23.4.10

takes one to know one

Why? Why was Dayton like this?

He knew something was up. Nancy could sense it by the look he gave her. It was as if he'd walked in on her and Chuck. He knew. He knew what they were doing.

"Why can't you just run away with him?" He was doing his best to match socks and be the roommate he should be.

"Why can't you just..just shut up." She had trouble sometimes saying what she wanted. She looked at him bitterly.

"I don't want too." He looked at her ominous.

"Face it, you are stuck with me, and..and, do I do anything at all to keep you away from Geoff?" She wanted to know.

"You are his goddamn wife." Dayton winced hard and stomped off to the kitchen with the tea towels to put away.

"Jesus, Dayton, you make it sound like a real relationship or something, and you know its just on paper." She followed him into the kitchen.

She knew he was mad. He jerked out a chair and sat down at the table with his hands over his eyes. He was crying. Very discreetly.

"Come on, Dayton, you don't need to be baby-ed, now do you?" She sat down next to him and put her hand on his back. Naturally, he flinched. "Just stop thinking about how awful all this is. What do you want? You want him to marry you."

"I just want you to go away!" He screamed at her then.

"You are a real piece of work, you know that." She squinted in disgust at him. "Seriously, you have anger issues and you should be on meds."

He shook his head, no. It was as if everyone else was sick around him, but not him.

"I just don't know why you have to be this way. I mean, we are a family. A strange one, no doubt. But we have to get along. Think about Trent. Will you?" Her frown swelled as she got up to get back to the laundry.

She folded towels. Finally, he came back to match more socks.

"What are you talking about?" He looked at her as if she hadn't made sense to him.

"I'm just saying, if he sees you, act like you do around me, he's going to start acting just like you. He will. And for sure they'll write him off with a learning problem. Because he can't get along with other. Do you want that?" She looked at him.

He didn't say anything. He nursed his bottom lip then as he put socks in a basket to put away.

There. She had silence. Of course, she didn't know if anything she said was true, but if it could make him think... maybe he'd settle down and Nancy wouldn't wish he was the one she hoped would leave.

12 comments:

ivy said...

dayton and nancy..what enemies.

simon n josh said...

Oh, Dayton. I still feel sad for him.

ellie said...

OH the tension!

so jade said...

wow, I wish Dayton wouldn't be so..well, I like that about him too...

Unknown said...

oh, boy, trouble brewing.

lily said...

so lov'n this.

Unknown said...

oh my..what a spat.

Natalie said...

Oh my goodness, I wonder if they'll ever get along.

Anonymous said...

This all sounds ominously.

Jazzy E (Hivenn) said...

You write so beautifully. x hivennn. p.s enter my jeffrey campbell giveaway?

Em [The Writer] said...

Update please?

Em [The Writer] said...

Update please?