouth with his big hand, "that I wanted Monica to stay with me forever. I bought her everything that she had wanted; jewelry, boats, cars, and even multiple beaches. I used all of the money that we saved on HER." Tears rolled down his cheeks. "She left me when I told her we were deeply in debt." I started to bust out laughing. The gorgeous tramp that my dad left my mom for only wanted him for money, and well, sex. I could tell by my mom's look that she really felt bad for him, but I wasn't so warm-hearted. He can go cry me a river, at least I may be able to afford one.6

Mom put her hand on my dad's shoulder and clutched it with tears in her eyes. "You may stay over a couple of nights, if you wish." That calm tone turned into a furious one. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU LEFT THIS DAMN FAMILY, SULLIVAN! HOW YOU WISH WE COULD JUST LET YOU BACK IN AFTER YOU LEFT US?! YOU WERE DUMB ENOUGH TO LEAVE, SO DON'T YOU DARE THINK WE'RE GONNA PAY FOR YOUR DEBT!"7

I got up from my chair, threw my paper plate in the garbage, and raced back up to my room. It was not fair. Nanna always told me everything had happened for a reason, but that was not true. My life wasn't a fairy tale by a long shot. My mom and dad weren't just gonna get back together and forget this ever happened. Mitch wasn't going to just hit the curb. The point was, well, as we all knew, my dad was an asshole. 8