Status: You'll die in his hands.
Melody's Melodies
Pale as a pile of bones
►
Devin and Melody slowly walk up to the front door. Devin opens the door to see his mother sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine.
Devin takes Melody’s hand and she also steps inside.
“Hi mom,” Devin says.
She stands up with a tired smile. “Hey honey,” she goes over and hugs her son. “And who is this?” she smiles at Melody.
“This is Melody.”
“Hello dear,” she says.
“Hi,” Melody responds to the black haired woman.
She is thin, but she seems unhealthy, like she doesn’t eat very much because of stress. There are bags under her eyes, but she still comes off to be pleasant and polite.
Devin speaks, “how was your trip back?”
The tired woman makes a deep sigh. “Long, but I’m happy I’m home finally. How was school?”
“Fine,” he says.
She smiles again, gives her son another hug.
“I’m going to unpack my bag, I know I won't want to do it later. I'll rejoin you when I'm done to talk more.”
“Alright.”
Devin’s mom walks off into the back of the house, where her room is and Devin and Melody go to the sofa and sit.
“I’m going to talk to her in private.”
Melody nods, Devin looks worried, which makes Melody worry. She has a feeling in her gut things won’t go over so well and she’ll be at a foster home.
Devin gives Melody’s hand a squeeze, gets up and disappears into his mother’s room.
“What’s up Devin?”
“I . . . Wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Mhm, I’m listening,” she says as she folds her clothing on her bed.
“Well Melody and I. We have come to be very close and well, she’s run into some really hard times. . .”
“What do you mean?” she turns to look at Devin.
“Well she’s been staying with me the pa-”
The look on her face makes Devin shut his mouth.
“What do you mean she has been staying in this house? A girl. Staying in my house. Alone with you. Overnight!? Devin, what is wrong with you?” Her voice has risen. “I leave for a few weeks and what you think you can turn my house into a hotel?!”
“Mom, it’s just her. You know I wouldn’t do this for a ludicrous reason.”
“I cannot believe you. Have you been having sex in my home?”
“Mom no!” he knows it’s wrong to lie right now, but at this point he feels she’s being irrational. “Listen to me.”
She goes back to folding her clothes, not speaking, Devin takes that opportunity.
“Melody comes from a broken home. She’s been in danger . . . Her father was beating her.”
Devin’s mom stops again and looks back at Devin, a familiar and sad look in her eyes.
Devin continues, “the night she came to the house for the first she was in tears, her father had really hurt her, bruising her all up. That brace on her arm is because of her father.”
She shakes her head, speaking in a broken voice, “she looks so frail.”
“Yesterday. . . She was discharged from the hospital. Mom, she has to stay here, she has nowhere else to go.”
“Devin.” His mom says, sympathy in her voice. “I feel very sorry that she’s going through this,” and looks back at her clothes. “But she cannot stay here.”
Melody can hear Devin getting upset, her heart sinks into her stomach.
“Of all people, I would think you’d understand!” Devin yells at his mom.
“I do understand honey, but-”
“But what?! Mom, you’re not making any sense, she’s in trouble, she needs our help, our protection. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I just let her leave this house alone? When we were in trouble and Jeff was beating the crap out of you-”
“Shut your mouth right now!” his mother warns.
“Gina took us in when you finally got the courage to leave the second time! Why can’t you do the same, why are you being selfish?”
Devin’s blow up is over when his mother slaps him across the face.
“I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you will respect me,” her voice is hard. “I leave for a few weeks and you think you can talk to me anyway you like? Is that it? Have you lost your mind? I completely understand, I’ve lived it, but I’m not going through that again. I refuse to have anything to do with abuse. That’s final, it’s my house, my rules and I say who will live in it and who will not.”
Devin takes a deep breath, nods and looks his mother in the eye. “Fine mom, if she goes I go to.”
Devin turns away and stalks off out of the room.
He hears his mother yelling after him and following him. Devin reaches the living room to see Melody isn’t there.
“She left.”
“She’s fine Devin, leave her alone.”
“She is not fine, she heard what you said, she left because of you.”
Devin hurries to the front door and out, he doesn’t see Melody anywhere. He runs down the sidewalk in the direction of her house, thinking she probably went this way.
With his mother’s yells no longer audible he makes it all the way to Melody’s house. He hurries inside and he gets a sick feeling. There’s blood on the carpet, but it’s old blood from the fight before.
Devin hurries up the stairs and bursts into Melody’s room, she isn’t there, but there’s a faint sound a very light tapping sound that comes from the other side of the wall. Devin rushes to the bathroom door that’s in Melody’s room and opens it.
What he sees shatters his heart.
Devin and Melody slowly walk up to the front door. Devin opens the door to see his mother sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine.
Devin takes Melody’s hand and she also steps inside.
“Hi mom,” Devin says.
She stands up with a tired smile. “Hey honey,” she goes over and hugs her son. “And who is this?” she smiles at Melody.
“This is Melody.”
“Hello dear,” she says.
“Hi,” Melody responds to the black haired woman.
She is thin, but she seems unhealthy, like she doesn’t eat very much because of stress. There are bags under her eyes, but she still comes off to be pleasant and polite.
Devin speaks, “how was your trip back?”
The tired woman makes a deep sigh. “Long, but I’m happy I’m home finally. How was school?”
“Fine,” he says.
She smiles again, gives her son another hug.
“I’m going to unpack my bag, I know I won't want to do it later. I'll rejoin you when I'm done to talk more.”
“Alright.”
Devin’s mom walks off into the back of the house, where her room is and Devin and Melody go to the sofa and sit.
“I’m going to talk to her in private.”
Melody nods, Devin looks worried, which makes Melody worry. She has a feeling in her gut things won’t go over so well and she’ll be at a foster home.
Devin gives Melody’s hand a squeeze, gets up and disappears into his mother’s room.
“What’s up Devin?”
“I . . . Wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Mhm, I’m listening,” she says as she folds her clothing on her bed.
“Well Melody and I. We have come to be very close and well, she’s run into some really hard times. . .”
“What do you mean?” she turns to look at Devin.
“Well she’s been staying with me the pa-”
The look on her face makes Devin shut his mouth.
“What do you mean she has been staying in this house? A girl. Staying in my house. Alone with you. Overnight!? Devin, what is wrong with you?” Her voice has risen. “I leave for a few weeks and what you think you can turn my house into a hotel?!”
“Mom, it’s just her. You know I wouldn’t do this for a ludicrous reason.”
“I cannot believe you. Have you been having sex in my home?”
“Mom no!” he knows it’s wrong to lie right now, but at this point he feels she’s being irrational. “Listen to me.”
She goes back to folding her clothes, not speaking, Devin takes that opportunity.
“Melody comes from a broken home. She’s been in danger . . . Her father was beating her.”
Devin’s mom stops again and looks back at Devin, a familiar and sad look in her eyes.
Devin continues, “the night she came to the house for the first she was in tears, her father had really hurt her, bruising her all up. That brace on her arm is because of her father.”
She shakes her head, speaking in a broken voice, “she looks so frail.”
“Yesterday. . . She was discharged from the hospital. Mom, she has to stay here, she has nowhere else to go.”
“Devin.” His mom says, sympathy in her voice. “I feel very sorry that she’s going through this,” and looks back at her clothes. “But she cannot stay here.”
Melody can hear Devin getting upset, her heart sinks into her stomach.
“Of all people, I would think you’d understand!” Devin yells at his mom.
“I do understand honey, but-”
“But what?! Mom, you’re not making any sense, she’s in trouble, she needs our help, our protection. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I just let her leave this house alone? When we were in trouble and Jeff was beating the crap out of you-”
“Shut your mouth right now!” his mother warns.
“Gina took us in when you finally got the courage to leave the second time! Why can’t you do the same, why are you being selfish?”
Devin’s blow up is over when his mother slaps him across the face.
“I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you will respect me,” her voice is hard. “I leave for a few weeks and you think you can talk to me anyway you like? Is that it? Have you lost your mind? I completely understand, I’ve lived it, but I’m not going through that again. I refuse to have anything to do with abuse. That’s final, it’s my house, my rules and I say who will live in it and who will not.”
Devin takes a deep breath, nods and looks his mother in the eye. “Fine mom, if she goes I go to.”
Devin turns away and stalks off out of the room.
He hears his mother yelling after him and following him. Devin reaches the living room to see Melody isn’t there.
“She left.”
“She’s fine Devin, leave her alone.”
“She is not fine, she heard what you said, she left because of you.”
Devin hurries to the front door and out, he doesn’t see Melody anywhere. He runs down the sidewalk in the direction of her house, thinking she probably went this way.
With his mother’s yells no longer audible he makes it all the way to Melody’s house. He hurries inside and he gets a sick feeling. There’s blood on the carpet, but it’s old blood from the fight before.
Devin hurries up the stairs and bursts into Melody’s room, she isn’t there, but there’s a faint sound a very light tapping sound that comes from the other side of the wall. Devin rushes to the bathroom door that’s in Melody’s room and opens it.
What he sees shatters his heart.
♠ ♠ ♠
Getting close to the end.