OBEDIENT. (Book Four)

8

It only takes one word to kill someone's spirit. It only takes one negative conversation to ruin a person's future. Do you even stop to think about the damages you're causing by the simple words you've spoken?
-A. E

~

As soon as morning broke I was up and about, cleaning an already spotless house and making an unnecessary amount of breakfast just so I could distract myself from having to deal with my brother. No doubt he'd be over his outburst from yesterday and want answers to the questions that are sure to be swirling around that ever thinking mind of his.

Just as the kettle whistled on the stove, there was a knock on my front door and I knew it would most likely be Jane, since Ms. T never visited me more than once a week. She'd most likely still be at the club working or at home. Sighing, I turned the fire off, wiped my hands on my apron and headed to the door only to pull up short as Austin beat me to the punch.

Giving me one of his looks, he pulled the door open, a smile on his face before it froze at the sight of his wife. She was accompanied by her daughter Carol, her daughter's wife Veronica, my daughter Jane and her girlfriend Darcy. I was never so shocked to see Rosa of all persons being surrounded by a sea of lesbians and I wanted to laugh at that irony but stopped myself as I was attacked by said lesbians as they all swarmed me, hugging the little life that was left after the spring cleaning this morning.

"Oh aunt Justine I was so worried about you. I only heard this morning and I made sure to come as soon as I could." Carol half cried half moaned against my neck, her hands tightening just a bit more as she tried to get closer.

"I'm fine, really." I tried to reassure her but that seemed not to work.

"Carr! Let the poor woman go, she's suffocating." Veronica cut in and I breathe a bit easier as my lungs drew in a heapful of oxygen.

"Sorry... but are you sure you're okay? He didn't..." her words trailed but my mind caught up and I hurriedly reassured her that Austin came in, in the neck of time.

"Alright ladies, lets all give the woman some space. Have a seat while Austin and I talk to her for a bit."

Taking a very deep, completely needed breath, I hesitantly nodded as Rosa led myself and my twin into the kitchen.

"How are you Justine? Really?" She began, looking intensely at me. My gaze shifted between her and Austin before once more settling on my hands that had somehow gone protectively around me.

"I'm fine Rosa." I murmured.

"Austin... I know we have our differences and I do think we should talk... but I'm so happy you were here when you were."

Austin just inclined his head before avoiding eye contact with both of us and I didn't miss the way her eyebrows shot up at that.

"I know that accepting the people outside is hard for me and therefore is hard for you to be around me but how can you just ask me to forgo my beliefs, my teachings, what is right, just so I don't hurt the feelings of those who do the wrong?"

"How do you know what's wrong from right? What if you had been brought up in a different time? What if you were taught to hate the religion you love so dearly, or taught to believe that it was okay for men to claim whomever they wanted without consent. That it was okay to stone people of colour or that it was considered something of honor to sleep with your siblings or children to live a long life? You wouldn't even know the difference then because you'd believe exactly what was taught to you. You'd believe what was drilled over and over and nothing else cause you'd know nothing else."

"Don't tell me what I know is wrong! It isn't! It's his word and it's right and it's true. Men were created for women and visa versa, anything outside of that is sinful-"

"I'm not having this argument again with you-"

"It wouldn't be an argument if you'd just stop letting these people poison your mind!-"

"These people! That is my daughter out there! She's half of me and half of you. I will not abandon her for who she chose to love-"

"I didn't ask you to! I just wanted her to see the life she chose is the wrong one. She let people influence her and now she's doing the same to you. She's already converted her cousin. I will not be apart of a family that's completely gay!"

"I never chose this life!"

We all turned to see that Carol and the others had walked in and by the looks of things, Carol was royally pissed.

"Oh please, don't tell me, you were born this way?"

"I-"

"No one is born gay, no one is born stupid or a murderer or a rapist. It's the environment and the people in it that influences you-"

"That's total crap. We were all born in sin and so-"

"You are not my daughter, you're her disgrace of a spouse. You don't ever interrupt me again... and for you to say we were all born in sin... that's right, sin is the reason why you're all doing the things you're still doing. Having a homosexual lifestyle and allowing the devil to use you foolishly-"

"That's enough!"

The place once more grew silent as an angry Austin spoke and I wanted to sneak out and lock myself in my room as the starting of a terrible migraine was beginning to hit me.

"I am so tired of you insulting your own flesh and blood, our daughter, like she was some stranger-"

"She's-"

"Do not interrupt me!" Austin glared at his wife to see if she would say anything and she wisely stayed quiet. "She is our daughter! No one asked you to accept her lifestyle or the people she chose to love and surround herself with. All you had to do was love her. That's it. Not to judge, ridicule or play God. But you can't even do that. She will have to deal with the decisions she's made but what about you, huh? What if she decided to take her own life because of the things you said or the way you treated her? What would you say to defend yourself on the day of judgement?

You are not the fucking judge, jury and executioner. I married you because I love you but my child still comes first. She's gay, my niece is gay, even my damn sister is gay. I'm not going to sit here and watch you go through everyone like aids, so you can head through the door the same way you came because we are done!"

The entire house stayed silent as my twin came to an end of his rant and even though he was breathing hard and leaving no room for further discussions, everyone else had their eyes on me, mouths hanging open.

I, on the other hand, was frozen on the spot, the initial plan of denial flung through the window as I stared at the stupid human being I called a brother just waiting for him to realize what he just did and when he did, his entire face got shit red.

"The fuck."

You'd think it came from my daughter or her cousin, even her cousin's wife but no, that... that came from my sister-in-law and the look of utter horror and shock had my heart stopping for a second.

A second too long because one minute I was frozen on the spot and the next, I hit the ground as my world spun.