Rough Draft or King of Carrot Flowers
Jerry Fitzpatrick was returning home after a 12 hour workday. Walking into his house, he found a cold piece of chicken breast awaiting him.
"What The fuck, Shirley?"
"Oh, honey, me and Anna didn't know when you were coming home, so we had dinner without you."
"I provide for this family and this is what I get back?"
The yelling echoed throughout the small house, and Anna sighed as she heard the yelling in her room. Her rendezvous with Jake would not be canceled by this, but it was annoying. It had happened so often that she paid little attention to the fight, but hoped that it might peter out before Jake showed up. Then there was knocking on her window, and she let Jake in. Her first act upon him entering was to apologize for the commotion was occurring behind the wall.
Anna had tried to keep her parents away from Jake as much as possible, although now she couldn't help it.
"Are they okay in there?"
"Yeah, my parents just yell a lot, it's their thing."
"do you wanna talk about it at all?"
"No, I'm used to it, it's just irritating, that's all"
Jake sat down next to her on the bed, and saw Anna blushing. He kissed her forehead.
"Don't be embarrassed, some people just fight, no helping that"
She looked up at him with gratitude and love. Then there was a lull in the yelling, as though the storm had broke. Jerry had grabbed a bottle of whiskey off a shelf and proceeded to drink it straight. This pacified him for a few minutes, and he sat down and ate the newly rewarmed chicken with a hungry vigor. Shirley recomposed herself and went into the kitchen and started doing dishes, as was her nervous habit. She was used to the abuse he would heap upon her, but she still would always need something busy to do afterwards to take her away from this dreary life that she had received after becoming pregnant with Anna. Years of the abuse had settled her, once it was fear of what he would do if she left, now all that was left was a routine.
Then a dish slipped from her hands and crashed onto the floor, shattering. This was all the excuse that Jerry needed to go off again, for the alcohol had quickened his anger. The yelling recommenced in the kitchen.
Anna again became embarrassed by the shouting that came through the cheap plaster wall, and pulled away from Jake.
"I'm sorry, they are just assholes to each other"
"it's alright, do you want me to leave?" And he rose from the bed.
"No, don't" she murmured and kissed him violently, realizing what this would lead to.
Jerry had finished the bottle of whiskey, and tossed away from him, shattering it against the wall, knocking down a cross that hung from the wall.
She is under minding me in my own house, how dare she? after all I have done for her, she is an ungrateful little bitch.
"You are fucking useless, you can't do shit right"
Tonight was a breaking point for Shirley, something inside her snapped, and the years of abuse came flowing from her mouth.
"You asshole, all you do is drink and fuck other women, and then you come back here and tell me how I don't matter, well, guess what, no more of this, I'm leaving."
This was not the answer that Jerry had wanted to hear. His anger peaked and he broke Shirley’s nose with a single punch. The impact was so great that the thud could've been heard in Anna’s room, except Anna wasn't in there anymore. There was only one in the room now, breathing heavily, without any consciousness outside of itself. There it stayed, with eyes closed, only feeling, but the feeling was that of being complete. There was no fear or embarrassment, the shame had been dissipated, all that remained was that singularity.
Shirley crumpled at the punch, and began weeping feebly on the floor, with Jerry standing over her continuing to yell, until he felt that she understood what leaving him would mean. He then wet a washcloth and threw it at her, telling her she had better wipe up the mess. She stared after him as he went to sit in his recliner and drifted off into a dreamless slumber. Weeping feebly, she pulled herself off the floor with the resolve that nothing would stop what she was about to do. Silently, she opened up a drawer with a metal box in it, rusted slightly by age, and opened it. A slight groan came for the metal scratching against itself until it revealed its contents. Lain inside was a gun which she lifted up and walked up behind Jerry with.
In Anna's room, everything grew quiet, the breaths that filled the room were being held, and it seemed as if time stopped itself. No yelling, no crying, the world fell silent.
"What The fuck, Shirley?"
"Oh, honey, me and Anna didn't know when you were coming home, so we had dinner without you."
"I provide for this family and this is what I get back?"
The yelling echoed throughout the small house, and Anna sighed as she heard the yelling in her room. Her rendezvous with Jake would not be canceled by this, but it was annoying. It had happened so often that she paid little attention to the fight, but hoped that it might peter out before Jake showed up. Then there was knocking on her window, and she let Jake in. Her first act upon him entering was to apologize for the commotion was occurring behind the wall.
Anna had tried to keep her parents away from Jake as much as possible, although now she couldn't help it.
"Are they okay in there?"
"Yeah, my parents just yell a lot, it's their thing."
"do you wanna talk about it at all?"
"No, I'm used to it, it's just irritating, that's all"
Jake sat down next to her on the bed, and saw Anna blushing. He kissed her forehead.
"Don't be embarrassed, some people just fight, no helping that"
She looked up at him with gratitude and love. Then there was a lull in the yelling, as though the storm had broke. Jerry had grabbed a bottle of whiskey off a shelf and proceeded to drink it straight. This pacified him for a few minutes, and he sat down and ate the newly rewarmed chicken with a hungry vigor. Shirley recomposed herself and went into the kitchen and started doing dishes, as was her nervous habit. She was used to the abuse he would heap upon her, but she still would always need something busy to do afterwards to take her away from this dreary life that she had received after becoming pregnant with Anna. Years of the abuse had settled her, once it was fear of what he would do if she left, now all that was left was a routine.
Then a dish slipped from her hands and crashed onto the floor, shattering. This was all the excuse that Jerry needed to go off again, for the alcohol had quickened his anger. The yelling recommenced in the kitchen.
Anna again became embarrassed by the shouting that came through the cheap plaster wall, and pulled away from Jake.
"I'm sorry, they are just assholes to each other"
"it's alright, do you want me to leave?" And he rose from the bed.
"No, don't" she murmured and kissed him violently, realizing what this would lead to.
Jerry had finished the bottle of whiskey, and tossed away from him, shattering it against the wall, knocking down a cross that hung from the wall.
She is under minding me in my own house, how dare she? after all I have done for her, she is an ungrateful little bitch.
"You are fucking useless, you can't do shit right"
Tonight was a breaking point for Shirley, something inside her snapped, and the years of abuse came flowing from her mouth.
"You asshole, all you do is drink and fuck other women, and then you come back here and tell me how I don't matter, well, guess what, no more of this, I'm leaving."
This was not the answer that Jerry had wanted to hear. His anger peaked and he broke Shirley’s nose with a single punch. The impact was so great that the thud could've been heard in Anna’s room, except Anna wasn't in there anymore. There was only one in the room now, breathing heavily, without any consciousness outside of itself. There it stayed, with eyes closed, only feeling, but the feeling was that of being complete. There was no fear or embarrassment, the shame had been dissipated, all that remained was that singularity.
Shirley crumpled at the punch, and began weeping feebly on the floor, with Jerry standing over her continuing to yell, until he felt that she understood what leaving him would mean. He then wet a washcloth and threw it at her, telling her she had better wipe up the mess. She stared after him as he went to sit in his recliner and drifted off into a dreamless slumber. Weeping feebly, she pulled herself off the floor with the resolve that nothing would stop what she was about to do. Silently, she opened up a drawer with a metal box in it, rusted slightly by age, and opened it. A slight groan came for the metal scratching against itself until it revealed its contents. Lain inside was a gun which she lifted up and walked up behind Jerry with.
In Anna's room, everything grew quiet, the breaths that filled the room were being held, and it seemed as if time stopped itself. No yelling, no crying, the world fell silent.