Status: Hey there, this is my favorite story
Lisbeth
Return
I wouldn’t have realized it, being so out of touch, but Destery’s disappearance went unnoticed by most of the town. According to the uncle, the only people who really noticed were Destery’s parents and Lex. The only people who cared were his mom and his uncle.
It was weeks later that I came home from work, exhausted and grumpy. Destery was sprawled on my couch, eyes closed. I screamed and he jumped awake, falling off the couch. “What! What?” “What the hell! Where have you been you fucking ass? We thought you were dead!” He just shrugged. “I wasn’t here.” Asshole. “No shit. And why’re you in my house anyway?” “My friend isn’t home. And I’m hungry.” That was fairly obvious. Destery was skeletal, flesh too close to his skull.
“Fine. There’s pizza in the fridge.” “Kay.” “And I’m calling your uncle!” I yelled after him. He waved a hand. I dialed the now familiar number and got Lex. “Hi Lex. This is Lisbeth. Destery’s in my house right now.” “Is he okay?” Lex’s voice was strained. “Yeah, just a little hungry.” I could hear Lex’s sigh of relief through the phone. “Thank you. I’ll be there in 10.” “Kay. Bye.”
I hung up and turned back to Destery, who by then was gorging himself on week old pizza. “Your uncle is coming.” “Mmph.” He nodded. When he finished I sat across from him. “Where have you been for the past three weeks? Destery, you know we’ve been worried.” “I was living somewhere. My friend took me in.” Clearly that was all I’d be getting. “Where’ll you live now?” “Here.”
And so the full scope of what made Destery Destery had begun to reveal itself- Destery doesn’t understand how life works. “Destery, I live in a cottage. There are four rooms. Please tell me where exactly you’ll sleep?” “Couch.” True... “Why can’t you go somewhere else!” For the first time Destery looked me straight in the eyes. “I have nowhere else safe Lisbeth.” I knew the feeling, could sympathize with it. “Fine. Just...don’t bother me, alright? And no more suicide attempts.” His smiled was crooked. “I’ll try.”
Leo walked in a few minutes later. “Des!” I could tell he wanted to hug him, but he didn’t-Destery doesn’t like being touched. “Hey.” “Where have you been? You’re skeletal.” “Eh. I’ll be fine.” Lex settled near him. “Marina’s freaking out. You have to see her. Please?” “She’s my mom.” I guess that’s a yes. “Good. I’ll go tell her.” “But not my dad.” “Of course.” “Uh, Lex?” He looked at me.
“Destery is living with me.” I expected surprise, but he nodded. “He does that.” Lex said goodbye and left, leaving me and Destery behind. “I’m going for a walk, kay?” “I’ll come with you.” “You’ll get bored.” “No I won’t.” So he followed me along the cliffs as I very nervously watched for him to get too close to the edge. When we got back there was a car idling in front of me house. “Mom.” He breathed.
It was weeks later that I came home from work, exhausted and grumpy. Destery was sprawled on my couch, eyes closed. I screamed and he jumped awake, falling off the couch. “What! What?” “What the hell! Where have you been you fucking ass? We thought you were dead!” He just shrugged. “I wasn’t here.” Asshole. “No shit. And why’re you in my house anyway?” “My friend isn’t home. And I’m hungry.” That was fairly obvious. Destery was skeletal, flesh too close to his skull.
“Fine. There’s pizza in the fridge.” “Kay.” “And I’m calling your uncle!” I yelled after him. He waved a hand. I dialed the now familiar number and got Lex. “Hi Lex. This is Lisbeth. Destery’s in my house right now.” “Is he okay?” Lex’s voice was strained. “Yeah, just a little hungry.” I could hear Lex’s sigh of relief through the phone. “Thank you. I’ll be there in 10.” “Kay. Bye.”
I hung up and turned back to Destery, who by then was gorging himself on week old pizza. “Your uncle is coming.” “Mmph.” He nodded. When he finished I sat across from him. “Where have you been for the past three weeks? Destery, you know we’ve been worried.” “I was living somewhere. My friend took me in.” Clearly that was all I’d be getting. “Where’ll you live now?” “Here.”
And so the full scope of what made Destery Destery had begun to reveal itself- Destery doesn’t understand how life works. “Destery, I live in a cottage. There are four rooms. Please tell me where exactly you’ll sleep?” “Couch.” True... “Why can’t you go somewhere else!” For the first time Destery looked me straight in the eyes. “I have nowhere else safe Lisbeth.” I knew the feeling, could sympathize with it. “Fine. Just...don’t bother me, alright? And no more suicide attempts.” His smiled was crooked. “I’ll try.”
Leo walked in a few minutes later. “Des!” I could tell he wanted to hug him, but he didn’t-Destery doesn’t like being touched. “Hey.” “Where have you been? You’re skeletal.” “Eh. I’ll be fine.” Lex settled near him. “Marina’s freaking out. You have to see her. Please?” “She’s my mom.” I guess that’s a yes. “Good. I’ll go tell her.” “But not my dad.” “Of course.” “Uh, Lex?” He looked at me.
“Destery is living with me.” I expected surprise, but he nodded. “He does that.” Lex said goodbye and left, leaving me and Destery behind. “I’m going for a walk, kay?” “I’ll come with you.” “You’ll get bored.” “No I won’t.” So he followed me along the cliffs as I very nervously watched for him to get too close to the edge. When we got back there was a car idling in front of me house. “Mom.” He breathed.