Modern Love 2: The After Years

Language Barriers Breached

Language Barriers Breached

Beth has been studying and studying this hungarian book from front to back, while Daryl worked on the room with a bad attitude and Van played with blocks on the floor. Sitting up, Beth tries out her hungarian on the child.

(I'll write it in Hungarian for yins and then translate it in bold)

"Helló Van! Én vagyok az anyukád!"
(Hello Van! I'm your Mommy!) Van looks up at Beth and smiles. "Shit! I think he understood. DARYL!"

Daryl frantically runs from the back space and calms when he sees Beth.

"What! What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Watch this." She looks back at her notes she had taken. "Ez az apa. Nem fog bántani." (This is your daddy. He won't hurt you.)

Van looks at Daryl and then back at Beth.

"He understood! Daryl! He understands me!" She jumps up and into Daryl's arms. He just holds he and smiles. He was right about something finally. "You try. Say this."

"Szeretlek, fiam." ( I love you, son.) The small boy looks at Daryl and then at Beth. He stands up and runs to the hall closet and shuts the door. Daryl throws the piece of paper and storms away back into the space and slams the door. Beth sighs deeply, very saddened by what happened. Maybe he didn't understand. Maybe he did. But why ever it was, Van and Daryl just don't have the same connection.

Beth allows Van to stay in the closet for however long he wants. She, however, will not let Daryl sulk. Going into the space, she finds him sitting on the window seat, staring out the window. She walks to him an presses her face to his back and wraps her arms around his waist.

"I don't get it. I try so hard and I fail. Every. Fucking. Time." She presses a kiss to his back.

"Maybe, and this is just a hunch, but maybe you should show him your scars and show him you're jus like him and won't hurt him. It could work."

"Or scare the shit out of him. Beth, face it. You got a son and I got a prison sentence." It stings. The truth. she knows it's torture for him that Van won't like Daryl.

"Just try please." He turns and she plants a chaste kiss on his lips. Growling, he gets up and walks toward the closet. She follows, but keeps her distance.

"Van? It's me. Daddy. You don't need to be afraid. I won't hurt you buddy." He sees the small boy cowering in the corner. He slides into the closet an shuts the door. Van starts hyperventilating an sobbing. Daryl sits there. Not moving or looking at him. Just sitting there facing forward, under the closet light. Van looks up at him. "Wanna see something?"

Daryl himself used to hide away from his dad in closets. Hide in the corner, cry, scream, pass out from being ver worked up. Being in here now, brings all the pain he used to feel back, but also all the safety he felt in those closets.

Pulling his shirt over his head, Daryl turns and let's Van see his back. The child's eyes go wide and the long scars and gashes in Daryl's back.

"I was just like you when I was your age." Beth listens on the other side of the door and starts to cry a bit. "My daddy used to be a monster just like your real daddy. He used to whip and hurt me, jus like yours had. I used to hide in closets like this, to get away from him. Huh, I wish I had a second chance like you have. To have a real father who loves you and doesn't hurt you. I don't expect you to understand, or ever love me, but I love you Vannick. And I'll never hurt you. I promise."

Beth cries in the hallway. That's what needed to be said. She stands up and leaves to go to the kitchen.

In the closet, Daryl sits facing the door again. Not looking at Van. Not talking or touching him. Just sitting there. Without really having hope, Daryl waits. Soon to his surprise, the small boy scoots over and up into Daryl's lap. Daryl slowly wraps his arms around the child and they both cry like that.

After about a half an hour, Daryl exits the closet, with Van in his arms and they find Beth, having already cooked spaghetti for dinner. Beth is shocked, but elated that Van and Daryl are holding each other. Daryl still has his shirt off.

"How'd... how'd it go?" She almost starts to cry, but holds it back.

"We're good now. Aren't we Van?" Van nods and Daryl kisses his head. Placing him in his new high chair, Beth hands him his small plate of spaghetti and a takes his shirt off so it doesn't get dirty. Daryl sits on the left side of the hold and Beth on the right. They sit and eat, while they keep an eye on Van, who is once again mocking Daryl.

Daryl twirls his noodles on his fork. Van tries to twirl his noodles on his fork. Daryl takes a bite of a meatball. Van takes a bite of a cut up piece of meatball. Daryl... throws a piece of spaghetti at Beth and laughs. Van takes a handful of spaghetti and throws it at Beth and Daryl and Van laugh.

"Daryl! Really!"

"What I did one string, he wanted to do more apparently. Does mommy look funny in red sauce an noodles? Does she?" He asks Van.

"Yeah!" Beth and Daryl stop in their places. They at at one another, then at the boy, who is clapping his say in hands together and bouncing up and down in his chair.

"Did he just say....?" Beth smiles and so does Daryl. Daryl looks back at Van.

"Is mommy silly?"

"Yeah!" Daryl laughs and kisses the small saucy boy on his head.

"Oh my god! He's talking and in English! Daryl! You did it. I don't know what, but you broke the barrier!" Beth goes to kiss Van, but he has other plans. He smashes spaghetti in Beth's face and she sits back. "Daryl!"

"What. Pasta never hurt you." With that, Beth takes some noodles and chucks it at Daryl. Van laughs. Daryl, Beth and Van all have a food fight in the kitchen. It lasts only a few minutes. There's a knock at the door and then Merle, Carol, Sophia, and Beth's family all piles into the kitchen to see not one, but three very saucy and noodley people sitting int the spaghetti sauce kitchen. Their eyes go wide.

"Seems we missed the party." Merle says while the others let laughs out.