Dave blinked, but Johnny held his gaze. “Sorry, man. Yeah. Sometimes I do forget she’s your sister.”
Johnny threw the rag down, staring at Dave. “From now on – don’t. Don’t call my sister a bitch, or other names, or any shit, okay? Not in front of me.”
There was an uncomfortable silence in the room and then Steven cleared his throat. “I think Johnny has a point. If we want to have a reasonable discussion, then we have to stop with the name-calling. Otherwise, we won’t get anywhere and for the record, I’ve always liked Dina. I don’t appreciate people insulting her in front of me either.”
Riley felt a burst of brotherly affection toward his dignified elder sibling and they shared a tight smile. Steven had the ability to present difficult topics in a way that made people feel immature and petty if they disagreed with him. He knew his brother would never say it directly, but Steven was enormously fond of Christina and always had been. It was the only reasonable conclusion Riley could draw for Steven even being present.
“I like her, too,” Jed said and shrugged. “Well, I do. She might not be perfect, but who is? We roomed together and I’ve never seen anything out of the ordinary. Sure, she’s got her quirks, but who hasn’t?”
Jed turned, giving Dave a meaningful stare. “And you know, if I was out with Christina and someone called her a bitch, I’d probably knock them on their arse. I bet that troll, Andy James, would as well.”
Turning to Riley, Jed pulled a face, “And so would you.”
Yes, Riley agreed, he would. He could feel the mood in the room change and Dave was about to snap back, but Steven interrupted. “Okay, so let’s agree on a set of rules? No name-calling, insults, or character assassinations, everyone agree?” They all mumbled agreement, even Dave who was reluctant to do so, but outnumbered.
“Yes, Dave, everyone, Dina and I are in a relationship,” confessed Riley.”
“Fuck,” muttered Dave, but kept the insults to himself. “How serious is it?”
“Serious,” Riley said. “It’s me. It’s Dina. It’s serious.”
Jed cleared his throat. “Of course it’s serious. Christina is a serious kind of girl. She’s serious as a person and you’d get serious about her if you were going out with her. I mean she’s the type of girl you make plans with.”
All the men turned to stare at Jed curiously and Riley was trying not to laugh out loud. “Have you been reading books, Jed?”
Jed shrugged his shoulders and folded his arms, scowling at his friends. “I watched a lot of Dr. Phil when I was at the hospital with Gabby. He makes a lot of sense sometimes.” There were grunts and a few derisive snorts. Comments were muttered, but none of the guys wanted to antagonize Jed, nor did they want to talk further about Dr. Phil.
“Well, how serious is serious?” Dave demanded.
Riley sighed. Dave could not let things go. “Well, Dave, I bought her lingerie and shoes. Is that serious enough for you?” He tried for levity, but the silence indicated he had failed dismally.
Steven turned his face away like Riley had brought shame to the family name. Dave went to say something and then remembered all the times he’d bought Mandy clothing, tampons, and witnessed the birth of their children. Jed, however, was grinning.
Wagging his eyebrows up and down, Jed leered. “Hot ones or granny panties? Got any pictures? ‘Cause visuals would be good-”
Riley was about to laugh, but Johnny stopped them by shouting: “MY SISTER!” They all looked embarrassed and wouldn’t make eye contact with Johnny, looking anywhere else but at him. Dave wasn’t the only one that forgot Dina was Johnny’s sister. Sometimes, Riley forgot too.
Johnny sighed. “Look, I know my sister isn’t perfect. Neither is my family or anyone else for that matter, but what’s your beef with her Dave? Get it off your chest or let it go.”
“Johnny,” Riley warned, but it was too late now. He wasn’t sure Johnny’s open invitation was a good idea and Dave needed no further encouragement. Keeping the name-calling to himself, Dave launched straight into his assault.
“We all know the story, Johnny,” Dave continued.
“I don’t,” interrupted Jed.
Dave sighed and squeezed his hands around the paint-roller, as if it was someone’s neck. Pointing at Riley, Dave snapped, “She broke up with him. Made him leave town and then dragged his family through the shit just to get her way. And she went after his money-”
“She didn’t take a cent,” snarled Johnny.
“No,” Dave sneered. “She just pretended so she could put the knife into the Rileys. She did everything to humiliate him and look at what she did to you, Johnny. She threatened to put you in a nuthouse if you didn’t stay in rehab. I mean, come on. She’s a bitch. I mean not a nice person. She’s dangerous. She’s got a real mean streak.”
Dave finished appealing to everyone for support, but it was muted. All eyes turned to Johnny, especially Steven who was openly gaping. They all knew the story about Johnny being forced into rehab, except Steven.
“Seriously?” Steven blurted.
Johnny nodded. “Yeah. She did.” You could have cut the tension in the atmosphere with a knife then Johnny said quietly, “It was pretty harsh. She knew I was frightened of the loony bin. It’s where the T-1000 found Sarah Connor.”
Shit, Johnny, Riley inwardly groaned. One step forward, two steps back. Johnny and his stupid, paranoid fears about the Terminator. It wasn’t about nearly dying from drugs. No. It was about an imaginary killing machine from the future.
Steven, however, was still in shock. No mean feat, considering Steven was one of the most sensible people Riley knew. Steven’s eyes were still fixed on Johnny and he kept opening his mouth to say something, but finding it difficult to come up with a diplomatic response.
“How was she going to do that?” Steven asked and his voice rose at the end of his question, but everyone ignored it. “I mean,” said Steven in a lower octave, “how could she do that? Could she do that?”
Johnny pulled a face. “Maybe. Her roommate is some psychology ninja and if anyone could find a way, it would be Dina.”
Yes, thought Riley, if anyone could find a way, it would be Dina. She made good on her promises or she’d die trying.
“You weren’t there,” Jed snarled, making all heads turn toward him in shock. Jed’s face was red with anger and he jabbed a finger at Dave. Riley knew that look and it didn’t bode well for whoever was the object of Jed’s wrath.
“You left it to that little girl to do something about him,” Jed pointed at Johnny. “So don’t stand there criticizing when you stood by and did nothing like a bloody, gutless coward.”
“WAIT A MINUTE!” Dave bellowed at Jed. “I did do something. We did do something, so don’t put that shit on us.”
“FUNNY!” Jed roared. “Because I don’t remember you in that hotel room wrestling him out when he was all fucked up and mental from drugs, but I do remember Christina.”
Riley watched two of his closest friends face off, spitting bile at one another. Jed would annihilate Dave in a fight, but Dave wouldn’t back down from anyone. Riley caught Jed’s eye and surreptitiously shook his head, making Jed clench his jaw. Jed’s eyes were blazing and he was staring daggers at Dave, but kept his mouth firmly closed.
With an audible sigh, Johnny let his breath out. “Look Dave, she might have done some… things, but it doesn’t make her evil.”
Dave snorted, but Johnny glared at him. “Around that time, our mother had just died, okay? Our Dad, he just disappeared in his grief. We weren’t even allowed to talk about our mother in front of him or he would cave. I was a fucking drug addict. I didn’t know what day of the week it was half the time. Dina got stuck with the shit and no one was really there for her or Gabby.”
“Mandy and Bonnie were,” Dave snapped.
Johnny nodded. “Yeah, but it wasn’t their mother that died, was it? None of us were right in the head. Cut her some slack.”
Johnny crouched at
the knees and then sat down on the floor, stretching his legs out. “We don’t do therapy or shit like that in our family. Dad’s a Brit. You know? He’s all ‘stiff upper lip’ and shit. You just have to keep standing and moving on. We were all so messed up and none of us had a clue how to fix it. We just had to pretend Mom had gone on holiday or something. We couldn’t even say the word ‘death’ in front of Dad.”
Rubbing his nose with his hand, Johnny stood back up. “You know, it was the only way I would have stayed in rehab, what Dina did. I was angry with her for a long, long time, but LiLi, she made me talk about this stuff and see things a different way. Our family, we never talk about important stuff, but lately, we’ve been trying. We’ve really been trying.”
The men fell quiet and then Jed spoke. “My mother died when I was young, too.” Everyone looked up in surprise and Jed smiled sadly. “My old man was a complete arsehole, just a fecking fecker. He came and got me from Ireland, and brought me back to the States. Not because he gave a shit, but because he didn’t want my stepfather to raise me. Took me from the only home and people I knew, and dropped me here… the miserable prick.”
Jed shook his head. “He had another family when I got here and he treated them as well as he’d treated my mother. I didn’t even remember him – the wanker. He was a stranger. I ran away when I was 16 and no one came looking for me. Why bother? The old man had got his revenge on my mother and stepfather. The damage was done – on me.”
Looking at Johnny, Jed said in an emotional voice, “I would have given anything for someone – anyone - in my blood family to have cared enough to fight for me and try to put me in a nuthouse.”
Riley screwed his face up. He got the gist of what Jed was saying, but he wasn’t sure if he’d go that far. Dave was staring at Jed like he should have been an in-patient, but Steven was looking on in anguish.
“Our family don’t talk about important stuff either,” Steven said sadly. He tried to smile and failed. Oh shit, thought Riley, not Steven. Not him…
Steven pulled a sad face and shrugged. “Me and Heather? We’ve been trying for kids now for years and… nothing. She prays – we pray – everyone prays, but nothing. It’s getting to the stage where we’re going to have to start treatment. There’s nothing wrong with her and there’s nothing wrong with me, but together? It’s just not happening.”
Riley met his brother’s sad eyes and tried to disguise his horror. Steven was a rock, a touchstone. His moral compass was so strong it made up for Riley’s faulty one. Watching his brother reduced to confession made Riley want to punch himself in the face.
Steven shrugged. “Heather was always so happy, you know? It’s what I loved about her… She’s so sweet and cheerful. Now, she cries all the time and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Worst-most-depressing-boys-time-ever. This sucked. Even with beer. Make it stop, he pleaded with the deity that hated him, but the floodgates were open and everything was spilling out.
“I wrecked my marriage,” Jed muttered. “I didn’t know how to be a good husband or father. I’ve got kids I never see. Some other man is raising them. See? The cycle just repeats-”
“She’s a sort of street-fighter,” said Johnny to no one in particular. “No, more like a cage fighter. Yeah. She comes out swinging, but she means well. LiLi’s family talk about everything, but not ours. Dad would say crazy, fucked up shit that made no sense, like ‘my people didn’t survive the blitz by being big girls’ blouses. What does that even mean?”
“We’ve done everything right,” Steven moaned. “If anyone deserves a kid, it’s Heather and me, but especially Heather. She’s never hurt a person in her life. How is that fair? But I guess life isn’t fair.”
Riley had never seen his brother so sad, nor Jed, or even Johnny. He looked at Dave and scowled. Dave opened his eyes wide at what was happening in front of them and Riley hissed at him. “You did this. Fix it.”
“I think she is like a street fighter, Johnny,” agreed Jed. “Christina doesn’t worry me. It’s the little one that’s evil - evil to her core. That Andy James is a lunatic to get involved with her or has a death wish. Maybe he just likes extreme, life endangering sex-”
“MY OTHER SISTER!” shouted Johnny.
“Sorry, sorry,” Jed muttered. “I forgot.”
“We’re only in our 30s. There’s still time, but how long do you wait when your girl’s heartbroken?” Steven asked sadly.
Riley wanted to douse himself in gasoline and set himself on fire to make it stop. This was a disaster. Dave and his stupid intervention had managed to break his indestructible big brother, Jed, and Johnny.
He glared at Dave, whose mouth opened and closed in bemusement. Dave pursed his lips and shrugged his shoulders, giving a ‘what did I do look’? That was it.
Riley couldn’t take any more and if Dave wasn’t going to do anything, then he was. “ENOUGH already!” Riley snapped. “I appreciate your concern, but Dina and I don’t need your permission to be together. It’d be nice to have your support, but that isn’t necessary either.”
Running a hand through his hair, Riley looked at Dave. “I did some pretty shitty things too, Dave, and you conveniently forget that. I broke up with her and left the first time. I didn’t even tell her I was going and her mother had just died. I refused to divorce her just so I could punish her. Then I, agh, I did... stuff and other things I’m not proud of. So, it’s not like it was all one way.”
He made eye contact with everyone. “We are trying to work it out. If it doesn’t work out then we’ll end it amicably and we’ll know, but at least we’ll have tried. We were stupid kids before. Now, we’re adults. So just leave it and let us try.”
Dave’s mouth went tight. “Okay. It’s up to you, but don’t come to me when it all turns to shit.”
Riley turned and stared at Dave. He loved Dave like a brother, but right now, Dave was pissing him off. He felt his temper burn and he snapped, harsher than intended. “Oh, you can count on that Dave because I’m sick of your ‘I told you so’ shit.”
Dave’s mouth opened in surprise. “Hey, I’m just looking out for you.”
“No, you’re not,” Johnny sneered. “You just want to carry on your grudge match against my sister. It’s like it happened to you personally, Dave, but it didn’t.”
Dave and Johnny started arguing and the rest of the men looked at one another, rolling their eyes. “What happened between me and Dina is none of your business, Dave. Understand? Stay out of it. It’s family business. It’s got nothing to do with you,” Johnny snarled.
“I’d love to stay out of it, but it affects all of us – me, Mandy, the band,” Dave retorted.
“You put yourself in there,” Jed growled. “No one asks you to get involved, but you can’t help yourself. You’re like a nosey, old, busy body that whinges about everything, but never does anything. If there was a sport for talking a good game and doing nothing, Dave, you’d be the fecking champion.”
Johnny and Jed ganged up on Dave, but Dave stood his ground. Riley made eye contact with Steven and the two brothers sighed. They were back on this and it went round, and round in circles.
“If you’re such a big man, Dave, why don’t you go say all this shit to Christina’s face? Or even better, go say it to your wife,” Johnny taunted.
“Do you think I’m scared of your bitch-sister?” Dave snarled.
“Yeah, I do. But even better, how about I get a spoon and you can EAT MY ASS?” Johnny yelled.
“And I’ll help you, Johnny,” snarled Jed and then pulled a face. “Just to be clear, not with the arse eating, but giving Dave a beating.”
“ENOUGH!” shouted Steven, making everyone stop. “Nick has given his answer and that’s it. It’s none of our business. Now we have a house to paint, so let’s stop acting like we’re a goddamned quilting bee and get to it.”
The quilting bee comment struck home and the men started working, talking about everything other than their feelings.
Johnny turned the stereo on and they worked with only music breaking the silence until the first coat was done. They sat outside waiting for the paint to dry, laughing, joking, drinking beers, and waiting to do the second coat.
When the banter paused, Jed cleared his throat. “We’re never going to speak of this to anyone, are we?” All the men readily agreed and swore a blood oath on pain of death to never mention it, and deny all knowledge.
**********
Christina, Lift, The Present, Tuesday, November 6, 2012
“It’s not funny and you can’t tell anyone. I swore a blood oath that I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
Christina couldn’t stop laughing. She’d tried and failed numerous times, and in the end, she’d just given up. Riley’s facial expressions and impersonations of the men had made her feel like she was a fly on the wall.
Men. They really were silly creatures. If Riley thought he was the only one that had told this story to his significant other, then he was dreaming. She’d bet her life-savings that all the men had told their women.
She knew there were parts she should have been offended by, but she wasn’t. Except, maybe, about Dave? But Dave had always been a dick.
“Dave, huh?” She arched an eyebrow. “The guy can certainly hold a grudge.”
Riley’s eyes were concerned. “Don’t be offended, honey. All the other guys have your back. It’s Dave’s problem and he has to get over it.”
On that, she agreed and in truth, Christina felt a little flattered that the majority of the men had defended her honor. She stroked her hand gently across Riley’s hair, grinning. “Thank you. Thank you for trusting me with this story and thank you for having my back. I appreciate you letting me in.”
Some emotion passed on Riley’s face that she couldn’t discern. He stood up, trying to smile, but failed. “No,” he said gruffly. “Thank you for trusting me. I hope to spend the rest of my life proving I deserve it.”
Grabbing his stuff and the dog, Riley left the building without another word. Christina sat feeling uneasy, trying to make sense of what he’d said. She’d somehow managed to touch on a fault-line that she didn’t know existed.
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