ADALYN

24. After the Effect

Mason's Point of View
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"Why is this so heavy?" I grumbled while helping my mom carry a box to the kitchen with the word "dinnerware" plastered on the outside. "Where should I place it?"

"Stop complaining you big baby," mom said with an eye roll. "Just leave it on the counter. I'll put everything in order later."

"Sure you don't need an extra hand?"

She smiled. "Positive. "

I spent about a week and a half, sleeping on a very uncomfortable mattress until our home was finally looking like a house again. Even if the damage wasn't precarious enough to make the remains of our home fall into complete collision, dad thought it was a good idea to renovate the unblemished half of the house.

Most of the damage was in the living room and kitchen. The rest either had pieces of the ceiling scattered all over the floor or glass fragments from what were once windows.

"They did a pretty neat job, huh?" Mom rejoiced, admiring her new kitchen island. "I'm kind of going to miss that AirBNB though."

"You're joking, right?" I sneered. "These had to be the worst nights I've ever experienced. How the h*ll were Malik and Hope able to sleep without getting excruciating back pain?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said in deep thought. "Your father and I slept perfectly fine."

"That's because you and dad booked a hotel room for the whole week," I said while raising my eyebrow at her. "Don't think I didn't notice. You both would sneak out once I fell asleep and then came back early in the morning before I woke up."

"Okay, okay, you caught us," she admitted.

"I've got to ask," she continued. "When did you find out about this?"

"After three pleasing nights on that mattress," I replied using sarcasm.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Just wanted to see how much longer you guys were able to keep it a secret for."

"Keep what a secret?" asked dad while coming down the stairs.

He had just finished showering from the look of the towel placed on his shoulder.

"Aren't you supposed to be coaching quick-tempered adult babies?" I inquired.

"There was an accident back at the ring," he explained. "Remember that new kid I told you about?"

"Umm no. You never tell me anything work-related," I chided.

"Yes, he has," mom chimed in. "You just never bother listening."

I chuckled. "Touché."

"You were saying?" I went on.

"Well, he kept on poking fun at Toby."

"Let me guess," I interjected. "Toby got enraged, punched the new kid in the balls, which ended with him leaving the scene like a crying Cinderella?"

Dad used to be a professional boxer years ago but unfortunately suffered an injury that jeopardized his career and almost caused him his death along the way. He was in a wheelchair for a few years until he was able to stand on his feet again. That's how dad met mom actually. She was his therapist for about two years. Their love story is like those cringe romance novels that most people know of. The only difference from those corny love stories was that theirs was real.

He wanted to follow in grandpa Travis's footsteps. Before I was even conceived, dad started taking a liking towards boxing. Not to mention that grandpa was a big help with that as well. Unlike dad, he was able to make a career out of fighting. Back in the fifties, he was known as "Vis King". It's been about thirteen years since he retired from being a prizefighter.