“It’s not that fuckin’ funny,” I grumbled, taking a swig of beer as my cousin held her side and laughed at me. This only spurred more laughter.
We sat together in my living room, catching up. Sandy had stopped by unannounced, but I didn’t mind the company while Ian and Franny were dealing with the school situation.
“It is, though!” Sandy chuckled. “Like…dude…fuckin’ therapy?”
I motioned with my hand for her to go on laughing. “Just get it all out. I’m a fuckin’ joke, right?”
Trying to stifle her giggles, my cousin hitched her shoulders in a shrug. “I’m just,” she paused, selecting the correct word, “surprised. I can not visualize you sitting in a therapist’s office, sharing your feelings.”
Hearing it from her made my skin crawl. “I’m doin’ it for Ian, alright? He hasn’t been good since Joey jumped me. I go to the appointments, he isn’t as stressed out.”
Snickering, she wondered, “what do you talk about?”
The question irked me. 1. None of her business. 2. She was there during my upbringing, she saw it for herself. Overwhelmed by discomfort, I snapped, “I don’t fuckin’ know. Stuff.”
“Stuff?” she parroted. “What do you think Terry would say?”
“I don’t really give a shit,” I lied, though I could feel my father’s judgement from beyond the grave. To the Milkoviches, therapy was for the rich and the weak. It was difficult to drown out those thoughts in my fight for steady nerves, the voice in my head reminding me that I was just a fragile, little wuss. “Plus, he can’t say shit now.”
Sandy took a sip of her beer thoughtfully. “I’ve thought about talking to somebody, “ she admitted. “Then I met Debbie, and I realized I didn’t have it so bad.”
Eying her with skepticism, I said, “whatever you gotta tell yourself. Both of you are fuckin’ nuts.”
Sandy only chuckled and shook her head at herself as Ian and Franny let themselves into the apartment.
Running ahead of Ian, Franny tried to excuse herself to her room with her head down.
“Hey,” I called to her. “You expelled, or what?”
“No,” Franny replied, trudging over to Sandy and I, her bright eyes full of shame.
I leaned back in my chair so she could sit on my lap. “Then, what happened?” I wondered, not a fan of seeing such depression on my niece’s face.
“She bit a kid,” Ian grumbled. “Starting fights, too.”
I grinned at my husband. “Give her a break. Like you never picked a fight in school.”
“I didn’t, actually,” he insisted before he finally acknowledged my cousin. “Hey, Sandy.”
She nodded hello to him before she set her focus on Franny. “Girl, why are you picking fights?”
Franny offered a perplexed shrug.
“Anyone picking on you?” I questioned.
Franny shook her head.
“Debbie really fucked us here,” Ian claimed before he pointed his frustration at Franny. “And if you bring any more attention to it, then CPS…”
“Ian,” Sandy interrupted with an expression of disgust. “You’re gonna scare her.”
“Maybe she should be scared,” he shot back. “Maybe that’s the only way we can stay together.” Turning to Franny, he lectured, “you can’t do that, Fran. You can’t just bite or hit every time you’re upset.”
“Sure, she can,” I jested before I pretended to try to bite Franny, spurring her to squeal and giggle.
“Could you maybe help?” Ian asked me pointedly. “I can’t be the only adult in the room.”
Rolling my eyes, I set Franny onto her feet and spoke at her eye level. “What’s goin’ on?”
She shrugged once more, avoiding eye contact. “I dunno. I just get do mad…”
“The kids you bit or beat up, they deserve it?” I probed.
She thought about it. “I guess not.”
“Do you feel bad?”
“Yeah.”
“You gonna keep doing it?”
“Only if they deserve it.”
“Atta-girl,” I said before sending her off to do homework.
“Shit,” Sandy said, taken aback. “I think you just parented.”
“Or not,” Ian scoffed. “How did that help? She’s gonna do it again.”
I shrugged, pleased with my results. “Only if someone deserves it.”
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Mickey - The View From Here PART TWO - Gallavich
FanfictionContinuation of Mickey - The View From Here. Please start with Part One.
