More Than Just Neighbours

Part 14- Summoned

ETHAN

I fucking hate being in here.

It's the one room in the house that gets my back up and makes me feel anxious.

My fathers home office is the epitome of what a wealthy businessman's lion den should look like, large leather sofas and matching arm chairs, state of the art tech kit, modern priceless artwork, luxury furnishings and high end stationary. In other words, a total narcissist's study, luckily as my father is rarely home I don't often have to come here...unfortunately today he is here and I have been summoned.

I stand in front of my fathers desk as he reads some papers pretending that I'm invisible. It's a game he likes to play every time we do this. I get summoned, he lets me in, and I have to wait until he is ready to speak to me, there's been times I've stood here for nearly an hour before he speaks. Like I'm some minion and not his son. He loves power. The one time I sat down before he said it was OK was the time he threw a brass lampshade at my head and I needed stitches. I was thirteen.

Finally my father puts down his Mont blanc pen and slowly looks up at me.

"Take a seat son." He gestures and for an easy life, I do as I'm told.

"How are the grades?" My dad questions.

"Fine, I'm still pulling in good grades." I reply, void of emotion. This isn't a father to son chat where he actually cares, this is to find out if i'm keeping his reputation intact.

"Good to hear. And college applications? You know that my expectations are Harvard, to follow my footsteps." he says, taking a sip from his heavy brandy glass, but his eyes never leave mine.

I clear my throat and consider telling him thats not my number one choice, but what's the fucking point, he will probably only launch the glass at me so I decide on only telling him half truths to placate him. "Harvard is one of the schools i've applied too." I'll never go there...he doesn't need to know that yet though.

"Good, I have some sway with the board, when the time is right I'll get in touch with them, a friendly nudge between friends never hurts." My dad says this to himself rather than to me and I just nod.

Silence hits the room, my father just watches me as he sips his Brandy and I just put on my best poker face as if I'm not phased where in reality I'm screaming inside to be released.

Finally my dad breaks the silence.

"I've been thinking about the future. Once you graduate from Harvard I want you to come and work for me. Congratulations son, I'm sure you will be an asset to the team." He watches me carefully for a reaction, waiting for me to thank him for this amazing opportunity but all I want to do is grab hold of his mont blanc pen and stab his hand with it, the same hand that beat me black and blue more times than I care to remember.

"Will Caleb and Samuel be offered the same opportunities?" I question, still void of emotion.

My father throws his head back with a sarcastic laugh. "Caleb is just not sensible, he doesn't have a business head on his shoulders like you do, but maybe I can find him a job that would suit his personality perhaps, receptionist maybe." Then starts to laugh again to himself and he pours himself another drink and I do the best I can not to react.

"And Samuel?" I question further.

My fathers smile drops from his face and his eyes darken, "What about him? What use would he be at my firm? Let's face it, he couldn't even be put with the fucking post room team because that fucking idiot can't read!" My father grunts with annoyance and knocks back his drink in one.

Rage, pure rage is running through me. How can he call himself a father. I clench my fists into tight balls and clench my jaw shut trying to calm myself, but if I don't leave soon I'm going to snap and lose my shit big time.

There's a knock on the door that saves me from turning into the hulk and smashing up his office with his face.

"Come in!" he bellows.

I take deep breaths to still my rage, desperate for him to dismiss me.

The door opens and I see my mothers thin and frail body slowly enter the room, she is the shell of the woman she once was. The dark circles under her eyes are so big from lack of sleep and nutrients that she looks like she has black eyes. She gives me a gentle smile before she stands in front of my fathers desk just as I did when I arrived. Her eyes are to the floor, like a faithful servant waiting for her next orders. My father starts to read through the exact same papers he was reading when I first entered. That cunt. Treating her like he treats us.

"Son, you're dismissed." He says, without even looking back up at me and I'm only too happy to high tail it out of there. When I get to the door, I turn to look at my mother standing waiting patiently and I storm out of the room, down the stairs and into the gardens to go for a long run around the estate before I do something I'll regret.