For all The Cows

Ch. 2

I walked downstairs as I heard the door open, thinking Mattie was finally home, seeing as it couldn’t be my parents because they’d gone toWalesfor the weekend that morning. Mattie was away inFrancefor university. I hadn’t seen him in five years. I missed him. And I was dying to tell him how my life had changed in a major way and the things I was doing now.

I was shocked when I saw my mum and dad walk through the door.

“Mum, dad, I thought you guys were gone toWalesfor the weekend.” I asked as I saw them through the door.

“Not anymore.” My dad answered. “The event we were going for has been changed.”

“We’re hosting it, Em.” My mum beamed up at me, as I caught on her words.

“Soo.. You want me to play tonight?”

“Yes. But it’s really more of need than want.” My dad mumbled the last part more to himself than at me.

“I can’t.” I answered them honestly as I walked back up the stairs to my room and slammed the door on purpose. I knew it made my father mad.

Mattie, Eleanor and me had always enjoyed music as kids, and when my sister Eleanor died, she took all my parents happiness with her. They hated that I still loved it and wanted to continue.

Once in my room, I grabbed my guitar out of its case and began to play. The words fell from my mouth easily as I played the song.

“Oh morning come burst in the clouds, amen. Lift up this blind fold let me see again. Bring back the water; let your ships roll in. In my heart she left a hole. The tightrope that I’m walking just sways and ties. The devil as he’s talking with those angels eyes. And I just wanna be there when the lightning strikes and the saints go marching in”

I continued playing as the chorus came and I heard footsteps. I decided to play and sing even louder, knowing it was my parents and they hated when I sang a song that reminded them of her.

“Like a river to a raindrop, I lost a friend. My drunken as a Daniel in a lion’s den. And tonight I know it all has to begin again so whatever you do don’t let go.”

My father opened the door to see me sitting on my floor Indian style with my guitar in my lap singing my heart out.

“Emilia, hand me the guitar.” He demanded, cutting my singing, using an authority he never put to good use.

“No.” I clutched the guitar closer to my chest as I stood up and stood by the wall. “I bought it on my own, father. You can’t just take it away like that.”

“Yes I can. I am your father and I can do whatever I want when it comes to educating my children.” He said angrier.

I snorted at his statement. ‘Oh right. That’s why your oldest daughter died and your son left the house and now you can’t even stand the sight of me!’ I screamed in my mind. I couldn’t say that out loud. Not only because it would push his anger further but because it still hurt that my sister had died the way she did and that Mattie left me short after that.

“No.” I repeated instead and clutched my guitar tighter.

I could feel his gaze piercing a hole through my head but I couldn’t look up at his eyes. My father had a very intimidating stare. When he finally gave up that I wasn’t going to look up, he walked out of my room and slammed my door shut again.

I went to sit in my bed as the tears streamed down my face and without warning a loud sob escaped my lips. I sat on the bed and clutched the guitar tighter, feeling the strings dig into the palm of my hand.