Page 61 of Forged in the Fire
He could almost hear the shift in the mood.
That sadness he was talking about curling through the air.
So quiet but it still blared in his ears.
He heard his momma’s voice break. “You promised.”
His daddy scoffed. “You gonna start nagging me the second I walk through the door?”
“You’re drunk.”
The voices swam down the hall from the kitchen.
“Well, aren’t you sharp. You want an award?”
“I want a husband who doesn’t tell me lies.”
Mean laughter floated all around.
Silas’s stomach felt sick.
“Guess you picked the wrong guy, then.”
“I guess I did.” His momma sounded like she was giving up on something important.
A loud crack echoed against the walls, and his momma quietly cried out. Silas was on his feet and racing to the end of the hall, halting in the doorway to the kitchen.
His dad stood over his mom, who was on her knees, holding her face, and the sickness in Silas’s stomach crawled up his throat.
His heart pounded so fast. So fast. Like it didn’t know how to stay behind his ribs and was going to bust all the way out. The way it did whenever his dad got home and was mad like this.
“You want to talk to me like that again?”
His dad’s clothes were dirty. His hair sticking up and he smelled disgusting. It made Silas want to throw up.
His momma lifted her face to him. It was streaked with tears.
Something hot and ugly curled inside Silas. Like fiery ropes that twisted through his guts and made him want to do bad things.
His momma slowly rose to her feet, her shoulders sagging but her chin tipped up. “I know you spent that money. I saw the bank account. It’s gone, isn’t it? The deposit and first and last month’s rent for the new house?”
His dad scuffed a garbled sound. “Don’t you worry about that.”
A huff of disappointment shot from her. “Don’t worry about it? Worrying about it is all I do. I’m the only one who worries about anything. About whether the kids have food or a roof over their heads. You clearly don’t care.”
“Always dramatic. Beggin’ for a fight.”
She choked a strangled sound. “So this is my fault?”
“If you weren’t such a greedy bitch, things would be just fine.”
“Just go. Leave the way you always do. But this time, don’t come back. I’ll figure this out on my own.” Her voice was too soft, and he was worried his dad wouldn’t know she meant it.
But Silas was sure that she did.
He could feel it like a thunderbolt in his chest.
Like one of those storms that sometimes shook the walls and made it feel like the whole house would come tumbling down.
