One AnOther

PAWN

"Ridiculous! This was outrageous and ridiculous!"

Mrs. Marthens dug her head into her husbands small shoulders. The short, lanky man looked tired and aged as he stood motionless to the tornado in front of him.

"Missus...erm..Marthens? Your daughter will see you now."

The hot-headed woman stormed after the nurse, taking long, uneven strides. After three long minutes of blank staring at her daughter she finally walked over to her bedside. Carrie was still unconscious. Her hair was a tangled mop of brown and she had scratches all over her folded arms. Her closed eyelids were swollen and blue.

"Daryl, step outside and close the door"

"No..please don-"

Mrs.Marthens hooked her long tethered hand sinto Carrie's hair. And with her other hand she swung her fingers into her cheek until Carrie woke up gasping for air.

Daryl Marthens hid himself in the corner of the small and weathered room. He shut his eyes and bit down on his sweater. He knew better than to look at his daughters face when she was being disciplined.

The worst thing Daryl Marthens ever did was marry his wife. Everyone in town knew that fact but no one really cared. He was a rather sharp and open minded person before his twenties but everybody married young back then. Being a part of the household was like being a pawn disguised as a king in chess. At age 57 He felt as if he had been drained of everything he had and even what he didn't know he had.

Heaving into her oxygen mask, Carrie gripped her sheets and reached for the call button. But not before her mother pinned her small hands down on annoyingly familiar sheets.

"Actions have consequences. Drugs have consequences. And I can tell you right now. This is not a bad trip child. This is very real."

Tears drooped down Carrie Marthens' cheeks as she mouthed the words please between her shaking head.

"Ahem."

Doctor Owens had finally decided to make an appearance.

"Mrs.Marthens? Let's talk outside please."

Carrie plummeted her face into the oxygen mask until she felt like she could see again.

Her mother was wrong this time. About everything. She had already decided when Carrie was 16 that marijuana and alcohol had ruined Carrie's life. Carrie was dead to her before she even turned 18. Maybe it would have been easier if she were actually dead. No more school trips, no inter-webbing, no friends, and no romantic relationships that were unapproved by her mother. When Keller Greene approached Carrie had no idea what her mom had to do with it, not until she started involving herself even further.

Either way, Keller was supposed to be her escape. Marriage was supposed to take her away from hospital beds and the yelling and the anger.
_._

Keller stared into his reflection on the passenger seat window of Humbert's old truck. Twenty six years old wasn't too young was it? Maybe he should start wearing hair gel. As he neared his sky blue porch Agatha called out to him.

"Keller... Keller Mrs.Marthens just called.They found Carrie."

"Oh."

"Shes your wife now Keller I hope you have a plan after all of this."

"What? Wha.. wh..."

"Honestly I hoped that married life would have changed you but you really didn't plan things out did you Keller... Keller?"

Keller suddenly felt as if his someone had grabbed him by his scalp and he had been pulled underwater. Thump.

"Keller? Keller!"