Fisher Runs Away

The next day when I got home from work Olivia came running out of the house. At first I thought she was just going to kiss me but then I saw the look on her face.

"I've been trying to reach you," she said. "Fisher's missing."

"What? When? How?" My heart felt like it had stopped working.

"He never came home from school. His teacher said he was acting sad all day. She was sure he got on the bus. He must have gotten off at the wrong stop."

"I'll find him," I said, and hopped in the truck. "You stay here, in case he comes home. Call everyone we know. Use Castor's phone. Keep your own line free in case he calls." I kissed her. "Don't worry. I'll find him."

He was in the park, sitting on a swing, moving it in a circle by pushing his little feet along the ground. I sat down in the swing next to his and waited.

He got up and ran away when he saw me. I followed, slowly. "Fish? What's this all about?"

"I got kicked out," he said.

"Kicked out of where?"

"Out of our house. I was bad at school today so I kicked myself out."

"What did you do?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

"I yelled at my friend Mark. He was being a booger. So now I'm kicked out."

"Oh, no, Fisher, we'd never kick you out. We love you." I reached for him but he backed away.

"I love Grandpa Chuck and you want to kick him out," he said. "So I'm kicked out too."

"No one's getting kicked out, Fisher."

He looked at me, suspicious. "You promise?"

"Promise."

"OK," he said, shrugging.

"Can I have a hug?" I said.

He put his little arms around my neck and I held him as tight as I dared.

"Come on, let's go home."

"I want to talk to you," I said to Chuck.

"Here it comes," he said.

"Dad, please."

He looked at me, surprised. I almost never called him Dad anymore. "OK."

We went outside and sat on the bench across the street.

"I don't like you much," I said.

"No, really?"

"Let me finish. I don't like you much but you're the only dad I have." I'd seen a mirror of the monster that was me in my son's eyes, and I didn't like it much. Strange how blind anger and resentment can make you.

"Yeah, life's tough sometimes, isn't it? I wanted to be married to Marilyn Monroe, myself. Or maybe Lola Phoenix."

"Lola's Olivia's great-grandmother."

"Really? No s**t? That's wild."

"So, anyway, I was thinking maybe we should call a truce. You stop making your stupid comments and I'll try not to hate you so much."

"Hey, don't strain yourself," he said. He stood up and rolled up his sleeves. "I know what you need. Hit me."

"What?"

"Come on, hit me."

"Dad, I can't hit you. You're too -- "

"Don't you dare say old."

"I was going to say fat," I said.

"Them's fighting words," he said, punching me in the shoulder. "Come up, put 'em up."

"I'm not going to ... "

He punched me in the face. It hurt.

"Hey!" I stood up.

"Chicken." He danced around me, fists up. He moved pretty good for an ol--I mean fat--guy.

"Chuck!"

"Brawk, brawk, brawk ... "

I hit him. It felt good. Too good. He hit me back and pretty soon we were rolling around on the ground like a couple of teenagers fighting over the last pretty girl.

"Stop it! Stop it! What's the matter with you!" Olivia was yelling.

"That's right, Davy! Hit him again!" Mom said. I told you she was a strange mom.

Dad started coughing like he was about to lose a lung and I stopped hitting him immediately.

"David, what on earth got into you?" Olivia looked mad enough to spit, and twice as adorable as ever.

"He started it," I muttered.

She rolled her eyes.

Dad kept coughing.

"Dad, are you all right?"

"No, he's not all right," Alice said.

"Shut up, Woman," Chuck growled in between gasps.

"He's dying, David," she said, and helped the old man off to bed.

Family Meeting

They held a family meeting, and Alice and Chuck brought out the big guns.

Alice's eyes went huge as saucers and she started to cry. "My own son. David, you can't do this. Your father and I are flat broke. Where are we supposed to live, in a cardboard box?"

"It's true, son," dad said. "All of our inheritance went to pay the old man's medical bills. We haven't got a penny to our names."

"Well, if that's true we can't very well kick you out," Castor said. "But there needs to be some changes around here."

"Such as?" Chuck asked.

"No more flirting with my wife, for starters."

Chuck opened his mouth to protest but no sound came out.

"And you'll both get jobs," Zaire said.

"Jobs?" Alice looked like she'd just been asked to roll in slugs.

"So you can save up for your own place," Zaire said.

Alice and Chuck looked at each other. "Fine," Chuck said, and Alice nodded. "We'll start looking tomorrow."

David said nothing through the entire meeting. At the end he got up. "I'm going to the gym," he said, kissed his wife, and left.

Olivia watched him go.

Maybe it was time to start thinking about getting their own place. Zaire and Castor had promised them this lovely house, but was it worth the price?

She went upstairs and called her mother.

She needed someone to talk to.

Zaire Nova, Hussy

"I see you watching her," Alice was saying behind the closed bedroom door, loud enough for the neighbors to hear. "You think she's prettier than me."

"Now Alice, you know that's not true."

"Go talk to your hussy Zaire and leave me alone."

Zaire looked at me, pained, and rolled her eyes.

"Maybe it is time to kick them out, Olivia," she said.

"Finally, someone's talking sense," I said.

Argument

I knew it was lousy timing but these days everything's lousy timing for David. Having his parents here is stressing him out so much. I've talked to Castor and Zaire about kicking them out but they think I'm overreacting.

So here I am stuck in the middle, the peacekeeper, and I hate it.

"I want to get a job," I said.

"No." Just like that, no discussion.

I was furious. "NO?"

He stared at me.

"How dare you, David Sullivan. How dare you tell me I can't get a job."

"That's not what I meant," he said. "Calm down. Please, Liv. I just don't want my mother watching the kids. She'd watch her soaps while Levi drowned in the pool. She's not a good mother."

"You survived."

"That's beside the point. I want more for my kids, and you should too. Please, Olivia, wait until Levi's in school, at least. Then we'll talk."

"You aren't the boss," I said.

"Boy, do I know that."

"I'm still mad."

"I like you mad."

"Hmph."

Relatives or Termites?

Surprise, surprise, Chuck and Alice are still here. I'm about ready to kill them both. I've dropped huge hints and downright asked them to leave but they're like termites.

I finally got Levi to say something the other day. Little guy's the strong silent type, but I just wanted to know he could talk if he wanted to, you know? So we sat down on the floor together and I finally got him to say Daddy. I was so proud of him, gave him a big hug.

And then Chuck walked by.

"That's woman's work," he said.

"What is?" I asked, trying not to lose my temper.

"Teaching a kid to talk. That's his mother's job. What's the matter, going soft on me?"

I ignored him and put the kid to bed. I wasn't about to have it out in front of my toddler, but I was ready to punch him.

Olivia came and rubbed my shoulders. "It's OK," she said. "it'll be OK."

"I want them gone."

"I think they're trying to make amends," she said.

"I'm not interested," I said. "I think they're a bad influence and the longer they stay the worse it's going to get."

"I want to talk to you," she said. "I have something I need to do."

Drama at the Mission

Ivan was smashing things in his room, and then it was quiet. His roommates looked at each other.

"I'm not going in there," Tristan said.

"Me, either." Zane held up his hands. "Not in the mood to be used as a punching bag."

Isadora looked at Hunter, who was busy studying her toes.

"Fine," Iz said, with a big sigh. "I'll go."

"No," Zane said.

"No what?"

"He's just going to break your heart," he said.

"Or your head," Tristan muttered.

"Who said anything about my heart? I just want to see if he's OK." Iz left.

Zane followed her. "He's not just another wounded animal," they heard him say.

"Is it always this dramatic around here?" Jake asked. He and Blossom had moved in when Henry and Sam moved out.

"Lately? Yeah, kind of," Tristan said.

"Ivan? You OK?" Isadora tried the door when she got no answer. Ivan was sitting on the floor, staring at the wall. "Zane, leave us alone, please."

"I don't like this," he said.

"Shoo." Iz closed the door and sat down on the floor next to Ivan. "It's OK," she said.

He started to sob. She put her arms around him and he put his head in her lap and cried as she stroked his hair.

They stayed there for a long time.

You Don't Know What You're Talking About

"Mind if I join you?" Jack sat down at the bar next to Ivan without waiting for his answer.

"Cheers." Ivan tipped his bottle to him and kept on drinking.

"I'm sorry about your dad," Jack said.

"Yeah, you said that at the funeral."

"But I'm also mad as hell at him."

"You are?"

"Yeah. What a stupid thing to do. Did he never hear of counseling?"

Ivan shrugged.

"Ivan, it's OK, you know. You can be angry at him. You should be angry at him. It's healthy."

"Whatever, man."

"No, not whatever." Jack put his hands on his shoulders and made the younger man look at him. "Ivan, listen to me. I love you. I don't want to see you end up like James, or like me. You're way too smart for that."

Ivan tried to shake him off but Jack tightened his grip.

"Ivan, stop punishing yourself for what your dad did. It isn't your fault. There's nothing you could have done. Numbing the pain doesn't make it go away, trust me. Face it, own it, get over it, get on with your life. Just because James threw his away doesn't mean you should do the same."

Ivan fought him, hitting him in the chest. "Leave me alone!" he said, tears streaming down his face. "Just leave me alone. You don't know what it's like, you don't know what you're talking about, just leave me alone." Ivan ran out of the bar.

Jack let him go.