Abandonment

{Fourteen} Welcome Back

Welcome to the family indeed, I thought bitterly as I saw the lot of them clustered at our doorstep.

Truly, I was exaggerating their numbers quite a bit. But I figured it was a bit of overkill for more than just Anse to have shown up. Apparently, once again, I was incorrect on how things were done in this wacky time period. Anse brought along with him Lavicy, which surprised me, Johnse, and Jim, of course—although I doubted Anse had much say in voluntarily bringing the wretched old drunk; he tended to just follow them around like a stray dog.

Jim, true as always to his character, was giving me a look that was both hateful and smug. Like, "Ha-ha, what ya gonna do now, girly? I tattled on you!" but also, "I hate your fucking guts, you wench." Honestly, it made me both infuriated and amused me.

I looked up at Cap, quirking a brow at him and silently asking, "Seriously?"

The corner of his mouth pulled back quickly in a smirk and he shrugged his shoulder slightly. Clearly this was new territory for him, too. Great. The prodigal son pissed off his whole family and, since he'd been perfect his whole life, had no experience dealing with this nonsense.

Maybe we should've asked Johnse for tips on how to handle this situation...

It was kind of hilarious, though. They all just kind of stood in a half circle watching the two of us on the porch—I couldn't tell what was actual glaring and what was just squinting from the sun. I'd guess there was more glaring, though. Likewise, we didn't say a word. Everyone stared and said nothing. It was a weird, silent standoff that made me more uncomfortable than the inevitable confrontation. Hell, I'd take pointing guns at eachother over this! I didn't do silence very well.

To my surprise, Lavicy was the first to give. She turned slightly to her husband, muttering something to him. He said nothing, simply shook his head and kept glaring.

Wasn't this some sort of taboo? Threatening someone like this on property that wasn't theirs? I thought that was a social faux pas.

It was taking everything in me not to bite back my sarcasm. I had thought of a few really good quips, too. Like, "So where are the wedding gifts?" or, "Should I go start supper now?" I didn't think they'd be well received. Truly the only reason I was staying silent was for Cap's benefit. I didn't want to embarrass him or make matters worse than they already were.

"Oh, this is madness!" Lavicy finally lashed out, throwing her hands in the air. She looked at Anse in complete frustration. "Make your peace, my supper is burnin'."

Oh my God it was only maybe early afternoon. Did they really start supper this early? God what had I gotten myself into? I could barely make Ramen noodles.

"You came on your own, woman, you can leave on your own," Anse grunted.

Her brows shot up challengingly. "An let you kill eachother?" She turned to look at Cap now. "Take your father to the barn to speak privately."

I happened to agree with her—it should be a private talk. But I was also incredibly uncomfortable being left alone with the rest of his family.

Cap apparently shared my thoughts because he said, "Right here's fine."

His mother looked exasperated now. "Cap."

It was all she had to say. She wasn't demanding or treating her son like a child. It was more of a gentle plea than anything else. Like she, too, knew feuding with eachother was ridiculous—regardless how she thought of me.

Anse made the first steps, walking in the direction of the barn before stopping and watching Cap expectedly.

Cap turned to me, eyes questioning to see if I was okay alone. When I nodded, he stomped off the porch and walked with his father toward the barn—keeping a considerable distance between them.