Everything I Used to be is Coming Back to Torture Me
The Meeting
“What is this about, Clover?” Patricia asked nervously as she, Stephen, and Clover sat at the dining room table. All of the younger children were at school, leaving the three of them in peace for their meeting. Clover knew why Patricia looked so nervous. Private meetings in this household normally meant bad things.
“Do you promise to hear me out before you start yelling?” Clover answered, trying to remain calm. She was anxious about her foster parents’ reaction to what she had to say, but she was also restraining herself from leaping happily in the air and clicking her heels.
“Clover, what did you do?” Stephen demanded, glaring sternly at his foster daughter. “Are you in trouble with the law? Running around with drug dealers?”
“Clover, why do you think we’ll yell at you?” Patricia asked gently.
“No, I’m not in trouble,” Clover answered, looking at her foster father. “And I know you guys will yell at me because I lied to you about something.”
“What, honey?” Patricia encouraged.
“You know how I said that I was helping a girl that I knew from school with her SAT math studying?” Clover began. Both foster parents nodded. “I lied. I wasn’t helping a girl with her math when I left the house those two times…I was actually auditioning to be in a band whose drummer left and so they need a new one.”
Both foster parents started to get a little red in the face upon learning that Clover had lied to them. She could almost see Stephen concocting sentences in his head to yell at her with. Patricia’s eyes had lost their shine, a sure sign that she was getting mighty pissed off. But she gave them kudos for keeping quiet and letting her finish before starting with the yelling and punishing.
“Which band, honey?” Patricia asked, forcing her voice to be calm.
“Well…” Clover stalled. “I’ve been chosen to be…Avenged Sevenfold’s drummer for their upcoming tour. And if I do a good enough job and they like my drumming and I have potential, I could become their full time drummer.”
Clover practically saw the nuclear bomb explode in Stephen’s head. Patricia and Stephen exchanged a single dark look before Stephen rose to his feet, bracing his palms on the table and leaning towards Clover. He glared straight into her eyes and Clover stared straight back unflinchingly.
“It is only by the grace of God that we allowed those CDs into our home, this Christian, well-to-do home, but I knew they were devils from the start,” Stephen spat. “You’re a demon child for even wanting to associate yourself with them, let alone join their band! You are tainting this household with your sinning ways, and I will not have it! You were a problem child from the very first moment we let you into this household, and I thought we had changed you, but clearly I was wrong!”
Stephen slammed his palms angrily on the table for dramatic emphasis before straightening and storming from the room. Clover watched him go before looking back at Patricia, who was better at reining in her anger than her husband.
“Those men are demons in human skin, Clover. They will do you no good,” Patricia said.
“Do you even realize how many other people I was up against to reach this point? 200 people in this area auditioned to become their drummer. 200! And I beat them all! Aren’t you proud of me?” Clover demanded. Surely Patricia could be impressed by that, even though she didn’t approve of the band.
“I will not be proud of a daughter who auditions to become a Satanist, not in this household. I want you to go to your room and pray to God for his forgiveness. You’re not joining that cult masquerading as a band,” Patricia answered haughtily. Clover scowled angrily at her foster mother. “Now, do as you’re told! You’ve misbehaved enough I think.”
Calling Patricia many mean, un-Christian things in her head, Clover rose to her feet and left the dining room to go to her room as she had been told.
“Do you promise to hear me out before you start yelling?” Clover answered, trying to remain calm. She was anxious about her foster parents’ reaction to what she had to say, but she was also restraining herself from leaping happily in the air and clicking her heels.
“Clover, what did you do?” Stephen demanded, glaring sternly at his foster daughter. “Are you in trouble with the law? Running around with drug dealers?”
“Clover, why do you think we’ll yell at you?” Patricia asked gently.
“No, I’m not in trouble,” Clover answered, looking at her foster father. “And I know you guys will yell at me because I lied to you about something.”
“What, honey?” Patricia encouraged.
“You know how I said that I was helping a girl that I knew from school with her SAT math studying?” Clover began. Both foster parents nodded. “I lied. I wasn’t helping a girl with her math when I left the house those two times…I was actually auditioning to be in a band whose drummer left and so they need a new one.”
Both foster parents started to get a little red in the face upon learning that Clover had lied to them. She could almost see Stephen concocting sentences in his head to yell at her with. Patricia’s eyes had lost their shine, a sure sign that she was getting mighty pissed off. But she gave them kudos for keeping quiet and letting her finish before starting with the yelling and punishing.
“Which band, honey?” Patricia asked, forcing her voice to be calm.
“Well…” Clover stalled. “I’ve been chosen to be…Avenged Sevenfold’s drummer for their upcoming tour. And if I do a good enough job and they like my drumming and I have potential, I could become their full time drummer.”
Clover practically saw the nuclear bomb explode in Stephen’s head. Patricia and Stephen exchanged a single dark look before Stephen rose to his feet, bracing his palms on the table and leaning towards Clover. He glared straight into her eyes and Clover stared straight back unflinchingly.
“It is only by the grace of God that we allowed those CDs into our home, this Christian, well-to-do home, but I knew they were devils from the start,” Stephen spat. “You’re a demon child for even wanting to associate yourself with them, let alone join their band! You are tainting this household with your sinning ways, and I will not have it! You were a problem child from the very first moment we let you into this household, and I thought we had changed you, but clearly I was wrong!”
Stephen slammed his palms angrily on the table for dramatic emphasis before straightening and storming from the room. Clover watched him go before looking back at Patricia, who was better at reining in her anger than her husband.
“Those men are demons in human skin, Clover. They will do you no good,” Patricia said.
“Do you even realize how many other people I was up against to reach this point? 200 people in this area auditioned to become their drummer. 200! And I beat them all! Aren’t you proud of me?” Clover demanded. Surely Patricia could be impressed by that, even though she didn’t approve of the band.
“I will not be proud of a daughter who auditions to become a Satanist, not in this household. I want you to go to your room and pray to God for his forgiveness. You’re not joining that cult masquerading as a band,” Patricia answered haughtily. Clover scowled angrily at her foster mother. “Now, do as you’re told! You’ve misbehaved enough I think.”
Calling Patricia many mean, un-Christian things in her head, Clover rose to her feet and left the dining room to go to her room as she had been told.
♠ ♠ ♠
How narky of them.Please read the next chapter! I'm updating twice.