My Happy Family

Chapter 3

The first time I saw Father yell at Mother was after he had to close down the plant.

We were having a lot of money problems.

I had set the dinner table to help Mother finish. First the dessert fork, dinner fork, then salad fork on the left and on the right goes the dinner knife and teaspoon.

Aidan was two years old at the time and had this really bad cold. Mother was having trouble getting dinner together.

She had ran to and from his room and the kitchen all evening.

Being so busy with Aidan and Father not bother to help her, the steak was a little overcooked for Father's liking.

It was not at all burned, just well-done, yet Father liked his steak medium rare and to him Mother wasted a meal.

Everything was going okay until he had a bite of his steak and he flipped out saying, "What the hell is this?"

"I'm sorry Dear. The steak got a little over cooked. I was with Aidan all day, back and forth, he's been fussy because the fever... I'm sorry!"

"Why the hell would you let it get burned. You know we're struggling with money and you're wasting it like this. I don't want this garbage," he stood up, grabbed his plate and threw it at Mother.

Thankfully she ducked under the table and the plate hit the wall behind her. The mash potatoes stood on the wall and the steak and mixed vegetables slide down onto the shattered china lying on the floor with.

"Now pick it up... Let this be the last time you waste my money again." He grabbed his whiskey glass, walked out the dining room, sat in his chair in the living room, and started to watch television.

Mother stood from her chair and knelt down behind it to pick up the plate.

I got up to help and noticed tears falling from her soft blue eyes hidden behind her long blond locks, "Mother, don't cry! I'll help you!"

"No Macey, its fine. I'll do it... It's my fault... He's right to be mad at me."

I knelt down beside her and gently pushed her hair behind her ear then said, "But I can help."

She looks up at me and said, "You did help, you set the table. Thank you. If you want, you can check on Aidan for me."