End Of The Line

Unhelpful Advice

Meeting Sid was almost painful. I saw the spiteful glances and heard the backhanded comments that my boyfriend had just taken from his stepdad with ease, but the hidden clenched fists told a different story.

Oddly enough, Sid has taken a liking to me. Apparently, I reminded him of Laura when they first met.

I was starting to understand why Johnny was hesitant to bring me here for Christmas in the first place and why he was so flighty in the car. He'd clearly been the brunt of Sid's harsh words for a long time.

Laura often stood up for Johnny, but she mostly tried to redirect Sid's attention to something else to give her son some respite from her husband's ire.

Somehow, Sid managed to cover any and every topic in conversation with me, asking about my life, future plans, money, and even politics.

I calmly sat and answered truthfully about being dirt poor and living in a motel with a dirty green pool just so I could see the look on his face. His face became drawn and cynical.

Johnny's mom laughed politely before explaining to Sid that I was the girl she had told him about the other morning. She believed I would succeed in a business like hers.

That once again removed any judgment or cynicism Sid had of my character. Clearly, he took Laura's thoughts and feelings seriously and loved her. He just didn't like Johnny.

"It's nice to see a kid with some ambition," Sid grins with a rumbled laugh. "I got stuck with a loser and a freeloader as a stepkid." He waves his hand in Johnny's direction.

Sid turns back to look at me as he leans. "A piece of advice from me, kid: If you're gonna continue with him, don't get knocked up, or else you'll be stuck with him too."

I flinch, hearing Johnny's chair scrape as he pushes away from the table. He throws his lap napkin down and storms towards the front door as Laura begs him to return.

The door slamming was her only reply.

Everything was silent except for the ice in Sid's glass clinking as he sipped his whiskey, uncaring that he had just upset Johnny enough for him to leave.

I keep my gaze on the table momentarily to calm myself before looking up at Sid. "You know I've only known Johnny for less than a year, but I've seen him grow as a person in that short amount of time. It's a shame you can't see that too. "

Standing, I give Sid a serious expression as I place my own napkin on the table. "You know, when you married Laura, you took them on as a pair. It's sad that the person who is supposed to help guide him is the one hurting his growth."

Walking to the door, I turned back to give Laura a polite smile. "Merry Christmas, and thank you for inviting me." I take my opened gifts as I leave the house, closing the door with a firm finality.

Seeing Johnny leaning against his car, I approach him, not knowing what to say or expect. He just wordlessly takes the boxes from my hands and places them in the trunk of his car.

We both get in as he drives, and I don't bother asking him where we're going. The streets were empty. Everyone was spending time with their families right now.

Johnny stops at the top of the hill that overlooks the beach, and a few moments later, he takes my hand as he watches the water.

I gazed at his expression, but it was clear. His eyes were the only thing showing the storm of emotions he was currently feeling, and I knew I should give him space. At the same time, I didn't want him to feel alone.

"My dad probably would have thrown his glass at the wall by now. My mom would have been crying, and I-... would either be cleaning the mess or... trying to protect Daniel and mom," I whisper, looking out at the water.

Johnny glances at me, and I see his confused expression from the corner of my eye.

"The food would be ruined, the gifts broken, and if I was lucky, a black eye would be the only thing I would get," I swallow hard as I think. ".. sometimes I think Ma and Daniel forget how my dad was and it pisses me off."

Taking a shaky breath, I look away and out my window. "I'm pretty sure he was good when we were kids, but he got sick and took up drinking. He wasn't the same."

"His temper and hot hotheadedness often left our family in tattered parts. I was the only one that stood up to him when he became this man, so he developed an affinity for knocking me down a few pegs." The insinuation of the physicality my dad put us through was clear.

I felt Johnny squeeze my hand, but he didn't say anything for a moment. He just showed me he was there.

"My dad died when I was young; I can barely remember him at all." Johnny starts with a long sigh. "It was just us for a while until my mom met Sid. That's when it all went to shit."

Rubbing my thumb across his hand, I gaze at him as he continues, "He's a slimy bully and is always telling my mom to leave me.... and I'm scared one day she will."

I move closer, giving him a sad smile. "I don't know much about your family, but from what I've seen, your mom adores you. If I've learned anything from my parents' tumultuous relationship, it is that even though they stick by bad men, they'd do anything for their kids."

Seeing the rare vulnerability in his eyes made me sad and mad as hell at Sid. I was lucky in the sense that my tormentor was now dead and buried six feet under.

Unbuckling my belt, I crawled across the seats to get onto his lap. He let out a small chuckle but pulled me close. We both sat in comfortable silence as we watched the waves of the sea.

"Merry Christmas, baby," Johnny whispers, kissing my temple softly.

"Merry Christmas," I reply, leaning my head on his shoulder with a soft sigh. "You know, weirdly enough, this Christmas is still in my top 5 of best Christmases, only just behind the one where I made my uncle dress up as Santa and pushed him off the roof."

Johnny let out a belly laugh as he pulled me closer, as we reminisced about better Christmases.