THE DEVIL'S DAUGHTER

12 -- Or Happy Endings .....

Larry hadn't had to deal with a hangover in a long time, so he was absolutely convinced he was dying.  This was the reason he hadn't drunk in a long time, clearly.  How did people deal with this on a regular basis, fuck !

He had woken up on Laurent's sofa late into the morning, as Laurent pottered about the house, doing his chores, playing on his computer, and boxing a little.  His exercise of choice lately was boxing, and he had invested in a large punchbag, which he set up in his room.  It was good for his core muscles, and a great stress reliever, he found.  He also decided that this morning, there would be no sympathy for his brother either, none at all.  

"GOOD MORNING !!"  Laurent yelled full throttle in Larry's face, as soon as he could see that he was awake.  Larry pulled back from him, squinting and holding his head, frowning deeply.  Even that hurt.  

"Fuck off, Laurent"  he whisper-shouted, a dry, raspy throat the result of the alcohol, and being dehydrated, also afraid that more volume inside his own head or vibrating through his body would cause him to just about lose it.  

"Nope.  No sympathy, Lar.  Self inflicted."  he laughed.  Laurent's taunting of his brother continued until Larry eventually had enough, and left to go home, to sleep comfortably in his own bed.  He surfaced in the early evening, his headache now manageable, his stomach less queasy, realising he was hungry.  After fixing himself some comfort food in the form of oatmeal with apple and cinnamon, and maple syrup, he felt better.  He resolved to not do that again in a hurry, no matter what kind of emotional pain he was in, no matter what kind of sorrows it was in his heart or his head that needed drowning.  He decided he needed to make a phone call, however, and now was as good a time as any.  

"Hello ?"  a voice answered groggily.

"Hi, Melinda"

"Hey, Larry .... how are you ?  I didn't expect ....."

"Cut the crap.  How are you feeling today ?  How's the hangover ?"  Larry could hear a soft gasp at the other end of the phone.

"How did you ...."

"Lau and I were in your bar last night.  You looked like you and your ... friend .....were having a good time."  He sounded for all the world like a jealous boyfriend, even though he was nowhere near that.  He was just really angry.  Angry that she still had his money, and still expected it.  Angry that he'd paid for all her plastic surgery, and she was using it to attract other men.  And she STILL wasn't happy with her body.  Angry that she wasn't even trying to be human in the Overworld.  Angry that Lucy had given in to her .... again.  Angry that Melinda had seen Lucy, and he hadn't......

"I didn't see you, where were ....."

" Never mind that.  I just called to let you know that you won't be receiving the last three months of your allowance."  Like she was a child.  

Exactly. 

"What the fuck, Larry !  That was our agreement !  Why ?!"  All the above, he wanted to say.  Neither was their agreement a legally binding one.

"Where shall I start ?  Oh, yeah.  Sugar Daddy.  Obviously has money, obviously besotted.  Underworld Daddy, who readily gives in to his daughter stomping her foot and whining.  A new body that was procured from somewhere, and I have a feeling said Underworld Daddy had something to do with that too."  Melinda still hadn't uttered a word, and Larry still wasn't finished.  "And you hypnotising that poor dumb mother fucker, Melinda!  You haven't changed at all !  Were you ever going to ?  Did you ever have a sincere, authentic motive in that single brain cell of yours ?"  She could hear his derisory laugh, but could only listen, stunned into silence by Larry's vehement verbal diarrhoea.  And he was still nowhere near done with her.  "Laurent told me along time ago, he could see what you were doing, Melinda, he did.  I argued with him, we actually physically fought, over you.  My family, friends, and Eleni !  Lylah, and my princess ...."  Larry could feel the beginnings of tears pricking at his eyes, but he wouldn't cry.  He would not let her do that to him.  She wasn't worth the emotional expenditure.