The Family Feud
Chapter
Four
A month had passed, and things were quiet and
running smoothly in the Taylor household. It was just Wendy and
Jamie and without the Taylor “men” to make messes, leave
things out, drop clothes on the ground, it was much easier.
They
just picked up after themselves as they went, and they actually grew
a little closer. Less mother and daughter and more older sister and
little sister. They stayed up late and watched “Sisterhood of
the Traveling Pants” and “Mama Mia” eating fat-free
snacks, and doing “girl stuff”.
Meanwhile things
had not gone so well for Bill. They had moved into an old rat
infested motel that let you pay by the week. Unfortunately, for them,
Wendy had cut his access to the ATM and they were finding they had
run out of money pretty quickly. They were eating bologna sandwiches
without any bread, or as they are more commonly known “Just
bologna”.
Their single motel room was filled with
wrappers and debris, old burnt beans still on the coffee machine they
used as a makeshift hot plate. They had been wearing the same clothes
for days, and Chris had racked up several absences at school because
without Mom to push him out the door in the mornings, it never
occurred to Bill Taylor to get up and make his son go to
school.
Prostitutes walked up and down the “Track”
in front of the motel from day to night. These were not the lovely
Julia Roberts with the Heart of the Gold Prostitutes. These were the
cranky, crabby, cracky whores who chain smoked and looked 50 even
though they were probably only 30.
A couple of the women even
seemed to take pity on them and exchange pleasantries, but they could
sense Bill and Chris had no money and nothing going for them, so
there was really nothing more than that.
It wouldn't be long
before the two men, were kicked out, the landlord taking what little
stuff they did have put them living out in Bill's Truck. Bill was
pissed at “Rahjid” the owner of the motel. He hated the
fact that every time he went in to negotiate for an extension on the
rent, the little man had made him feel about ten inches tall and not
accepted his excuses. It made it all the more easier for Bill to
justify skating out on his final bill. “That will show him!”
He didn’t really
think Rahjid would cry over the final bill, but it didn’t hurt
pretending Rahjid would miss them as tenants and wish he had been
more willing to give Bill some time to pay.
It was a rainy
Thursday around 7pm when they pulled into the Taylor driveway. They
were still wearing basically what they had on when they left. The
lawn was mowed, the driveway clear. The Taylor House looked like the
perfect suburban two story house, bright and cheery. Nothing like the
bad side of town they had been living in.
“Okay Chris,
when we go in...let me do most of the talking...you agree with them,
whatever their conditions, we agree. Okay?”
“What?”
Chris was not paying attention.
“Nothing..just be
yourself..” Bill was already thinking maybe he would try to get
back in to the House and it was time for Chris to move out, maybe
he'd distance himself from his son so they didn't think he was such a
bad guy. “That shouldn't make me feel guilty...I mean, he is
almost a grown man” he thought to himself as he walked to the
door, preparing himself.
He rang his own
doorbell while the rain fell around them, gloomy day. They were
soaking wet and looked pretty pathetic. He smiled to himself “may
actually make them feel sorry for me.”
He waited for a
few minutes, “Damn they sure are taking their time, they wanna
rub this in”. Chris didn't respond, he was daydreaming.
When
his wife opened the door, she was in a modest white robe, very fluffy
the kind you get from that store in the mall that sells all the cool
massagers and electronics. Bill couldn't remember what it was called,
he wanted to say Sharper Image, but that is not it...oh fuck, he was
apparently day dreaming too and his wife had been talking for a few
minutes. He hadn't heard a word she said. “Brookstone”,
fuck the store he was thinking of was called “Brookstone”.
Oh shit, she was pissed he had been preoccupied trying to work that
out in his head. Whatever she was saying she really meant, that is
for sure!
When she realized he had not been listening, Wendy
reached out and pulled the two men out of the rain. “Get in
here dumbasses and get the clothes off, your soaking wet.....are you
in agreement with the rules I told you out on the porch?”
“Sure,
sure..anything” Bill Said.
“All of it, and you are
sure?”
“Yes, whatever..its fine. I fucked up, are
you happy? I am sorry..anything.”
“Okay, well take
off your wet clothes” Wendy told him sternly, she was drinking
what smelled like a delicious warm cup of hot cocoa and staring at
them as they stood in the foyer.
“Okay..I'll just go
upstairs, I may have something....”
“What?”
Wendy chided him.
He had a look of confusion on his
face.
“You'll take them off here, and hand them to me.”
Wendy said firmly. “You already agreed, and that is the only
way we are doing this. This is for your own good Bill, and that son
of mine too. You are lucky we are willing to do this. We knew you'd
come back, and I am actually proud you made it this long, looks like
you lost a little weight wherever you've been.”
Bill was
still confused. Standing in his doorway sopping wet.
“STRIP
BILL....TAKE OFF THE WET CLOTHES!!” Wendy said raising her
voice.
“Oh okay..I didn't know you meant right here.”
he started fiddling with his buttons, almost instinctively without
thinking about it.
“That is what I've been saying for
the last 15 minutes!!” She blocked the doorway, arms crossed in
front of her. Chris reluctantly started to strip as well. He
obviously hadn't paid attention to what had been said either, as it
was just registering with him.
“You boys are going to
learn to do some listening, and to do that, this is going to be a
shock to your system. We tried going easy on you, so now that you've
agreed to our conditions, we are not going to go light on you!”
his wife promised.
Wendy was trying to sound strong and brave,
and assertive. She had thought about this scenario several times
since they had been gone. Her husband is fairly predictable, she knew
that he'd either go to his mother's or back home once he decided he
couldn’t hack it on his own. Since his mother's house was
further away, it was most likely he'd come here. He's just a lazy
ass, she thought to herself. Things were going just how she pictured
them, she only wondered if she would have the courage to really go
through with the plan the way she envisioned it.
It was too
late to turn back now. They were already naked, and handing her their
soaking wet clothes.