State Of Grace

Chapter 45 - My Tears Ricochet

The morning after Anita's visit, Greg was in his usual morning state; breath emanating an alcoholic stench and puffy eye bags hanging low and dark. He was slurring his words slightly, indicating the drink from the day before hadn't completely worn off yet.

He mumbled a vague morning greeting and plopped down at the table to drink his coffee and rub his forehead while he read his newspaper.

Gracie saw a perfect opportunity to start provoking him, and she was going to savor every minute of it. She leaned back in her seat and smirked, "Hungover?" She asked.

When he looked at her his pupils constricted slowly, another sign of his intoxicated state, but he didn't answer.

"Oh, still drunk then?" She pushed her luck.

Greg put his mug down and interlocked his fingers, resting on his elbows he leaned closer to her. "No," he smirked back at her.

She caught a strong whiff of whiskey as he breathed closer to her face, "You sure?" She scrunched her nose and pinched it melodramatically, "Because it smells like you brushed your teeth with whiskey."

Jasper stiffened up in the seat next to her, avoiding eye contact with Greg but staring at Gracie in disbelief. Greg stayed silent, but it was working, he clenched his teeth and his nostrils flared with a building rage.

"I only ask because I know you have that meeting this morning, you've been locking yourself away all week to prepare for it. It's across town, right? And you plan on driving?" Greg didn't answer again, still huffing through his nose. "Hey, I'm not judging. Do what you want, it's your life. And I guess without your kids in the back you only have to worry about yourself. Not that that's ever stopped you before."

It didn't take Gracie by surprise when the base of Greg's fist slammed down on the table, shaking the silverware and clanging the plates. He kicked his chair back and stormed out of the room. His coffee sloshed around his mug and he spilled most of it on the kitchen tiles as he went.

Gracie was one step closer to having something to use to convince the judge to let her go home for good. She smiled, pleased with herself but when she looked at her brother she wished she had waited until he had left the room.

Jasper quickly rose to his feet and glared at her with stormy eyes, "I told you not to do that," he said and moved to the coffee spilled on the floor. He grabbed a cloth and got on his hands and knees.

"What are you doing?" Gracie took Jasper's arm and made him stand again, "It's his mess, he can clean it up. Or pay someone else to do it."

He still looked mad, "Let go of me," Jasper pulled away from her, "I have to clean it before it stains."

"Jasper?"

He didn't answer. He got back on the floor, cleaning up the spill as quickly as possible. The second he was done he isolated himself in his room while Greg went off to work. Gracie had no choice but to spend the day alone.

She went up to her room to study, or at least pretended to. Focusing on her schoolwork was impossible when her brain was full of horrible thoughts. Jasper was so scared of Greg and she understood his fear, after all, she'd been in his position with various foster parents, but it was different for Jasper; Greg was his birth father, the one person in the world who was supposed to love and care for him unconditionally, and he didn't. Gracie wasn't sure Greg even knew how to love.

When her phone started buzzing, she was pulled out of thought and immediately relieved to see her mother's name on the screen.

"Hi, my love," Stella's soft-spoken warmth set Gracie at ease, she closed her eyes and tried to imagine she was back home. "I'm with Mama and all the kids, we miss you."