Every family has their problems but, Ryan’s family has much more than their fair share. From the outside looking in you would never be able to tell, from the inside looking out you start to wonder how he ever found the strength the survive.
Ryan and his family lived in a well off neighborhood in a brick house with the typical white picket fence. He had one cat and two dogs who him and his twin sister Erika grew up with. To the people around them, everything seemed normal but, behind closed doors it was far from it. When Ryan was four his father killed himself while Ryan, his mother and sister were at church one Sunday morning. Ryan’s father was an abusive alcoholic and had been on a drinking binge for weeks. Truth is, Ryan’s father owned an Auto body shop and his place had went out of business. Being that Ryan’s father provided the only source of income he started to panic, which caused him to drink, very heavily. Ryan found him on the bathroom floor, he had choked on his own vomit.
Soon after Ryan’s mother, Nancy, remarried and moved Ryan and Erika to a new home with her new husband. Ryan and Erika were only five and were excited to be moving into a new, much bigger, much fancier house on the other side of town. Nancy’s new husband Joe, and her children seemed to get along great. Joe and Ryan went hunting together in the winter and fishing in the summer. They did everything together and became inseperable. Years went by and before Ryan knew it he had slowly started forget about his father and the scene he saw when he was just five years old. While Ryan found the father he never had , Erika was a different story. She craved her mothers attention and was losing it to Joe which caused her to resent him. From the second she started forming educated sentences, they were used to go against everything Joe said. Everything Joe asked from Erika, she made sure she did the opposite.
When Ryan and Erika turned sixteen Joe and Nancy threw a huge party in their backyard for the both of them. While the party turned out to be a great time and seemed to be brining everyone together, Erika went inside to check on the dogs when she heard a strange noise coming from the laundry room. It sounded as if someone had put sneakers in the drier which seemed weird to Erika considering the party. Why would someone be doing laundry right now, she thought? Before Erika could open the door it clicked in her head what she was hearing. But who? She opened the door and was disgusted with what she saw. She quickly slammed the door and ran into the backyard for her Mother and Ryan. She got their attention and told them they needed to come inside right away. When they got inside she told them how she had just seen Joe having sex with one of her best friends in the laundry room. Horrified, Nancy burst into the laundry room to find only Joe inside washing his hands in the sink.
“What’s the matter” snarled Joe “What’s all the commotion.”
“You know what’s wrong, you know I saw what you were doing with Jeanne.” Joe put on his best look of innocence and explained he was only helping her sober up. She had snuck a little bit too much to drink, Joe explained, and needed a few minutes to cool down, she wasn't feeling well so he had sent her home, there was nothing to worry about.
“That’s bullshit, I saw it, you were having sex with her. Stop lying,” screamed Erika. While Erika and Joe went back and forth, Nancy sat down, her head was spinning from everything that was happening around her. Ryan sat with her and tried to calm her down.
“You don’t believe her, do you babe?” Joe said sweetly rubbing Nancy’s back. Nancy looked up and him and then to her daughter.
“Erika, sweetie, why would Joe do something like that with Jeanne. She’s only sixteen, he could go to jail. Are you sure that’s what you saw.” Erika knew what was happeneing, her mother was going to take Joes side. She was going to believe his lies. Before anyone could say anything Erika ran to her room. Ryan got up to go after her as Joe grabbed his shoulder.
“Let her be. It’s her party and she can cry if she wants to. But it’s your party too and don’t let her and her accusations ruin your time.”
“I just want to hear what happened and see if she’s okay” said Ryan.
“She’ll be fine. Nothing happened Ryan. Do you really think I would do that to you, to your mother. Erika will think of anything to make tension in this house and now she has taken it to far. Leave her in her room. Hopefully she never comes out.” Joe screamed the last part up the stairs in hopes to get a rise out of Erika. But no noise came from her room, only heavy breathing.
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