The Search for Serenity

20 - Breaking Point

- Toby -

The close-by sounds of yelling are muffled from inside my car as I cut the gas. The recognisable voices cause me to lower my head to the steering wheel, inhaling a deep breath as I prepare myself to near the brewing storm under the roof of my home.

I release my clenched fists as I step out of the car, my brows pulling together as the arguing sounds out clearer, the sight before me making me pause in my step. Mom stands at her bedroom window, throwing clothes and shoes that belong to dad out of it while he paces the front lawn, yelling up at her as he tries in vain to pick everything up that falls onto the muddy and wet ground.

"Dad," I call out to him, rushing forward from my frozen state as the shock at the scene before me wears off into a feeling I know all too well. A mixture of exasperation and dread.

"What's going on?" I step towards him as he drops the clothes in his hands to the floor, his nostrils flaring and his face reddening in anger.

"Your mother has lost her damn mind, throwing my things out like this and locking me out of my own damn house." He sneers between fritted teeth, pointing up at the open window.

Mom yells something back, blowing up from the fuse lit by whatever started this whole ordeal with the fuming man standing before me. I press my fingers against the bridge of my nose, mentally preparing myself to be the diffuser of the situation.

"I don't want that cheating fucker inside my house!" Mom shouts out in the background and I choose to ignore it.

"Dad, come inside. There's no use adding fuel to the fire by yelling out here." I walk over to the door, unlocking it with my own set of keys.

"What? So this is my fault? You expect me to just—"

"Dad," I cut off his rant with a raised voice, tired of the continuous fighting.

Thankfully, he stays silent, shoving past me into the house and past the threshold of the living room, slaming the door behind him in a way that has picture-frames on the wall rattling. I pay no mind to his theatrics, heading for the direction of the stairs to talk to mom, stopping before Delilah's door. I release the tension in my shoulders when I remember she's not here, but at an after-school club. She doesn't need to be around any more of this than she already is.

I continue over to my parents' room, knocking on the door. "Mom?" I knock again when I hear no response, opening it to find mom sat on the floor at the end of her bed, head in her hands as she sniffles.

The room is a mess—pictures shredded and clothes strewn all over the floor, specifically dads'. I step over it all, dropping to the floor beside mom with a quiet sigh. I glance at her through my periphery as she wipes her face, lifting an arm over her shoulders and pulling her in for a hug.

"He's having an affair. They were right here, in this fucking bed." She exhales just louder than a whisper.

I grit my teeth and close my eyes, knowing for too long that this was going on, and I think mom did too—just living in denial up until now. But the fact that dad brought the woman here? As much as mom can be just as bad as dad when it comes to the arguments, my heart aches for her. I don't insist on asking anything, too tired of the unbalanced family dynamic and because it's not my relationship. It's for mom and dad to sort out between them.

"I'm sorry, mom. I know you're upset, but you have to be rational and strong, okay? If not for yourself, then for Delilah. She doesn't need to see her parents constantly tearing each other apart."

She looks at me, nodding slightly. "I know you're right. I'm sorry. I'm just so... I can't believe it."

I stay silent, letting her calm down before I move away and allow her to straighten up, wiping away the last of her tears. I watch as she twists the wedding rings on her finger in thought before she speaks again. "Where is he?" she asks, looking towards the still open window as silence settles.