They came over, looked inside, and took a few of the pictures out. Those were the pictures showing me with my former friends. I wasn’t sure why I even took them with me instead of just dumping them before the move. I hadn’t so much as talked to any of these people in two years.
“Tim, that can’t be all. I remember Johnny’s room when he was your age. It was stuffed to the ceiling with all the tidbits he collected from all the things he was interested in over the years.” she explained, spreading her arms and gesturing to the walls. “Posters from his favorite sports teams, posters from his favorite bands ... where is all that?”
“And why are these pictures in your drawer instead of on your walls or desk?” Grandpa added.
“Well...” I thought about it for a moment, trying to figure out how to phrase it best. “I kinda lost interest in most of that stuff, so I got rid of it. And the pictures ... These people barely even talk to me anymore, so maybe I’ll just throw them away too.”
“They don’t talk to you anymore?” Granny asked.
“How about you ask Ava about that. She has more insight into that than I do.” I waved her off, feeling my annoyance with these people grow as they displayed their cluelessness about my situation.
“Kiddo, I could believe you getting rid of the small stuff, like unfinished crafts projects. But where are all the books you used to read?” Grandpa noted. I had hoped they wouldn’t remember my fondness for fantasy novels.
“Oh. I gave those to someone else. She also enjoyed the genre and didn’t know most of mine yet. She ... took them with her when she moved.” I explained, trying to keep my voice firm and my emotions under control. I don’t think I fully succeeded, but they never commented on it if they noticed something.
I sat in my chair and started my PC, but they just stood there, giving me weirdly appraising looks when they didn’t exchange looks between themselves. Then Grandma sat back down on my bed and started talking again.
“Pumpkin ... I’m sorry about what happened at your home. Is there any chance...”
“There isn’t!” I shot her down.
“Come on, Pumpkin! It can’t be that bad!” she said with a doubtful tone. That did it. I lost it.
“HOW THE FUCK WOULD YOU KNOW!?” I yelled as I jumped out of my chair and glared at her, causing both of them to jump as well. “I’m waiting! Fucking tell me how the FUCK you would know SHIT about how bad it was for me in that FUCKING house!”
“Tim! Y...” Grandpa tried.
“YOU SHUT UP!” I was in complete rage at that point. He took a step towards his wife. “How about this? You get the fuck back to your daughter’s house. You take a damn good look at every room in that house. And then you tell me why THEIR rooms look like she hired an interior designer, while MY room looks like it was furnished after a visit to the fucking salvation army! Ask your daughter when the last time was that I got to fucking EAT something she cooked! Ask her husband how much RENT his other two children had to pay over the last two years! Ask your son’s wife how my SCHOOL LIFE looked like, with Ava and Logan there! And THEN you come back here and try to tell me again how it WASN’T SO BAD!”
Seeing their shocked faces, I kind of deflated and collapsed back onto my chair.
“You fucking knew full well what was happening since last Thanksgiving! And what was your reaction to it? You FUCKED OFF for a whole damn year, never to be heard from! What the fuck did you expect to happen? Divine intervention!?”
They stared at me with rattled faces, while my own face was hidden behind cupped hands. After half a minute, Granny finally managed to collect herself, got off the bed, and tried to hug me.
“Don’t.” I sighed, and she instantly flinched back. “You knew! You knew and didn’t do shit about it for a year. Just yesterday, you learned that they didn’t even notice me being gone for a whole week, and only found out now because you started looking for me. You don’t get to throw that shit in my face about how it couldn’t ‘ve been so bad!”
There was silence for about a minute, before Granny spoke with a shaking voice.
“Pumpkin ... I’m so sorry! Yes, we knew your relationship with your father was in the dumpster because he couldn’t identify with you. And, yes, we knew you were fighting with your mother. But I swear to God almighty, we had no idea it was that bad! Please, you have to believe me! We talked to your mother on Thanksgiving about finding a way to fix all this. Had we realized how much you actually suffered, we would never have left! We thought this was all just a communication problem that happens naturally when kids reach a certain age.”
“Then let me ask you this instead: Why didn’t you know?” I challenged her. “I was serious about checking the rooms in the house, and the rent, and everything else. The signs were all there! All you had to do after that alleged discussion with them on Thanksgiving, was to take a damn look around. What could you have possibly been doing, that had you so distracted you forgot to check out their story?”
Suddenly, she looked mightily uncomfortable. She knew exactly what they were doing. They were fucking! But, as far as they knew, I didn’t know about their family orgies. In fact, I had been excluded from their family orgies! So, she couldn’t answer that one. Grandpa displayed an unexpected ability for quick thinking, as he tried something else by throwing me off with a completely unexpected question.
“Have you thought about what you’ll want to do after school?”
That sudden change of topic took me by surprise. Since I knew how much of a tight spot I had pushed them into, I decided to indulge him.
“That’s still almost two years away, Gramps. But ... work, probably?” I said, not entirely sure where that was going.
“You should go to college. I’m sure you’d do well.”
“What’s the point?” I sighed and noticed them perking up when I said it.
“What do you mean? You don’t plan on going?” Grandma’s tone sounded more alarmed than confused.
“Granny, when I finish high school, I’ll have more than three years of experience in programming- and IT-work in a reputable firm on my resumé. From what I read so far, the stuff they teach at college for my line of work is almost always outdated, because they can’t update their curriculum as fast as web technologies progress. So, with my experience and portfolio, I have a higher chance to find a job than with a college degree. And there is no indication that I’ll even have to look for a job after high school. I probably could just keep working for Bill, if I wanted to.” I explained.
She thought about that for a moment and seemed to relax a little, then looked at Grandpa who just shrugged his shoulders.
“You know, if you ever need someone to talk to, pumpkin, we’re here. Right?” she asked in a soft tone.
“Sure, I know. I don’t know for how long you’ll be here, though.”
I had fully expected her to protest. Instead, she stood up, wrapped her arms around me above my shoulders, and pressed her breasts into my neck as she hugged me. For a woman of 58, they were surprisingly firm. Not that I had much to compare this feeling to, though. For all I knew, this could just as well just be her bra. Then she gave me a kiss on the top of my head.
“For a while, pumpkin. We will be here for a lot longer than planned, it seems. Remember to call if you need anything.” she said with a resigned sigh before pausing for a moment. Then she continued in a quiet, sad voice. “Are you really sure this is the best way?”
“Let’s be honest here, Granny. They didn’t even notice I was gone. The only reason they did find out after Six! Days! ... was because you went into my room and started asking questions. What’s that telling you? They didn’t miss me at the breakfast or dinner table, they didn’t have anything to talk about that would require them to seek me out, and they never went into my room for any reason. Seriously, how long do you think it would’ve taken them to notice my absence if you hadn’t arrived today? Think about that when they act all sad about me being gone. My last birthday was just the last straw in a long series of ‘Fuck You!’s, which you should be well aware of. They won’t miss me. I just refuse to go on like that.”