FanFic100: #022 Enemies
“James, look at them,” Mary nudges him but he just ignores her. “Really, you have to see them. Your grandson is such a cute little boy and Evan and Laura really look…”
“No.” Now he has turned around again because dammit, she shouldn’t have said that name. Those names. As his wife she should have known that those names are forbidden in their home, ever since… Ever since. He doesn’t even want to think about it, even though it’s been two years. The look on Mary’s face cuts a little into his heart - all shocked and even a little bit frightened - but two years ago he made a decision and he will stand by it. That’s what they taught him in the Air Force: You make a decision, you stand by it. And so he glares at her a little even though he doesn’t want to and adds, “Stop it. I will not look at them and I will not tolerate any further talk about them in my house. Do I make myself clear?”
Mary looks at him, at first a little frightened still but then she finds her voice again and he remembers there was a reason she never had any issues with undisciplined classes in all her years as a teacher, no matter where she taught. “Yes. Yes, you made it very clear that you’re an idiot. And you know what? I’m fed up with this. Evan managed to get over his pride a year ago and I can’t even begin to describe how immature it makes you look that you still insist on pretending you don’t have a son. Either you stop this now or you might find yourself without a wife all of a sudden.”
That’s just… she wouldn’t dare. She wouldn’t… would she? A moment of insecurity almost lets his façade crack but he hasn’t been an officer in the United States Air Force for over 30 years for nothing. He puts away the newspaper and stands up. “Don’t you dare threaten me with a divorce, Mary. That boy that used to be my son knew what he was in for if he decided to marry that… that…” He’s about to say something really, really filthy but for some reason it only takes a narrowing of her eyes from his wife to make him abstain from it, “grunt. That he came crawling back a year ago because of… whatever was ridiculous. I just bet that all he wanted was…”
“That’s enough, James. He married Laura because he loved her.” She’s on her feet now as well, doing her best at staring him down. Scarily enough… it still works, even though he’d never admit it. “Remember what that is? How it feels? And he came back because he missed us. Even you, you stupid brick-headed ass of a father. God, I can’t believe… James, you were always proud of him when he stood up for himself and for others. Why not this time?” What the hell? Didn’t she get it after two years?
Everything he taught his son, everything he did for him, everything he had hoped for him… went out of the window the day his son decided to marry Laura Cadman. One of his subordinates, for Heaven’s sake. They had gotten around a fraternization charge but only because their CO, a certain Colonel Sheppard he had never heard of before, had put in a good word or two in the right places - or at least that’s how he had heard it - and they had agreed to leave their posting as soon as things had gotten serious. All of that - how it happened, how his son hadn't talked to him, how they had hushed things up - had disgusted him enough that he’d denounced Evan to be his son. Ever since then, Evan could have been dead as far as he was concerned. Deep inside… it had hurt like hell but what his son had done… had gone so far against the rules and regulations that had always guided his life that he simply hadn't been able to deal with it in another way.
And so he can’t hold back anymore at his ignorant wife. “Dammit, Mary! He threw away his career. He was a well respected officer at a top-secret base with all the chances in the world to make it straight to the top… and he gave it all up so he could marry her. And look at him now. He’s… he…”
Mary just raises an eyebrow at his faltering because in truth… he has no idea what his son is doing now. He doesn’t even know if Evan is still in the Air Force and he’d love to tell himself convincingly that he doesn’t care about that anyway but… yes, the temptation to call up an old buddy in Personnel is always there. His wife, however, uses this moment of weakness to cut in, “He’s a well-respected officer at a base he can talk about with us with all the chances in the world to make it straight to the top, married to a woman who had to give up as much as he did to be with him and a very happy father to a beautiful little baby boy.”
Said like that… it doesn’t sound so bad. And the fact that his boy is still an officer in the Air Force… he can pretend all he wants that it means nothing to him but in truth… his heart swells with pride and relief. But he didn’t get as far as he did in his day by being easily swayed so he finds himself saying, “I don’t care how much she had to give up.” Which sounds stupid and passive-aggressive and isn't even true. The fact that this Laura risked a court martial to marry his son and took it upon herself to relocate back to the US for that would have told him how much she must love Evan, if he’d been thinking rationally.
Mary however… she doesn’t take it lightly. In fact… he can see the thunder clouds forming up now. “No, because you’re the world’s biggest idiot and a chauvinist as well. I can’t believe what a blockhead you turned into, just because your boy acted like we raised him to.”
“I didn’t raise him to…” Dammit, that was just a reflex but it’s too late to take it back now, because Mary… she’s finished with him. He can see it in the way she shakes her head and in the way her face falls. Suddenly… suddenly he realizes that she meant it when she threatened him with divorce and he begins to see that the last two years… were harder on her that she ever let on. Not hearing anything from her son for over a year, bearing with his stoic and bitter refusal of anything having to do with Evan… it cost her more than he let himself see and he… starts to feel sorry for it.
“You know what? I don’t want to hear it. Like I said, I’m fed up with this crap. Either you make up with your son ASAP or you’ll have to go looking for a divorce lawyer pretty soon. Do I make myself clear?” He swallows, shocked that it might be too late for an apology now.
Tentatively he tries to answer, “I…”
She cuts him short, though, and says, “That’s what I thought. Make a choice, James, and be sure that it’s the right one this time.” With that… she’s gone, leaving him standing in the middle of the living room, alone.
Well, not quite alone, as a look at coffee table tells him. There a few pictures are scattered around. He has some difficulties recognizing more than a few blurry faces because his eyes haven’t exactly become better over the last few years but he has some idea what could be on them. His first impulse is to sweep them up and put them away as far as possible but… then he remembers what Mary said about Evan being a happy father and what she said about the jarhead having had to give up as much as his son… and reluctantly… he picks them up to have a closer look at them.
~*~
TBC in Every Generation Has Its Way.