Chances Are

Chapter 3 Change in the Carmichael Household

For a few years as Milton grew up in the Carmichael household, his life was pretty normal. He had his own room, he decorated it the way he liked it. He had sleepovers with his friend and his dad was always very protective of him. Even though he still felt his mom's and his sister's coldness grow more in the coming years, he just ignored it and lived his life the way he chose to. One day during one of JD and Milton's sleepovers, they were playing one of their silly games and they were very rowdy when JD knocked over one of Denise's fine vases and it shattered into a million pieces. JD vehemently denied that he was the one who broke the vase but as there was no one else but the two of them playing, Milton quickly came to the aid of his friend as he took the blame. When Denise went home that day, he explained to him that he broke the vase but before he could even say anything else, Denise was already screaming at him and told him to go to his room. Denise was fuming when she found out that her vase shattered and she was very tempted to kick him out right there and then. When Matthew arrived home, he was able to calm Denise down just enough, not before she was able to formulate a level of punishment that was quite interesting and worried Matthew very much. Denise called out Milton to the kitchen after a heated argument with Matthew and she said: "Do you know how much that vase you broke cost? You need to learn your lesson, so for the next few months you're going to do all the house chores so the next time you have friends over, you'll think twice before you make a mess in this house again! Understand?!" Milton just nodded and he diligently did all the house chores from then on. At first it was a temporary thing until he was able to 'repay' her for the broken vase but every time he would make a mistake, Denise was right there to use the house chores as a cruel sort of punishment. The first time he was commanded to do all the house chores was when he was thirteen years old. After the vase was broken on that faithful night, his home life changed for the worse forever.

As Milton reached his teen years, he grew up to be a lanky, messy-haired young man with a few wrinkles already in his young face. He was taller than his entire family but his frail body was an indication of the tough life he lived in the Carmichael household. He had perpetual dark circles underneath his brown eyes and he was as thin as a broomstick. When he reached his junior year in high school however, his body began to develop and he gained muscles in his arms and legs. His lanky frame began to take shape and people even dared utter that he was good-looking. He was still the nerdy kid who loved Star Wars and Harry Potter, but he quietly developed a confidence and attitude that said that he would not be taken for granted anymore.

Matthew still tried to protect Milton at all cost but it was becoming more and more difficult as he was usually outnumbered both by Jean and Denise. As the years went on, Denise's distaste towards Milton grew in intensity and every time she would bully Milton, Matthew came to the rescue which would lead to very nasty arguments between the two of them. Matthew kept his promise to his friend years ago but it was becoming more and more difficult as Milton's presence in the family was threatening to break them apart. Finally he was able to reach his friend and they decided to meet up on that same coffee shop when they had that memorable conversation all those years ago. After exchanging niceties, Matthew and his friend, sat down and he talked in all seriousness all of a sudden. Matthew slumped on his chair as he put his arms on his face. "Matthew my friend, what's wrong?" "This has become very difficult for me and my family to care for your son. Me and my wife have been constantly fighting for a long time. I've grown very much attached towards Milton and I can honestly say that I love him like a son but I can't sacrifice my family in the process. I'm sorry my friend." "Matt I'm so sorry to hear that but please give me some more time. Right now me and my wife are having problems of our own and if this comes to light right now, my marriage will effectively end. Please my friend, just give me more time." "Okay, I can't promise to protect your son from my wife's anger. But I promise to continue to love him like he was my own son." "That's all I'm asking Matthew, if you show him kindness he'll continue to feel welcome in your home."

Matthew slowly relented on his grip towards his wife as he allowed her to show her true nature towards Milton. She became more demanding towards the boy and forced him to do all of the chores despite them having house help. She forced him to wake up as early as 5 in the morning to cook breakfast and to clean up after them during meals. Milton tried to be patient and understanding and accept all the bad things that Denise flung his way but he couldn't take it anymore. One day Milton talked to his father as he was crying. "Dad, why is mom doing all this? Did I do anything wrong? I know she hasn't been affectionate towards me since the beginning, but now I feel like she doesn't even love me anymore." "Son, your mother loves you. She's just doing this to strengthen your resolve and force you to be stronger than you already are. It's like tough love son. Don't worry I'm here for you no matter what, but just ignore your mother. I'll try and tell her to keep it easier on you." "But dad, why is mom only being tough on me and not Jean? Shouldn't she treat both her children the same?" "Son you're very perceptive but you should also know that you are older than your sister so your mom has different expectations for you. She wants you to be strong and patient and kind. She wants you to be like me." After saying that, he just gave him a slight wink and a knowing smile, and hugged him tightly indicating that their conversation was over. Milton had a renewed vigor after talking to his dad. He did his chores without complain, even shrugged it off when Denise had side comments about his cleaning. He even laughed it off when Jean purposely spilled stuff around and made a mess in the kitchen for him to clean. His talk with his dad gave him the perspective to be as kind-hearted and strong-willed as his father. In return Matthew secretly rewarded him with small gifts when Denise wasn't around. He had a new electric fan in his room, he was given a small television and Matthew even gave him a limited edition Harry Potter book as a reward for being incredibly patient about his new life in the Carmichael household.

So this went on for years until his seventeenth birthday when he asked his mother if he could invite his best friend John Dylan to a John Williams concert as his birthday present. Denise just plainly said no and told him to go away and not disturb her. Milton begged her if he could go but it fell on deaf ears. Finally Milton just relented and went up to his room. He was on the verge of tears when thankfully his father came to his rescue once again. Like a mind-reader, without even talking about it with Milton, Matthew knew what he wanted and gave him two tickets to the John Williams concert. He put his shoulders around him as he said; "Son, next time don't bother asking your mother about anything. She will always say no. It's just her nature son. If you want anything, come to me and if I can give it to you, you can have it." "Thanks dad!" Milton then hugged his father, truly grateful he had him in his life.

The next day Milton couldn't wait to tell his best friend John Dylan about the concert that they would be able to attend thanks to his father. He giddily screamed at JD when they were on their way to the cafeteria as he said: "Hey JD, guess what?! We can go to the concert on the weekend!" "What? That's amazing! But I thought your mother said no?" "Yeah I thought so too, but my dad bailed me out once again as he gave me two tickets to the concert out of the blue anyway." Meanwhile, Jean was eavesdropping on the two boys' conversations and was extremely jealous that his brother could go to this concert while she succinctly heard her mother deny him of such joy. She suddenly felt a pang of jealousy and rage and suddenly she had this eerie idea come to the forefront of his mind and it was diabolical...