Meldown Imminent
Plip. Plap. The sound of water, rain even, hitting the roof fills the air, followed by the loud stomps of feet hitting the floor as a door is swung open, slamming against the side of the wall as the stomps continue, shortly followed by a yell, coming from far away, but picking up volume as the source gets closer.
“Brad! Where do you think you’re even going to go? It’s raining cats and dogs right now, not to mention it’s the dead of night! You’re going to get lost, sick, and who knows what!” The voice caught up as new sounds of things colliding with the floor started to sound off, the click of a briefcase unlocking and flipping open.
Brad stands in the middle of a dark hotel room, the briefcase he brought with them for this trip still mostly full, but missing a few things that he was now looking around for. His neck red and starting to bruise, as if someone had nearly choked him to death.
“Bradley! If you leave, you know mom is going to die of depression, do not do this!” Alice said as she entered the room, watching Brad rummage about the room, collecting the things he had set out to be as comfy as he could when they arrived earlier that day. She continues to plead with him, but Brad seemingly isn’t listening.
“Mom will be fine. That fucker will make sure of it, we both know that.” Brad replied, cutting her off as he grabbed a charger from the desk, threw it in, and threw the briefcase shut, clicking the latches in place as he pulled it off the bed, onto the floor next to him.
Alice reached out to Brad, and put her hand on his shoulder, and her other hand on his arm grasping the briefcase. She gave him her best pleading face she could muster, pouring on the concern and genuine want for him to stay.
“Brad… don’t do this. We can stay happy. Talk it out with dad, he’ll apologize, and that will be the end of it. Just don’t go. I don’t want to watch mom get torn up about all this.” She pleaded to Brad.
Brad just scowled back at her as he brushed her off, his neck tensed up to the point of seeing the veins start to pop out. He grabbed the briefcase and made his way back to the open door, and took out his wallet, opening it as he did.
“I’m not apologizing to that fuck. He did this because you know damn well he doesn’t want to see me as a son more than he wants a successor. He can have you do it for all I care. I don’t want his empire, or his money.” Brad says as he begins to take out every credit and debit card in his wallet, and one by one snapping them in half, and then finishing by tossing the last of the cash in there on the ground as well.
Alice started to silently cry as she pursed her lips, and closed her eyes, shaking her head as she sat down on the bed she was now watching Brad rebel from.
“Fine. Fine! If you so much so want to do this, then I’ll let you. Don’t even think that I tried to stop you. Go on your own, see how it is to be an adult without support.” She said as she actively gave up on the endeavor of attempting to assuage Brad’s anger. She knew there was no going back, for him and for her. So she gave up. Just like him.
She sat in silence as his steps echoed out of the room, to the hall, until only the dark, dark night with that cold rain filled the air. She sat there, contemplating how he would even survive, if he did. She couldn’t imagine it. A fresh twenty something year old out and about with nothing? He’ll be back in a few days. She hoped.
Oh boy, did she hope.