EIGHTY-ONE

Lucy slumped on her bed, not knowing what to do about Rose's and my new character, it was tearing our family apart.

Luis sat besides her then asked,"Umm Lucy, what happened back there?"

"What did it look like? I tried talking nicely to Rose but she didn't listen."

"So you yelled at her? Really?"

"At least I didn't hit her like I wanted to."

He slightly tilted his head, actually surprised, he had never before seen her like this and it was actually...scary.

He then spoke,"And why exactly are you so against her beliefs? They aren't bothering anyone."

"She's trying to make my children into hyper religious psychos."

"Okay?"

"I still can't believe you are the trained secret agent yet see nothing wrong."

"Maybe it's because there isn't anything wrong."

"They just sold Aqua and ... and now my daughters want to do the same to help some mentally retarded hobos living on the street, there's help provided for them which they aren't accepting, how is that our problem?!"

"I'm starting to think you aren't as worried that they will ruin your children's trained character, as you are that you may lose this lavish lifestyle you have right now."

She turned to him with an expression he had never seen before as she said,"Fine, I'm scared of losing the money, the money that I had to scrounge around in a failing, locust filled, drought retarded farm to gain, the money that I had to work as a maltreated house girl in some overly rich minister's home, who tried to defile me at twelve! You have no idea what I had to do to get this, to become an actress, to at least get a better life for Lucille than I had for myself."

"You mean when you had to ...? Lucy, seethe or not but I learned everything about you before we met, that's why I fell in love with you, and that's saying something because I had literally never had any feelings for anyone else other than to see them bleed, but you changed me... I'm not religious, not in the least, but I can tell that now, it seems like I'm changing you."

"So you want to go and join their little girl group now? Fine, go ahead, I have lived without a husband for most of my marital life."

"Lucy, you are being a hypocrite."

She glared at him and asked,"What did you just say?"

"Lucy, you don't practice what you preach, at all, a year ago, you told me not to take any more lives and two weeks ago, you personally murdered two men in the kitchen."

"They took their own lives, it wasn't murder."

"They committed suicide because they had no more reason to live after what you did, I'm not going to lie that I killed the three that attacked Mack and me, but I also wouldn't lie to you to be on your good side."

"Whose side are you on?!"

"No one's, Lucy, this isn't a war, it's a family which is being broken apart because of two people's life choices and how one of them is dealing with those decisions, be more considerate, if not for them, for me, please Lucy."

She just ignored him and turned over, breathing heavily.

Luis sighed and lay beside her, never had he begged anyone before, for anything, and now he had, it didn't work.

He just rolled over to her and watched her back silently, then faced the ceiling, what was happening?

***

I walked through the lecture hall and the moment I did, I heard whispers coming from all around.

When I reached my seat, I placed my books down and kept my head as low as possible, hiding my black eye.

I let out a deep breath and tried to ignore the voices of people speaking of how I was classified as... middle-class now, how the only reason I was still in college was Lucy and even then, I was at wit's end with her, how delusional and unattractive I had suddenly become...how it was all Rose's fault.

That last part almost blew my fuse, but right on queue, the very verse I needed crossed my mind; Colossians 3:5-10...

The instructor spoke of human psychological conditions and getting to schizophrenia, he called me forward as an example...of course.

I walked forward without argument then he asked me to demonstrate my views on... everything.

I guess I had a mental condition now.

I took a deep breath and spoke every word that came to mind the moment it did and then came the questions, the first being,"So, when did you lose your mind?"

I strained to look at Roderick then forced a smile which became more natural with each passing second, then spoke,"If a friend of yours said he or she wanted to pursue a job, where there was a lot of hard work, and no reward in sight, but in the end, would be rewarded much more bountifully than he and even you could imagine, you could call that whatever you want, but I would call it hope, faith and hope."

"Don't use the Bible to answer me, we want to hear what's on your mind, the secret curses you fling at each of us when you pass by, the dirtiest thoughts you have...cause I know I have mine, about that Barbie b*tch you call a wife..."He said and licked his lips.

I didn't know what happened, but I lost control.

I roared and ran at him, either shoving, throwing or bashing the heads of everyone who stood in my way into the hardest object nearby.

I then pounced on him as he made no effort to run then ran my fist into his face, several times, before flinging him into the air and smashing him, back first and crashing into the nearest pew.

When I saw what I'd done, not only to him and everyone around...but also against my Father's word, I freaked out and fled.

I ran to my car and fumbled to pick the correct keys then looked back, feeling my heart throb painfully, I broke down and cried, I had no idea why I did this so much, or why this happened so much, but I knew what I had to do...

I went back into the hall and carried as many or the unconscious individuals to the sick bay as possible till the proper help arrived and of course the lecturer felt unsafe by my presence, and why not? I had just proven his point that I was a psycho.

After that, I took myself in and felt ready to accept whatever punishment would be meted out to me, I knew I deserved it.

I was taken to jail for the night with a $150,000 bail.

Rose was the first to visit me and she looked sick with worry, I didn't tell her the reasons for my actions as I knew I had no excuse, all I told her was that I lost control, but instead of scolding, she cried before me, and I knew all she wanted to do at that moment was hug me, and I wanted the reverse more.

Rose was about to speak when Lucy arrived, sighed and said,"What a mess you got yourself into this time Tommy."

I chuckled nervously as she spoke,"And you don't have your original funding to rely on anymore, huh, fine, we'll make a deal, I'll pay your bail and we'll forget everything that happened."

"Deal."I said.

"And I mean everything, including this whole superiority complex thing, no more talking to Lucille, Junior or the triplets about your "salvation", your "Holy Spirit " and definitely not your illusionary God, got it?"

I looked at her for several seconds, surprised.

I didn't even need to look at Rose's shocked and pleading expression to say,"Lucy, I have loved you as the aunt I never had, and now, as the sister I never had, there's nothing you could do to make me hold a grudge against you and I hope you feel the same...but I cannot accept your offer."

"What?!"She yelled, grasping everyone else's attention,"So you'd throw away everything we have as a family, all the friends you've made, the children, just for this God you can't even see?! Talk about madness!"

"I have faith that He's real, and that he would call you out of the darkness into His glorious light some day, some day soon."

"I hope He gets you a call to your next job too, because none of you have any place back in my home, not until you leave all of this behind."

"We've already left something behind, the pleasures of this..."

"Shut up, alright? Shut it, I'm not listening to anymore of your end of world conspiracy theories."

She left.

Rose looked at me, having been silent the whole time, and I said with tears in my eyes,"I'm sorry..."

"We'll get through this, just watch..."