The family secret

9 - The first threat

JUSTIN

He watched his young wife Madi feed his son. Justin was bored as hell. The house was a mess and the food he ate was just plain and simple. He didn't want to be here. After three years the house still didn't feel like his. He hated the child toys laying everywhere. He hated the cushions on the couch Madi bought. The house used to be grandpa's and grandma's house. When he got back from the army, he and Madi married and moved in right away. Why did he ever agree to this? He never wanted a wife or children for that part. He just wanted to be alone.

‘Why can't he feed himself? Gus is almost three years old.’ he spoke to Madi.

She almost jumped of her chair. He scared her. ‘He doesn't want to.’ she said softly.

‘You spoil him too much.’ Justin walked toward them, almost pushing Madi of her chair. ‘Gus, feed yourself. You are almost three years old.’ he said to his son.

‘No.’ Gus said. He pushed his plate forward. He was not having it.

‘Gus.’

‘No.’

‘See, what you did?’ Justin was annoyed by his son and wife. Gus can feed himself perfectly. So why was she spoiling him like this? He took the plate away and said to Gus: ‘If you don't feed yourself, you don't eat at all.’

Gus' lip trembled and he started to cry out loud.

‘Great.’ Justin said. ‘Just great.’ He almost threw the plate back at the table and walked away from his crying child. He heard Madi trying to comfort him, telling she would feed him if he stopped crying.

Justin stepped outside and pushed the door shut behind him. He was so annoyed by everything today and he wished he could work. Rules are rules, he thought. He was forced to take three weeks off work, because he had worked far too many hours this year. He loved his work at his practice. He loved helping people. Four more days, he told himself and at the end of the summer holiday he was going to Hawaii with the whole family. He walked to the other side of the property and went inside his parents' house, his house. He grew up there. It was still better to be here than at his own house with his so loving wife. He found his mother in the kitchen like always. She looked up from cutting some cucumber and hugged him.

‘Everything okay Justin?’ she asked with concern in her voice.

‘Ava was a difficult toddler, right?’

‘She still is.’ his mother joked.

‘I heard that!’ Ava yelled from the dining room. He and his mom laughed.

‘Gus, doesn't eat by himself anymore. Madi is spoiling him and feeds him. I tried to help, but he only cried.’

‘Oh Justin. That is nothing. Ava used to cry every time we sat down at the table, she refused to eat at all. You are just like Jack was back then. He used to walk away when things like that happened.’ his mother smiled. He knew she was right. She had raised five children. Ava was the toughest toddler of all. He was the same age as she was right now. He remembered everything. God, he wished he never got a child.

AVA

She heard her mother and brother talk about her. Every time she did something bad, they always told her how a difficult toddler she was, that she will never change. She finished eating her breakfast. Normally she would bring the dishes to her mother, but feeling this annoyed she left it on the table. She didn't want to see her brother too. She never liked Justin. He was always strict and overprotective of her. Luckily, she got her phone back yesterday. She didn't want to read what the media had written about her, but she missed her friends and they texted her non-stop. When she got upstairs and laid down on her bed, she felt her phone vibrate again.

Anonymous: Did you like getting arrested? I bet you did.

Ava: Who is this? How did you get my number?

Anonymous: You will find out this Saturday. Come find me at the mall at three pm.

Come alone and don't tell anyone. If you don't come, I will tell everyone your secrets. I will be at the fountain. You know which.

Ava didn't know what to think. She felt the blood drained from her face and she had chills all over her body. Who was this person? What did he know about her? After the stunt she pulled, she didn't even think about talking to her parents. They didn't believe her at first, why should they believe her now? Whoever this person was; he or she knew things about her and was willing to make it public. The only thing she could do was to show up on Saturday and speak to this person. She wasn't afraid of him. She was going to let him know who she really was. He would never see her come. She wasn't going down without a fight.

JUSTIN

After talking with his mother, he had found new respect for his wife. She had been raising Gus all by herself. Justin walked back to his house and searched for Madi and Gus. He found them in the backyard. Gus was on the swing and Madi was pushing him. Gus loved it. He was smiling and giggling the whole time. Maybe he worked too much. He never spent any time with them. He never gave them a change. Justin cleared his throat to get Madi's attention. She lowered her head like always. But he wasn't going to scream at her this time.

‘I spoke to my mother. She gave me some advice. Looks like I acted the same as my father did with Ava. She was a troubled toddler, but ten times worse than Gus. Jack used to run away from it. I did the same. I'm sorry. You didn't ask for any of this. You didn't ask to raise a child all by yourself. I'm sorry if I gave you a hard time. I just don't know how to raise a child.’ This time he lowered his face in shame. This was the most he had spoken to his wife in months. He was a bad husband. Justin knew he was. So, he was surprised she came up to him and hugged him with her tiny arms. She was small for a twenty-one-year-old. But he reminded himself she only turned nineteen, eight days after she gave birth to Gus. He turned just twenty-five a month before that. He was six years older than her.

‘I know you didn't ask for me too. I know you never wanted me. But you gave me something to live for and for that I’m grateful.’ She let him go and walked back to pushing Gus on the swing. Gus started to cheer.

‘High, mommy.’ he screamed. His face full of pure happiness.

Justin sad down on the grass and watched them for what felt like hours. Madi made lunch and Justin played hide and seek with his son. He never played like this with Gus. He loved it. After a while Gus made Justin laugh out loud by scaring him. He never felt this much love for his son. The three of them ate lunch in the garden and Justin helped Madi clean up afterward, while Gus was taking a nap. It felt normal, like they had been doing this for years, only was it for the first time. Justin could get used to this if he wanted. Right? Justin felt his phone vibrate. He hoped it was a work emergency and took his phone out of his pocket directly.

Anonymous: Does she know you sleep around with married women?

He looked up to see Madi, but she was still busy cleaning up the kitchen. She didn't even notice his reaction. He was scared. What if she found out and went away with Gus? He would never forgive himself if she left. He should stop seeing Caroline. s**t. Chris and Caroline were coming over in two days. He will end it. Madi would never have to find out.