“Tell me about it.”
My hands tightened around her waist. “I’ve already told you.”
“You told me there was an accident and you were seriously injured, your parents killed, and that it was your birthday. But we both know there’s more to it than that. Tell me.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, hating the feelings of helplessness that washed over me. This was the very reason I avoided my family on this day. But Patience wasn’t my mother, father, or my brothers. They’d been there during that time. She hadn’t. She deserved to know the full story…as much of it as I was willing to give, at least.
“My eighth birthday …” I began.
****
Then …
“Happy Birthday, Aaron!” Aunt Deborah cheered, as she opened the door for the three of us.
A smile sprouted on my face and I went to respond to my aunt, but my father’s greeting behind me, had me clamping down on my tongue.
“Deborah,” he responded in the way that made me uneasy. “Where is Robert?” he questioned, sounding mean to my young ears.
My aunt blinked. “He’s inside, of course. Come in, Jason, Jesse,” she welcomed my mother, father, and myself, stepping aside and widening the door of Townsend Manor.
My father stepped past my mother, and I looked around. “I see you’ve redecorated.”
“Yes, Robert and I decided it was time for a little bit of a change. The children are getting older,” my aunt stated, smiling down at me. “We wanted a more child friendly environment. Aaron, when you come over to play with your cousins, you’ll all have an entertainment room to yourself, and we’ve fixed up a bedroom, just for you.”
My smile was halted by my father’s next words. “You’ve not only changed my family’s home, you think I can’t take care of my son well enough so you have to give him his own room?”
I lowered my eyes to the floor. I’d become used to such scenes, growing up with my father.
“Jason, I’m sure Deborah didn’t me–” My mother’s explanation fell dead on her lips when my father gave her the deadly glare he always gave when she dared speak up in defiance of him.
I swallowed, knowing what that look meant.
Thankfully, my cousins, Carter and Joshua, came running down the stairs, yelling my name. Carter did a jump off the bottom stair, landing in front of me with his hand raised. We did our special handshake, that was only shared between us two.
“Happy Birthday, man!” he greeted.
“Thanks, man. I got that new game we’ve been wanting. We’ll have to play it sometime,” I told him, but looked back over my shoulder when my father cleared his throat.
“You won’t be bringing anything over here.”
“Jason,” My uncle called from the top of the stairs.
I glanced up to see my Uncle Robert, holding baby Tyler in his arms as he moved down the stairs. Carter and I were only a few months apart. He’d turned eight before me. Joshua was younger, at only three, and Tyler was just barely six months.
“Robert.” My father nodded, at his older brother.
“Happy Birthday, sport.”
“Don’t call him that. Aaron hates sports. He’s nobody’s jock, unlike your children. He will be running Townsend Industries someday,” my father stated with his chin lifted.
Aunt Deborah quickly stepped in, directing us to the dining area where my birthday dinner was being held. Unfortunately, it was uncomfortable from the beginning. None of my birthdays were fun events…none of my days were as long as my father was around. He was always so mean to my Aunt and Uncle, when they were always so nice to me. I never understood it. I hated that as much as I hated the way he treated my mother and I behind closed doors.
Thankfully, the adults let my cousins and I leave the table after dinner so we could play a little bit before we cut my birthday cake. Carter and I raced up the stairs to the new entertainment room.
“Whoa!” I breathed out as soon as he pushed the door open. The room was huge with a movie theater screen along the front wall, a video game console that played any type of game we wanted, and a number of toy chests throughout the room.
“Here, dude. I’ll let you be Goku since it’s your birthday,” Carter stated, handing me one of the controllers.
