The Matchmaker

Chapter 7

As the evening drew to a close, Shannon approached her father so they could go home. Upon noticing her he stood up and turned away before either of them could say anything. He didn’t trust himself to not say something he’d regret so he decided it was easier to keep quiet.

It was at that moment Shannon realised how angry he was. Taking a deep breath she followed him and prepared herself for a mouthful.

Rather than receiving a nonstop lecture though, John just kept quiet. He gave her the silent treatment for most of the trip and when he talked it was only ever to criticise. Shannon nodded and gave yes and no answers where necessary. This pleased John and silence fell upon them once again when he had said what he had intended.

His attitude no longer fazed Shannon as they had had those ‘talks’ on many occasions over the last 12 months or so. Rather, they were beginning to irk her as she was convinced he just didn’t understand. As a result she had even recently begun considering moving out and finding her own place. She only lived with him because it was convenient. With him on her back all the time about her life, it looked appealing.

When they arrived home John was the first to get out of the car, eager to spend the rest of the afternoon resting with his book. Shannon lagged behind, her mind full of how she could help Amy with a new wardrobe. She had no idea what Amy’s wardrobe consisted of but if what she wore that day was anything to go by she would need a whole new one. Having a sudden brainstorm, Shannon ran to her room and began sifting through her own clothing.

Every time she entered her room she got the same feeling of ‘nothing’ that she got on that fateful day. The only way she controlled it was to have a reason to go in there and not think. At that moment her focus was on Amy.

One thing was certain. She did not want Amy looking as bad as she had at the wedding, especially when they went out the next day. She had so many clothes she had never worn so it only made sense to go through her collection first then buy new things later. Half an hour later she had two bags of clothes and decided to visit Amy immediately. Picking up her keys she felt confident she would have one or two new outfits on Amy by the end of the day.

“I’m going out.” Shannon called to her father before leaving.

When he didn’t answer she just shrugged and walked out the door. She was determined not to be upset by his reaction. The only thing bothering her was that her father’s reaction that day was a lot worse than usual and it threw her. Her father had always just gone along with her antics and she just presumed he understood her. The truth was, he didn’t understand her anymore yet she failed to see that.

Sadly Shannon was still determined not to see it. She wouldn’t allow herself to.

The sound of the door slamming shut brought John back to attention. Once he heard the car drive away he placed his book down and left his room. He hated ignoring Shannon, they had always been close but he needed time to think and contemplate on the situation. He knew why she had changed, he understood her guilt but her antics had become too much and it had become too personal. Unfortunately it seemed that no matter how many times he told her, her mother’s death wasn’t her fault she just wouldn’t let herself believe it.

Thinking about it he realised he never took the time out to understand fully why Shannon found matchmaking so appealing. He felt guilty for that. In fact he felt as though he had neglected her since Julie’s death and he knew that didn’t help the situation. Neither of them had ever told Brian or Nathan the truth. At the time he didn’t agree with her lie but he accepted the fact that it was appropriate. By the time it had blown over though and they had gotten back into their everyday lives, it never came up again. When Brian or Nathan ever spoke to him about Shannon’s behaviour he didn’t feel comfortable about bringing up the past, especially behind her back. He wondered if he should have.