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Shattered By Broken Dreams
Chapter 67
They sat around the table in the yard just the six of them. Matt with Sydney, Johnny with Riley and a very nervous Lyric with Jonnie. Over dinner Lyric broke the news to both their parents. Matt and Sydney couldn’t be happier. Johnny well…
“I …I …wait what?” he asked not sure of what he heard.
“Daddy please don’t get upset” Jonnie was practically begging her father. Riley took his hand and squeezed it gently.
“I just wasn’t expecting this” he put his fork down and no longer had an appetite. “I think I’m going to get another beer” he got up and walked into the kitchen leaving everyone else baffled. Matt started to stand to go after him, but Lyric wasn’t going to let his dad have all the fun.
“I’ll go” he said and followed Johnny into the kitchen.
Johnny was standing at the counter opening his beer and he didn’t have to look to know that it was Lyric that walked into the kitchen.
“Can’t you just pretend you’re happy? For Jonnie?” he said with a look of disappointment on his face.
Johnny turned and glared at him. “Do you think your father was jumping for joy when your sister got engaged? No, he wasn’t!”
“He got over it. Just once in her life it would be nice if you approved without being a dick”
Johnny sipped his beer and shook his head. “Did you just call your future father in law a dick? Way to get me all warm and fuzzy.”
“Aint it funny how Jonnie and I are the kids here, but you, the parent is the one who is acting like a spoiled brat?”
Johnny held his beer in his hand and pointed the neck of the bottle towards Lyric. “You should quit while you are ahead. I am a father and as a father it is my fucking right to be upset that I’ll be giving my daughter away. And by the way, I may be short, but I can still beat the holy fuck out of you so watch your mouth!” and with that he walked out of the kitchen leaving Lyric there shaking his head.
“He’s going to need time to take it in,” Matt said standing in the doorway.
“Time? He needs more than time, he needs a therapist!”
Matt laughed and walked over to his son and put his arm around his shoulder.
“I want you to take this and keep it someplace close to you” he said as he handed his son the same box that had been handed out to four others.
Lyric opened the box and looked back at his father.
“Someday you are going to need that and when you do I’ll be right here waiting for you to give it back. When you do, it will give you the strength and understanding that you will need as a married man”
“did you just jinx my wedding?”
“NO!” Matt laughed.
“I’m just saying, sometimes it takes a lot more than love to hold it together and when you feel like you’ve lost it, that key will be all you need to find it again.”
“Great, my dad the philosopher” Lyric teased his father and his father nudged his elbow.
“Come on, lets go talk about the wedding and watch Johnny squirm” Matt urged his son back to the yard where everyone else was sitting. Johnny eventually warmed up to the idea, but at one point Lyric almost had to give him CPR.
“I …I …wait what?” he asked not sure of what he heard.
“Daddy please don’t get upset” Jonnie was practically begging her father. Riley took his hand and squeezed it gently.
“I just wasn’t expecting this” he put his fork down and no longer had an appetite. “I think I’m going to get another beer” he got up and walked into the kitchen leaving everyone else baffled. Matt started to stand to go after him, but Lyric wasn’t going to let his dad have all the fun.
“I’ll go” he said and followed Johnny into the kitchen.
Johnny was standing at the counter opening his beer and he didn’t have to look to know that it was Lyric that walked into the kitchen.
“Can’t you just pretend you’re happy? For Jonnie?” he said with a look of disappointment on his face.
Johnny turned and glared at him. “Do you think your father was jumping for joy when your sister got engaged? No, he wasn’t!”
“He got over it. Just once in her life it would be nice if you approved without being a dick”
Johnny sipped his beer and shook his head. “Did you just call your future father in law a dick? Way to get me all warm and fuzzy.”
“Aint it funny how Jonnie and I are the kids here, but you, the parent is the one who is acting like a spoiled brat?”
Johnny held his beer in his hand and pointed the neck of the bottle towards Lyric. “You should quit while you are ahead. I am a father and as a father it is my fucking right to be upset that I’ll be giving my daughter away. And by the way, I may be short, but I can still beat the holy fuck out of you so watch your mouth!” and with that he walked out of the kitchen leaving Lyric there shaking his head.
“He’s going to need time to take it in,” Matt said standing in the doorway.
“Time? He needs more than time, he needs a therapist!”
Matt laughed and walked over to his son and put his arm around his shoulder.
“I want you to take this and keep it someplace close to you” he said as he handed his son the same box that had been handed out to four others.
Lyric opened the box and looked back at his father.
“Someday you are going to need that and when you do I’ll be right here waiting for you to give it back. When you do, it will give you the strength and understanding that you will need as a married man”
“did you just jinx my wedding?”
“NO!” Matt laughed.
“I’m just saying, sometimes it takes a lot more than love to hold it together and when you feel like you’ve lost it, that key will be all you need to find it again.”
“Great, my dad the philosopher” Lyric teased his father and his father nudged his elbow.
“Come on, lets go talk about the wedding and watch Johnny squirm” Matt urged his son back to the yard where everyone else was sitting. Johnny eventually warmed up to the idea, but at one point Lyric almost had to give him CPR.
♠ ♠ ♠
New Message From The BandI want our fans to know that with Jimmy in our hearts, our journey to record has officially began. Jimmy helped leave this world an amazing gift and now it’s our job to make sure to deliver that gift to our fans. We asked Jimmy’s all time favorite drummer Mike Portnoy to record on behalf of him. Mike said it would be an honor and without question that’s what Jim would have wanted. Its comforting to us that someone like Mike, who is undoubtedly revered as one of the best drummers in the world, held such respect and adoration for the Rev’s abilities. Even though it will never be the same without our brother by our side, his essence lives in our hearts and through the music he helped create. He was a legend before any of the success or any of that bullshit and we are fucking excited to lay this down for our fans, and especially for Jimmy.
-Avenged Sevenfold