Page 28 of Beyond Expectations
“Roman, Serena, please. Can we just sit and have a nice dinner together?”
My dad’s eyes pleaded at me, reminding me of the millions of arguments he would diffuse when we were younger.
“I am having a nice dinner. Roman here seems to have a stick up his ass, and as always, we’re the ones who have to bear the brunt of it.”
“Of course. Ms Perfect is always doing everything right. Never stepping a foot wrong.”
Roman groaned.
“What the hell is your problem?”
My anger was something I generally had reasonable control over, but there was no way I was going to let my brother act like a damn child and get away with it, especially as I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“My problem is, you come back with your sad eyes, woe is me attitude when you haven’t got a single clue what it’s like actually to have real shit happen.”
“Are you fucking serious, Roman!” I shouted.
“Serena language.”
I looked over at Dad, and despite our age, he always had an issue with us swearing in the house. Taking a deep breath, I looked over at Roman as he sucked down the rest of his bottle of beer.
“I don’t understand what I’ve done to you or why you’re so annoyed at me. I’ve got some stuff going on. Work is crazy busy, and believe it or not, I love my family and enjoy spending time with them. I’m sorry if my arrival or mere presence makes you believe you have the right to belittle me or be your verbal punching bag. Get a grip. Seriously, I’m not in the mood.”
“Of course, now you’re making me out to be the villain. What a surprise,” he barked back.
“Roman, that’s enough!”
Dad rarely raised his voice, so hearing it always sent me back.
“No, Dad, do you know what is enough? The pathetic excuse that is my life! I’m sick and tired of it. First, mom doesn’t think we’re good enough, packs up her bags, and leaves. Then, my football career disappears -the one thing I was good at. The one thing that was mine, which caused me to lose Ruby, and now I’m stuck working in the shop.”
Fuck this, I’m not letting him put the blame on everyone else.
“Firstly, you’re not the only one Mom left. She left her husband and three children. Yes, your career got taken away from you, and for that, I am sorry but cut the bullshit. That’s not what caused you to lose Ruby. You did that. You know she would have stayed with you no matter what. But no, you threw her away and broke her heart. And don’t you dare say you are stuck working at the shop. You love working there. You’re good at what you do, and you’re lucky as hell you had something to fall back on after your accident, because I’m sure many people would have been in a far worse situation after losing their shot at the NFL who might have ended up homeless and broke. Dad has always and will always be there for all of us, and I will not sit here and listen to you wallow in self-pity, putting him and the rest of our family down because you are unhappy with your life!”
My chest was heaving, and I could feel tears stinging the back of my eyes.
I loved my brother, but there was no way I would sit back and let him get away with the things he said. Silence stretched for several moments, staring him down, his eyes the same green hue as mine. I watched as they glazed over with unshed tears. Shaking his head, he slammed the bottle onto the table, the sound echoing in the room, before storming upstairs.
I went to go after him, but Dad stopped me.
Together, we wordlessly cleared the table and tidied up the kitchen. I wasn’t sure if Dad was simply letting me stew and reflect or if Roman’s outburst hit him too.
As I looked at the clock on the wall, I saw it was 10:48pm. I grabbed a cold beer out of the fridge as Dad poured himself a bourbon. Neither of us made an attempt to turn the TV on as we sat on the couch. The deep sigh that left my Dad made my heart hurt.
“Are you okay?” I probed.
Taking another sip of his drink, I watched as he gently swirled the dark amber liquid in his glass and stretched his legs out onto the ottoman.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
But it was clear from the concern and worry that was etched on his face that it wasn’t the case.
“Dad, you don’t need to hide things from me. What Roman said was out of order, and I’m sorry he threw the shop in your face. You know he didn’t mean it.”
Once again, my frustration bubbled at Roman’s stupid outburst.
“I know, but he’s right.”
