Just Scraps

☾ chapter thirteen ☾

         

-Xael

Dinner was awkward this evening, there wasn't a whole lot to talk about. Business for Father is slow, Mother has been working non-stop ever since she got her promotion, and as always Christophe and I still aren't friends.

"Sweetie, do you mind washing the dishes for me? I've had a long day and I need some rest." Mother sighed, as she dumped her leftovers in the trash.

"Of course, I'll wash the dishes. Go ahead, take a nap. I'll clean the kitchen for you." I said. Mother was pleased, she placed her hand on my cheek and mouthed, "Thank you". I turned the handle of the water faucet and proceeded to wash the dishes.

I looked over my shoulder and noticed that Father was upset, he never took his eyes off his computer and his fingers tapped on the keyboard. "Annalise, don't go yet. I have very upsetting news. You and the kids should know before anyone else does..." He said eerily.

"O-Okay." She stammered. Her, Christophe, and I all sat at the kitchen table. He threw his laptop on the floor and smashed it. We jumped in fear, "Julian! Is everything all right?" She asked in worry.

"No, Annalise. Everything isn't all right. I must move back to Manhattan; you guys will stay here. Tonight, I'm packing my bags and moving back to my condo." He got out of his chair and ran into his bedroom, "Julian—have you lost your mind? They'll fucking arrest you!" Mother chased him into their bedroom. The door slammed and all I could hear were muffled words.

My heart pounded, everything started to make sense. None of us thought his downfall would come so soon. The IRS must've caught onto his crap, him moving back to Manhattan is the first step of accepting defeat.

"Greed; the intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food," Christophe said. He hopped off of his chair and closely examined Father's damaged laptop. He tried turning it on by hitting it and shaking it.

"What an idiot, they'll surely catch him now. He forgot to cover his tracks. I'm sure he's forgotten to dispose of the evidence: websites, URLs, IP addresses, companies, fake names and phone numbers all tied to his name."

I stared at Christophe in confusion, he's a computer geek so, I don't quite understand half of the things he's saying. "What are you trying to tell me?" I asked. "What I'm trying to say is Father isn't a dumb guy, he's not new to this line of work. Every fraudster knows that they're supposed to stay ahead and never fumble. He's acting like an amateur, running back home and hoping for the best. Xael, I think you know what's coming."

I started to sweat, "What's coming?" I asked.

"Father's accepting his fate, his scamming days are over. He's turning himself in..." Once Christophe finished his sentence, I heard a lot of commotion coming from my parents' room. Christophe and I went to check it out.

"Julian! Think about what you're doing, there's no turning back from this! Your brand will be ruined, people will find out about this and you will not win!" Mother cried.

"I said I'm leaving, alright! I've made up my mind and I'm not changing it. Doug and his team are on their way right now to come get me. This arrest will be silent, nobody will know about it. And if they are any leaks, I'll already be in prison."

I covered my mouth in shock. The door opened, and Father came out with two suitcases and a duffel bag. "Sorry kids, but this is what I must do. I've done a lot of horrible things that'll incriminate me. I've accepted it, and it's time for me to step up and do the time. You will stay here with Mom, and everything will be okay." He pulled us into a tight hug, my tears stained his white Polo shirt.

Then, a large black SUV appeared outside of our house. Mother opened the door and four suited men came inside. "Mr. Cunningham, your ride is outside. It's time to leave." He and Father shook hands. He waved to us one last time and left. The other three men carried his luggage and gathered all the bits of his broken laptop.

Father has always been in charge of things; the head of the household. He's the glue that held us together.

Living life without him will break us apart.