Potential - S01 E173

Story 1 day ago

Potential - S01 E173

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 173

"Mothers Know"

Evan looked at his mother's text again, "Went to airport. Go do any work you have to do. Everything is going to be all right. I love you." Electronic communication without emojis was void of emotion and often misinterpreted. Evan tried to picture his mother typing the message. Had his father been standing there, forcing her to hide her feelings between the lines? No, Evan imagined his mother hiding in the bathroom, crying while her thumbs dashed across the letters. His father might walk in and read it, so she had to hold back what she really wanted to say. Was everything going to be all right because his father would be in China, or did she plan on handling his father again? That hadn't turned out well, and Evan had no intention of ever letting it happen again.

His black eye was a dull ache that he hardly noticed. His crushed pride hurt like a broken arm that would end his racing career before it happened. Sadness and anger competed for control of Evan's mind and emotions. He hadn't taken a swing. He hadn't even tried to get out from in front of his father's fist. Had the sight of his mother's tits stunned him or hadn't he expected his father to punch him? Of course, he should have.

Evan knew eventually he would have to tell Deana how he fucked up their mother's new found happiness, but he would postpone that as long as possible. He left the house right after his parents, too early to do anything except drive around and spin his thought like a spider's web of shoulda, coulda and wouldas. In his mind, he walked through the scene over and over, each time the outcome more favorable for his side. Yes, he fought back, gave it to his father in words and fists, then he pulled Candy's shirt closed over her chest, wiped away her tears, hugged her and kissed her while his father lay unconscious on the floor.

When Evan reached Ms. Style's house, he saw no point in announcing himself because she knew he was coming. Nobody had seen him since his father decked him, and if it were possible, Evan would keep it that way until the evidence was gone. He didn't want Deana, Gloria or Candy to see the purple-black sign of weakness painted on his face. More than that, Evan was afraid to see his mother's neck. Had his father punched her, too? He couldn't stop picturing her in a giant pair of sunglasses and a scarf tled around her neck.

Evan went straight to the old barn that doubled as Ms. Style's garage. He had decided to handle the lawn first. That would give him an opportunity to step on an imaginary rake before he saw anyone. Unfortunately, unlike in the cartoons, a shiner wasn't Instaritaneous, but it would be plausible later when he saw his sisters. Also, if he were extra toasty after the yard work, he could accidentally fall in the pool while cleaning it.

Before Evan opened the side door of the garage, he heard a splash. Ms. Style must know I'm here, he thought, so that meant she wanted him to see her in a bathing suit. Or, if she was a freak like Miss Tonya, she might be naked.

The plunk, plunk, plunk sound of a steady kick increased with each of Evan's long, hurried strides. The rhythmic sounds were interrupted by a slosh and water droplets splattering. He paused for a moment. When the plunking and splashing resumed, Evan imagined the woman had gone under, reversed directions, thrust off the wall and glided like a torpedo below the surface. He ascended the grass slope, approaching the green, Cosmopolitan style three-rall aluminum fencing. The height was designed to keep kids out. Evan lifted his right foot over, grabbed the top rail and kicked his left leg. His body rotated in the air. His sneakers met the concrete that framed the pool without announcing him. All he could see was the stroking arms and the uplift of water the kicking feet caused.