I just hope I made it there in time.
Dom
Sally stood at the front door of her home, pressed against the frame, glaring at me like I was the fucking enemy. It was abundantly clear that I wasn’t getting in the house without her permission. And that permission was denied.
But, at 2AM on a school night, I wasn’t going anywhere but through that door.
My mum had never been tall. She said my real dad was a monster in more ways than one and that’s where I got my height.
I had to admit, she didn’t look great. Sally could use makeup to either freshen up or deaden her appearance, she’d even taught me how to paint on scars and create fake wounds. But her eyes were sunken, and she was too thin. Her hot pink dressing gown swamped her, and it wasn’t deliberate. She was reaching fifty-five, and I hadn’t seen her for a year, but I still expected her to look better than that. Especially if she’d just spent the evening fucking her next target.
“You shouldn’t have come. I’ve already sorted it,” she said, flicking her gaze to the smouldering cigarette in her left hand.
“Good for you,” I said, looking down at her, arms folded. “But you know there is no fucking way I’m walking away when they called me. So, can we skip the theatrics and just get to the part where you let me in.”
She clicked her tongue, her scowl deepening the sharp lines on her face. “We don’t need you here. You’ll just make him worse.”
“Yeah? And who do you think is going to handle him if he kicks off again? ’Cos there’s no chance you’re doing it when you look like that.”
It pissed me off how worried I was. Her skin was too fucking pale. She might actually be seriously ill, and just too proud to tell anyone.
One wrong move from Terry and he would probably snap her in half.
Or it could just be her new angle. Instead of sex appeal she was using sympathy to hook people.
“Your dad is drunk enough that he’ll be stuck there until tomorrow evening. So you’ll just be wasting your own time.”
“Don’t you fucking dare call him my dad.” I slapped my hands on the doorframe, looming over her. “We don’t need any dramatics, so let me in,” I said, my voice lowering. “I’m going to crash on the couch and then we are going to have a nice long fucking talk like reasonable adults.”
“The girls are asleep. Wedon’tneed you here.”
“Sally, I swear to fucking God if you don’t move I’m kicking you out of the way. I’m trying to be polite here but you’re pushing it.”
And tonight really wasn’t the night to test me.
We stared each other down, making it obvious where I got my stubbornness from, as well as all the other bullshit traits she passed on.
I forced myself to relax. “They called me, Mum,” I said, softening my tone. “You know how bad it has to get for them to do that. And you left them here alone.”
I told her in the past how her boyfriends used to beat the shit out of me; some of them got me to drink, others gave me cigarettes and drugs as I got older. I even told her how one of her ’boyfriends’ used to wake up in the middle of the night and go for me in bed, and she still chose to milk them for cash over protecting her son.
I might respect her love for her daughters, but I never trusted her choice of partners. I assumed she’d ‘settled’ for Terry because she got pregnant, or maybe they really were in love, but it didn’t mean shit when my sisters were scared.
She broke the silence, scoffing as she released the door frame. She kept glaring as she lifted her cigarette to her lips and took a drag.
“Fine. One night.” She stepped back, folding her arms.
I nodded, pushing off the door frame to stand up straight, a good head above her. I adjusted my bag as I entered, instantly hit with cigarette smoke as she blew it in my face.
“Nice one,” I said dryly before stepping into the living room, and my eyes landed on the mess of the man that was Terry snoring in a reclining chair in front of a silent TV.
I’d check on my sisters, get some sleep, and call Harry in the morning. I didn’t even know if he’d listened to any of the messages I left as I was driving up the country, but I had to keep trying to reach him. I couldn’t give up. Even though Harry’s life would be so much easier if I just left it there and did what he asked.
I sighed heavily as I headed to the stairs. Sally slammed the door shut behind me, and Terry grunted as he roused from his slumber.
I needed to check on my sisters, get some rest, and then it was time to deal with yet another pile of crap.
Harry