Mrs. Curtis' smile wavered as she noticed the anxious glint in her son's eyes. She stared back into them, further examining the expression his face held. As any mother knew, it wasn't good.
"I know when you're hiding something, Darry. You can tell me what's wrong." She stated sweetly. Her heartbeat quickened as she saw a panicked look slowly form in Darry's eyes. She felt her own anxiety rise. Soon the water works began. Fat, hot tears ran down Darry's face out of fear. He hid his face in his hands as his muscular shoulders lightly shook with his silent sobs.
"Oh, Darry!" Mrs. Curtis cried, engulfing her eldest son in a hug. Darry hugged back almost immediately, breathing in his mother's scent of cherries. After some time, Mrs. Curtis pulled away from her son. She frowned as she watched her son desperately try to eliminate any evidence that he was crying beforehand.
"I-I'm scared, Mom." He admitted, wiping the last of his tears away. Mrs. Curtis' frown worsened as she took in a steady breathe, she had to stay calm in a situation like this. But she was still curious about one thing. What would scare Darry to the point where he cried? As far as she knew, Darry didn't cry too often.
"Of what, sweetie?" She asked. They sat down in 2 of the old dining room chairs. Mrs. Curtis sat next to Darry as he took in deep breaths and attempted to calm himself. On the outside he was calm, but inside he was still sobbing and cowering back into a corner.
"I don't know how to really say this, but...." He started, pausing as he tried to speak what he had to say. Darry coughed nervously from trying to form words.
"But what, sweetie?" Mrs. Curtis asked, resting one of her delicate hands on his tense shoulder.
"Mom...." he hesitated "I'm a...I'm a hermaphrodite." He said. Darry looked up from the table to see a look of complete confusion on Mrs. Curtis' face. He sighed shakily, massaging the muscles above his brow due to stress.
"What's a hermaphrodite? And how long have you been one?" She asked, tilting her head ever so slightly. Never in her life had she heard of a hermaphrodite, and she had a feeling she didn't want to know.
"W-well, a hermaphrodite is a person who can....c-can have kids both....both ways. So, if I wanted to....I could have kids like you did. I've known for about a week. My doctor told me." He explained. Darry rubbed the back of his neck, feeling his mother's eyes burn holes into the side of his head.
Mrs. Curtis didn't know what to do. What do you do after your son tells you that? She felt confused. Why didn't we know sooner?
Disgusted. My son is a freak! But she also felt many other things. Fear. What will other people do once they find out? Pity. Why does he have to go through some of these things alone? Guilt. I just called my son a freak! How could I do that?! She soon became overwhelmed, too soon.
"Uhm...okay....okay." She cleared her throat. Darry looked down at his mother, fearing the worst was to come. "Darryl, I think you should leave until I talk to your father about this." She said coldly. Darry's jaw dropped. What did he just hear?
"Mom....Mom you can't be serious!" He exclaimed. Darry stood up, knocking his chair down behind him.
"I am, Darryl. This is best if you leave until you gather or I call you." She stated. Darry's heart shattered.
"Darryl? YOU'RE CALLING ME THAT NOW?! What happened to Darry...or Dar-bear?" He shouted, but dropped to a quiet whimper. Mrs. Curtis opened her mouth to speak but shut it, she regretted every word she said but she didn't know how to take it back.
"Fine." He said harshly. "I'm leaving. Tell Pony I said 'hi'. " Darry huffed and made his way to the front door, not bothering to pick up the chair he knocked down. Without any words, Darry walked through the front door and slammed it behind him. He rushed to his car and climbed in, resting his forehead on the steering wheel. Clearing his throat, he started the truck and drove down the road.
***********
I remember that like it was yesterday. How her voice sounded when she told me to leave. I remember how she didn't call me for almost 6 months and how disgusted she was when she saw me again. Or how Dad called me a freak straight to my face. That was the first time I broke down completelyThat day my heart broke, but that's also when Dally came and glued it together. It was also the day he made sure I was still alive, even at my lowest he was still there.
Every cloud has it's silver lining. But I think this time, the silver was barely there.
YOU ARE READING
Love Who You Love
Fanfiction" It was an average day in Tulsa. The dogs barking, cars passing by old and weathered or new and expensive houses. An occasional person would walk down the sidewalk in clothing determining their social status. Just any other day to a normal per...
