Winter's Wonderful Summer's Special

Acting Odd

His dad locked him in his basement room after he gave him the worse beating Angelo had ever gotten from him. He couldn't move for days, not even when his dad unlocked the basement door. Not even when Mila appeared at the top of the stairs one time and peered down at him silently.

When Angelo could move, he was too afraid to leave the basement. Afraid his dad was still mad at him.

"Angelo," he lifted his head from the cot and looked towards the voice coming from the top of the stairs. He could make out Mila. "Come up and eat something." He didn't say anything. "I would come down to you but this stupid chain doesn't reach that far." He didn't know what to say, so he said nothing. "Come on, Angelo, please. What are you trying to do, kill yourself?"

He caught the worry in her voice and despite himself, found himself pulling himself up and standing onto worn, shaky legs. His body still ached all over. He slowly began to make his way up the stairs, holding tightly along the banister.

Once he reached the top, Mila stood watching him with large, guilt ridden eyes.

"Where's daddy?" He asked voice, croaky and weak. He listened closely for signs of the man, tense and on edge.

"He's outside, in the shed he said."

Angelo nodded and limped over to the plate of toast sitting on the coffee table. He began to nibble on the bread, silently.

"Angelo"

"You broke your promise," he spoke up, surprising even himself. "You said you wouldn't run."

"Can you blame me? Why would I want to stay here with that disgusting man you call daddy?"

"You didn't have to lie to me." He found himself raising his voice a little.

"You told me not to tell you my plans if I was trying to escape." She countered, crossing her arms and staring him down.

"You didn't have to pretend to be my friend. You didn't have to say you wanted to be my friend and than not mean it." He fully shouted, voice cracking. He looked away from her, chewing hard on his toast.

Mila was silent. "If you help him keep me here, you're just as bad as him." She told him quietly.

Angelo swallowed. "He's my dad isn't he? What makes you think I'm suppose to be any better?"

"Because you are," she told him, "I hope you are."

Angelo finally looked up at her, searching her face to see if she really believed that. He couldn't tell if she did or if she didn't.

(SB)

"What do you think about Mila being your new momma, boy?" His dad slurred as he wrapped his arms around Mila's waist and pulled her against him. He staggered a little, taking Mila with him but caught his footing. He moaned into her neck. Mila face remained perfectly passive, her hand light patting the man's larger one. "You didn't hear me, pencil dick?" His dad snapped at him.

Angelo stopped staring and focused on his dad. "I don't know." He said in a small voice.

"Good thing it don't matter what in the hell you think." He kissed the side of Mila's neck. The girl looked up at the man and smiled a little. "I'm going to marry her."

The last couple of weeks had been strange. Well, Mila was acting strange. She was nicer to his dad and more 'affectionate', he thought the word was. They actually held conversations when they had dinner together at night. Angelo wasn't stupid, he knew she was planning something. His dad seemed none the wiser though, and Angelo didn't really have any plans of getting in the middle of it.

"How are you going to marry me, G, if you're still married to his mother?" Mila asked, voice docile.

Angelo's dad sneered. "Who told you about that?"

"The picture in the basement, I asked Angelo who it was and he said it was his mother." She said soothingly, seeming to roll with anger. The large man visibly relaxed. She was playing him like a fiddle, Angelo observed. "I want it to be just us, no other women."

"I haven't seen that bitch in fourteen years, baby. She left us, she means nothing to me."

Mila's lips down turned. "It makes me uncomfortable." His dad kissed her, long and hard and smacked her butt. Angelo looked away uncomfortable.

"I've been thinking about filing for divorce from her for a long time now anyway. I'm just going to need someone to track her whoring ass down, then they'll serve her with the papers. I'll do anything for you, sweet-bon."

(SB)

When his dad left to go into town the first few times Angelo expected Mila to beg him to help her escape, but she never did. Instead she stayed in his dad's bedroom, watching tv. She didn't try escaping and it confused the hell out of him.

He was cleaning fish he had just gotten that morning, his dad had gone into town again, and Mila was his inside his dad's bedroom watching tv.

"Angelo, come watch the show with me." Mila called out.

Angelo stopped cleaning the fish and stared at the open doorway a moment before moving towards it, he lingered in the doorway. "I'm not allowed in daddy's room or to watch tv." He explained, again.

Mila sat on the floor in front of the tv on top of a pillow, her gown pulled down over her legs. "He doesn't allow you to watch tv?" She shrugged her shoulders at him. "I don't see him here, do you?"

Angelo frowned. He didn't want to get into any more trouble with his dad. "I dunno."

"Its a really good show and I'm lonely." She pulled the face sad face she made when she wanted something from his dad. "Please." Like his dad he caved to it and stepped into his dad's bedroom, eyes going to the large flat screen tv. He stared. "Sit," Mila commanded, patting the floor beside her. Angelo hesitated before relenting.

They watched the tv in silence for a few minutes. "You're not trying to trick me again are you?" Angelo asked.

"No, I'm lonely." She answered. "That's all." Something in her voice made him believe her.

(SB)

He bolted out of the room as soon as he heard his dad's truck in the middle of their third movie. He plopped himself down in his spot and watched as his griming dad entered the house.

"Mila, come out here." He called out, going to the kitchen and removing a beer from the fridge. "They found her," he said as soon as Mila appeared in the living room. "She agreed to the divorce." He grinned at her.

A smile came over Mila's face. "That's great." She said moving forward, dragging the chain with her. "How soon will it be done." She stopped in front of him and the man wasted no time swooping down to give her a hard kiss.

"She agreed as long as she gets to see Angelo first." His face twisted in distaste. "She left him, I don't see why she wants to see him now." He glanced at the said boy. "We set up a meeting for him to meet with her in town next week. You here that, boy, you're going to see your no good mammy next week. You better behave and not tell her nothing about what goes in this house, ya hear?"

Shocked, Angelo didn't answer right away but managed to nod after a moment. "I understand, daddy." He breathed out.

He would finally get to see his mother again