The holidays are almost over...

but the horror has just begun. I arrived at my parents two days late, due to my decision to drive instead of flying. Because driving takes longer. And in a car, when I reach their turn-off, I always have the option to just keep driving; maybe down to Florida. Planes don't offer such a luxury. As it stands, I took the coward's path, and their turn-off. Simultaneously, in fact. I still managed to arrive on Christmas morning, despite my best efforts. Mother started in immediately, asking why I don't visit or even call as much as Jeff (my brother;) see what I meant in that last post? I told her my phone was broken. As well as my car. For some reason, she didn't buy it. Dad didn't say a word to me. Just lit a cigarette, reached past me to pick up the paper, and went back inside. Jeff was there with his girlfriend. Who is gorgeous, by the way. And I am pretty sure thinks I stare just a wee bit too much. Is it my fault she wears such sheer, clingy sweaters?
Whatever. Jeff can kiss my ass.
Naturally, Mother wouldn't allow those two to sleep in the same bed, what with the lack of rings and all. Which just meant that they took up both spare rooms, and snuck out to sleep in the same bed anyway. Heh, there's irony for you- I have the ring and sleep alone, they don't, and sleep together. So anyway, it turns out that there was still a place for me. Great News, son! We converted part of the barn into a spare room! Son of a BITCH. I didn't even bother pointing out that it probably wasn't the best place for me to sleep, considering I saw one of the my best friends as a child die out there, and all. Mother would have told me I should have gotten there sooner, like Jeff. Little ass-kiss had probably already been there a week. I didn't bother to ask.
So Christmas actually went okay. For about an hour. Jeff went and bought me one of those netbook things, which I am currently using. It's nice enough, and was actually pretty thoughtful of him. I would like to say something barbed and nasty about it, but truth is, I kind of like it so far. Mother bought me a picture frame that has multiple spaces "for pictures of the whole family." She claims she forgot that 2/3s of the family don't live at my house anymore. She must have forgotten that for a whole year, then. She really knows just how to tighten the thumbscrews. Sometimes, I wish I could hate her.
Dad, on the other hand, no problem there. He put out a cigar on my suit jacket. That was my present from Dad. No, he isn't abusive, or an overly physical guy. He just hates me, because I am the reason he got saddled with Mother, if you catch my drift. To make things even better, he couldn't even enjoy his wedding night, since I was kind of making use of the area he was interested in. Makes their anniversary easy to remember, if I ever cared to. Yeah, so I swatted the cigar out of his hand, and it burned the rug. I may have lost a jacket, but he has to buy Mother a new rug. Serves the old SOB right. That was also right about when things fell apart. Mother first got mad at Dad, then started trying to make me feel guilty, since she can't make him feel anything anymore. I went to my "room" and sat on the bed. I can still make out scorch marks across the room, if I stare very, very hard. Isabel died right over... there. Nothing in particular marks the spot, but I will never forget it as long as I live.
Around dinnertime, Jeff came over to try to talk me back inside the house. He succeeded, and I came in, apologized to Mother about the rug, and called my Dad a bastard. Nobody but... Jenna? Jessa? Eh, who gives a crap? Jeff isn't going to be marrying her anytime soon anyway. Let's go with Jessica. Jessica seemed to take offense at this, but it didn't last. After all, she was around him long enough to get it. Dinner went okay. Nobody cussed at anybody, nobody stormed away from the table. Nobody acted like this morning even happened. Or like I spent most of Christmas day sitting in a barn. Which is par for the course. Dysfunctional at breakfast, dispassionate by dinner. I guess I reached past Jessica one too many times (any brushings against that occured were both accidental and unavoidable,) and she excused herself. Jeff soon followed. She headed outside to "get some air, Jeff in tow." Out the window, I saw the lights in my "room" click on, then off again. Great. I'll have to remember to take new sheets from the closet before I head out for the night. Mother started to clear the table, leaving me and Dad to avoid looking at each other. After about 20 minutes, he spoke, entirely of his own accord. "You were always a pain in the ass, did you know that?"
"Well thanks, I-"
"Shut the hell up, I aint finished. You been screwing my life up since the minute you were born. I just wanted to say thanks for screwing yours up, as well. Makes me feel a bit better."
It was just shortly after this that I gave him a black eye, and was about to break his jaw, when Mother came back into the room to see what all the hubbub was about. For some reason, she didn't take it too well, and told me to get outside, now. I saw no good reason not to. And forgot to get my sheets. Jessica and Jeff met me at the door of the barn, just on their way back to the house. This is when I remembered why I wanted the sheets in the first place. I considered going back into the house for them, and decided to go to a bar, instead. It turned out to be a much better place to spend the night.
Day after that, I went out shopping for a phone that would actually pick up out here in the ass-end of nowhere. There was one company. Turns out they really do pick up everywhere. They need to get rid of that one guy, and just adopt the slogan: "We even pick up in the ass-end of nowhere!" If that doesn't sell phones... Damn, I should have gotten into marketing, instead of being a failed author. When I got home, the lights were on in the barn again. I went and told Jeff that he could at least have the decency to tidy up after himself. He shot me an odd look. Whatever. I could care less, but not much. I also picked up one of those things where you can get internet pretty much anywhere. Turns out it really does work. If it didn't you wouldn't be reading this. I spent the rest of the afternoon looking up news stories about what happened all those years ago, just across from where I am sitting now. In fact, one of the photographers must have been standing just about here when he shot, because I can look up from this photo and still make out the lines of the boards that weren't too damaged to keep. Then Mother came out, red-eyed, and told me about Dad. I will tell all of you about that tomorrow.

I'm a real bastard, aint I?

This is Jack's blog