Umbrellas in The Sun and Rain

Chapter 3

(Tw for: Parental abuse, talk of said abuse)

Theo was starting to look forward to things again. He still had problems eating and still cut his arms up to the point where he always wore long sleeves, no matter the weather. He still didn’t get to spend as much time with Boris as he wanted- He and Kotku where too busy having drama and then making up while high and shit. Still, he was starting to get a better grasp on things. At least he wasn’t drinking on a completely empty stomach most of the time.

Theo returned home from school after talking to Boris on the bus about something that wasn’t Kotku or drugs for once- Just a normal conversation. It felt kind of good- He wanted to do that more often. His grin faded a little as he neared the opened where he saw his Dad waiting for him, looking impatient.

“Ah, Theo, there you are. Come over here,” His Dad said in a cheery tone, “Sit down.”

Theo cautiously moved over to sit across from him, and he continued, “The Lawyer- I mean, your mom’s Lawyer, well- I know this is short notice, but..I need you to call him.”

“Uh..What?” Theo blinked stupidly. He knew nothing about any lawyers, except maybe when his mom was trying to divorce Larry.

His Dad leaned back a little in his seat, slicing his hair back, “Well- Whew, okay, so..I’m sure you’ve noticed I’ve been slacking on the betting on sports lately, yeah? And, well, I was just thinking..I mean, it’s better to just..quit while I’m ahead. I’ve got some money socked away and I’m doing pretty good,” He paused, looking at Theo to see if he was following.

“Right,” Theo said, his brain wracking. Where was he going with this?

“So..I was thinking- I want to make some big changes. Because I have the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of this great business. Buddy of mine has a restaurant. And, I mean, I think it’s going to be a really great thing for all of us—once in a lifetime thing, actually. You know? Xandra’s having such a hard time at work right now with her boss being such a shit and, I don’t know, I just think this is going to be a lot more sane.”

Theo furrowed his eyebrows. His dad, a restaurant? “Wow- that’s..That’s great!” Theo said genuinely though uncertainly. He was happy for his dad, it just..Didn’t sound right to him.

“Yeah.” My dad nodded. “It’s really great. The thing is, though, to open a place like this—”

“What kind of restaurant?”

Theo’s dad yawned, wiping his red eyes. “Oh, you know, just simple American food. Steaks and hamburgers and stuff. Just really simple and well prepared. The thing is, though, for my buddy to get the place open and pay his restaurant taxes-”

“Restraunt Taxes??” Theo tilted his head to the side.

Theo’s dad nodded, getting up to write some things on a paper as Theo watched from the table, speaking as he did, “Oh God, yes, you wouldn’t believe the kind of fees they’ve got out here. You’ve got to pay your restaurant taxes, your liquor-license taxes, liability insurance—it’s a huge cash outlay to get a place like this up and running.”

“Oh, huh,” Theo hummed. He didn’t know so much work was put into business. He tried to think more, before realizing where this was going, “Well, um, if you need the money from the savings account-”

“What?” Theo’s dad looked over his shoulder at Theo, looking startled.

Confused, Theo furrowed his eyebrows. Was that not where he was going with this? “You know. That account you started for me. If you need the money, that’s fine.”

“Oh yeah.” My dad was silent for a moment. “Thanks. I really appreciate that, pal. But actually—” he held the paper he had written something on, starting to pace, “The thing is, I actually see a really smart way we can do this. Just a short term solution, in order to get the place up and running, you know. We’ll make it back in a few weeks—I mean, a place like this, the location and all, it’s like having a license to print money. It’s just the initial expense. This town is crazy with the taxes and the fees and so forth. I mean..” he laughed, half-apologetically, “You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t an emergency-”