~ Episode Twenty-Five ~

Let Us Cling Together:

Eri’s Last Stand

The crunch of gravel sounded in Eri’s ears from the driveway outside her open window. She watched a pair of headlights seep across the dark ceiling from where she sat on her bed in total shadow. They crawled down the wall, glinting off the edge of her vanity mirror, only to vanish with the cut of an engine. Two doors creaked open, shut, in almost perfect unison.

“…saying is that Dr. Collins makes a fair point.”

“What point? Ken, all you did was talk over me. If he thinks good communication starts with letting me sit there, be constantly interrupted when I have something to say, then what point? These sessions are such a boys’ club.”

“Come on, Helen. What are you talking about, no one talked over you. These sessions are just as much a benefit for you as for me, for us to voice both our concerns.”

“You’re doing it right now! Interrupting me! Fine. Wanna to know what my concerns are? That we’re paying a quack to let you verbally abuse me when you can do it for free from the comfort of your own home.”

Rapid heel-clacks went up path.

“Helen!” Eri flinched against an explosion that echoed across the coul-de-sac, caused neighborhood dogs to bark. Her father sighed on softer words, “Helen – I’m sorry. Come on, let’s – you’re not being fair.”

“I’m not being fair. Ha! From the man who takes-takes-takes and expects the rest of us to just go along with whatever you whimsy!”

“Hey—”

“Well, it’s my turn to take. I’m not going anymore. You’ve had your fun. This isn’t working.” A sharp pause followed. “Is that my trellis?!”

Fearfulness pounded against the prison of Eri’s ribcage. Her cross-legged reflection stared back at her in the closet mirrors – her irises gleaming rubies in the darkness that enveloped her whole.

Downstairs, the front door opened on a hollow inward creak – a spike of anxiety through her. Tinnitus rang between her ears on drums that awaited to blow at any moment. …Here we go…

“Hello?” her father’s voice boomed up the stairs from the foyer. “We’re back!”

“Hey—” Eri could hear Noah, albeit muffled, from the living room. His resonance became louder, clearer – movement into the foyer to meet their parents. “—How was bible study?”

The door banged shut. “Noah, why’s my trellis laying in the middle of the yard?”

“Is Eri home from Mackenzie’s yet?”

“Yeah – uh – I had to shovel it out. Listen, there’s something I gotta tell you guys—”

Eri squeezed her eyeslid shut.

“—It’s about the kid.”

Her knees drew up against her chin.

…I’m so dead…

Their voices became unintelligible as everyone traveled into the living room. The next few skin-prickled moments of silence proved some of the most torturous Eri had endured up to this point in her soon to be short teenage life. Of all the nightmares to face, she begged for that of the faceless hooded man of her nightmares, a million times over, if it meant a free pass from her father’s wrath.

Queasiness formed in her throbbing guts at the thought. Hanging out with Shinji today hadn’t been worth the risk, after all.

“What?!”

Not in the least.

The light in the hall outside Eri’s bedroom flicked on. Heavy footfalls pounded up the stairs. The door to Eri’s bedroom flung open. Her gaze tore away from the reflection of ruby-gleaming irises to her father within the threshold, a wild-eyed madman whose chest heaved with deep-set rage beneath his sweater vest.

“What’s this about boys climbing through your window?!”

Eri flinched again, wordless breaths caught in her throat.

“Answer the question.”

“That was … It was … just a friend. It – it happened l-like one time.”

“One time too many!”

“Enough!” Helen cracked the whip from out in the hall. She squeezed into the bedroom, clicking on the overhead light. “It’s okay, let’s just—”

“Of course it’s not okay!” Ken wheeled on her.

Eri exclaimed on brewing tears, “I didn’t even want him in here!”

“You watch yourself, young lady!” Ken waggled a finger at her. “You still snuck off, and that’s a whole other issue.”

Helen interjected. “Eriya – Who were you with today? Did you leave after Mass to meet a boy? Don’t lie to us.”

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“Mom…”

“Did you or did you not? It’s a yes or no question!”

Eri hesitated. Her soul left her lungs on a sigh of defeat. She nodded.

“Great! Oh, that does it.” Ken paced around her room, tugging at his hair. “Just what more I needed tonight!”

Helen crossed arms, leaning against her daughter’s vanity. “Who were you with today?”

“Um … Shinji Izuma?”

“Who the hell is Shinji Izuma?” Ken demanded.

“Izuma…?” All anger drained from her mother’s face at the sound of the name. “You don’t remember Shinji Izuma? Ken, I babysat him. You don’t remember that? He and Eri used to be—”

“He’s – just a boy from my class,” said Eri. “He helped Macks and me on our history project. I – I went to his house today to work on more school stuff. That’s—”

“Wait, at his house?!” Ken echoed. “Were his parents home? Were you supervised?”

Eri quickly nodded on a stiff gulp.

“I believe her.” Helen massaged her forehead and uncrossed her arms. She turned away. “I’m going to bed.”

“What?! Helen, are you serious right now?! That doesn’t resolve the other issue.”

She threw a scoff at him. “There is no other issue.”

“Are you drunk?!” Ken pushed his glasses along the bridge of his nose. His pointer finger trembled the whole way up. “Some boy sneaking into my daughter’s bedroom at night doesn’t seem like an issue to you?”

“He wasn’t sneaking!” Eri blared. “He’s my friend!”

“Hey! Where’s this attitude coming from?! I don’t care what he is. It’s the principle of the matter, Eriya! He was climbing the roof to go into your room through the window. At night. Do you know how that looks?”

“Can we please drop the emotional volume by a couple octaves?” Helen begged them. “Ken, you’re overreacting. Shinji’s not … like that.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“He’s … you know…” She struggled to get the words out. Clearing her throat, Helen waved a hand up and down at the wrist to try and make her point. “A little … you know.”

“He’s got autism,” said Eri, trying to help.

“Well – That, too.” Helen caressed her collar with a look of discomfort. She cleared her throat a second time. “Anyway. You’re freaking out over nothing.”

“Nothing, huh?” Something across the bedroom caught Ken’s attention. The Game Boy fanny pack hanging off the back of Eri’s desk chair. “Noah said he smelled marijuana at Mackenzie’s house tonight.”

He crossed the room and snatched the fanny pack off the backrest.

“Dad! That’s private!” Eri shrieked. She launched off her bed to grab it.

But Ken’s height over her allowed him to easily maneuver away. He flicked on the desk lamp and tore open the flap to have a look inside. “Am I going to like what I find in—”

His expression changed from outrage to bemusement.

“—What the hell?”

Eri’s shoulders sagged. She slumped down onto the edge of her bed. “I … I can explain.”

“Ken,” Helen whispered, afraid, “what is it?”

“Eriya, what’s this?” Ken withdrew a yellow Monster Orb. Etched into its surface was an image of a woman of flowing grace, praying on fiery knuckles.

Eri hesitated. “…Sh-Shinji gave it to me.”

“Yeah, but what is it?”

“It looks like a paperweight or something,” Helen said. “Shinji gave this to you when he came over the other night?”

“Uh-huh.” Eri watched intensely as her father placed Cloria’s Monster Orb onto a small stack of Hilroy notebooks on her desk. He tossed the fanny pack beside it – Zorfus’ Mon-Orb rolled out and clinked against the side of Eri’s pen cup.

“Well, then. I suppose we’ll have to have a chat with Shinji Izuma about these paperweights,” Ken mused.

He stormed out of Eri’s bedroom.

“Where are you going?” Helen asked.

“The Izumas’.”

“What?!” Eri cried.

“Ken, don’t!” Helen begged. “For gracious’ sakes calm down! You’re not being rational right now! Remember your breathing exercises!”

“Woman, don’t tell me to calm down!” The walls shook against the thunder in Ken’s voice. He marched back into the bedroom. “I honestly can’t believe you don’t think this is a problem!”

“I didn’t say that!” Helen blasted him. “Don’t put words in my mouth and then twist them around for your own stupid childishness!”

“Oh? Because you sound a little too relaxed about this, dear!” Ken roared, louder. “Wake up, Helen! Your daughter’s finally on the rag. Your little girl isn’t so goddamn little anymore!”

Helen stared at him with wide, unbelieving, eyes.

Ken stared right back, chest heaving even deeper than before.

“Wow,” was all Eri could muster.

Silence filled the room as husband and wife stood off against each other.

Finally, Helen spoke on hushed words. “You walk out that front door and I’ll lock it right behind you. Go sleep at the Legion – anywhere but here, if that’s your choice.”

Ken reached into his pants pocket and withdrew his ring of keys. He lifted them up to eye-level and smugly jangled them at her.

“Okay then.” Helen nodded. She shoved past her husband before he could see the tears rolling down her cheeks. “This is done.”

“Helen…” Ken called out after her in a half-beg. The door to the master bedroom slammed with another wall-shaking tremor.

Eri massaged her face with scalding shame. “You can’t go. Shinji’s parents work—”

“Hey!” Ken threw a pointed finger at her. “You’re in no position to negotiate! You’re lucky I don’t bar up your window, young lady!”

“Bar up my—” Her forehead ached with a dull throb as bemusement gave way to an emotional magma flow. “What, so it’s my fault my friend doesn’t know how to use a doorbell?”

“That’s it.” Without warning, Ken launched across the room, ducked in behind Eri’s night table, and yanked the telephone cord clean from the wall-jack. “I’ve had enough of this back talk. Other than school and meals, you’re by no means allowed outside of this room until three Mondays from now. That includes no track meets.”

“What the heck? I’m grounded?!” Eri cried. The throb of a mind’s invisible muscle faded on whirlwind thoughts of stunned confusion. “But I didn’t even do anything!”

“Right.” Ken nodded, wrapping the cord around his daughter’s clear-plastic telephone. “And let’s keep it that way. Three weeks.”

With that, he tucked the phone under one arm and headed out of the room.

“Dad!!” The flex of Eri’s mind’s muscle returned on a rush of anger. With it, a flare of pain against her pelvis. An invisible force left the space between her eyebrows like a rush of wind across the bedroom. Ken spun around, ready with lips parted to further rebuke her. But then he stumbled backwards into the hall with a sudden grunt.

Eri’s telephone shattered to pieces in his grasp.