Battling the Loss You Live For.

Frank’s Point of View
Shit, shit, shit!
That was all that rang through my head as I stood at the front door with Sazzy and Ani, waiting for the door to open, for someone to answer. I prayed that no-one did.
Life’s a bitch.
“Sazzy!” Shy gushed, grabbing Sazzy into a tight hug. She hugged back, before peeling her mother away from her.
“Hey, Mum,” she smiled, as Shy stepped back, letting her in. Her eyes set on me next, glittering.
“Frank! I didn’t know you came back!” she cried, before crushing me into an embrace.
“It was sort of… sudden,” I replied, gritting my teeth at the pain she was creating as she squeezed the air out of my lungs.
“Mum! You’re crushing him!” Sazzy said, giggling a little. I threw her a glare, which only just made her grin grow wider. Shy let go of me, and I followed Sazzy into the house.
“Ani?” she said, turning to her daughter who was left, standing outside with an awkward look.
“I err… went to Sazzy’s last night,” she explained, stepping in and letting her mother close the door behind her. Shy just nodded, her eyebrow raised.
We all trudged through to the sitting room, seating ourselves on the sofas. Sazzy sat right next to me, in the middle of the three-seated sofa, Ani on her other side, their Mother sitting on the sofa opposite us.
“Do you kids want a drink or anything?” she asked, scanning over us. I shook my head at her, smiling politely. Sazzy and Ani mimicked me.
“Listen, Mum… we came here because…” Sazzy started glancing at me quickly. My gaze adverted to the television, which was showing some crappy day-time television.
“Well… Ani ran away from here last night,” she finished, holding her breath. Her Mom looked at Sazzy, her eyes hard. Her glare flicked to Ani, whose eyes never left her lap.
“You did what?!” she cried shrilly, her expression forming into a scowl.
“Hear her out,” Sazzy said, shaking her head, in a soft manner. Shy leaned back, crossing her arms, and waiting.
“I… you treat me differently. I never wanted to, I just… had no other choice?” she mumbled, looking at her Mother hesitantly.
“What do you mean you didn’t have a choice?! Of course you did, you idiot! You had a choice not to run away!” she yelled, sitting upright again. Ani cowered into the sofa, her eyes set on her lap.
“Mum…” Sazzy said a slight hint of warning in her tone. Her Mom took a deep breath, sighing.
“Give me an example, Ani,” she said in more of reasoning and composed manner.
“Yesterday, when you shouted at me for coming home late… and it was only seven,” she said meekly, wringing her fingers.
“I’m a strict parent.”
“Not with Sazzy,” she shot back, sitting up properly. She’d suddenly gained confidence.
“Way to drop me in it, Ani,” Sazzy whispered, Shy not hearing.
“Yes well… she’s older than you. When she was your age, she got the same treatment as you.”
“And look where it’s got her! She’s moved out at the age of sixteen!” Ani cried her eyebrows furrowed in frustration.
“How is that a bad thing? It’s being independent, and she’s old enough to move out. By law and by me,” Shy said back calmly, triumphantly, almost.
“So I can move out when I’m sixteen?” Ani questioned, crossing her arms.
“…If you find a suitable place.”
Ani scratched her cheek, groaning.
“Mum… I can’t live with you, when you’re like this. Not anymore.”
“What do you mean?!” Shy shrieked, her features crumpling into a grimace.
“I mean to say that… I can’t live with you, anymore. You shout, and scream, and blame me for stupid little things. I cannot live here anymore, and look at you as my Mother, who I love.”
“What are you trying to say? That you don’t love me anymore, as a Mother?” Shy whispered. She looked as if her whole world was crashing down.
“No, Mum, I love you. I really do. But if we carry on this way, I don’t think I will.”
It was silent for a while.
I felt ridiculously awkward just sitting there, in the middle of someone else’s family dilemma. I just turned my gaze to the television again, not saying anything. Sazzy didn’t move her eyes trained to her hands that were folded in her lap.
“You’re… moving out?” Shy asked, her eyes getting pink, her forehead creased in stress lines.
“I… Just for a while. Just until I can… get things straight,” Ani replied, her eyes not meeting her Mother’s. She sighed, and then smiled at her softly.
“Okay. I understand. Go pack some things then, I’ll phone Shine about it. You could stay with her for a while.”
“No.”
I snapped my head around, looking over at Sazzy, confused. The one word she said was worded with such force, it was shocking, almost passing off as rude. She didn’t return my gaze.
“She’s not staying there when that… husband of hers is there,” she growled, her teeth clenched. At the mention of him, I had the strongest urge to pull Sazzy tight to me, to comfort her. I knew she’d feel upset, although angry.
“He’s not there. He’s gone back to see his parents for a month,” Shy replied, almost glaring at Sazzy for her bad-mannered tone. Ani stood up, walking out of the room, and her footsteps sounded around the house as she ambled up the stairs.