The Medium Kid

Chapter 40

Morlen stood in the doorway to the living room. His arms were crossed over his firm chest with a frown deeper than the bags under his eyes. He stared at Koda who had buried himself under every blanket he could find. Koda's head was the only visible part as he stared at the TV with no expression other than boredom.

"You've been like this all day," Morlen said and Koda barely acknowledged his existence. "Why don't you go to Alfie's or something?"

"He's busy," Koda mumbled, "with clients." His eyes didn't move from the screen.

"On the weekend? So... visit Connor then?" The more Morlen tried to think of activities his son could do, the more he realised he knew nothing about Koda's life.

"No."

"You're avoiding this- this soul thing." Morlen sat on the opposite couch. The awkwardness was apparent, but he couldn't simply sit and watch his son sink into a state of depression. If Koda's stability fell, Morlen would fall soon after.

"How can I avoid it? I woke up this morning and stared at a squirrel in the garden for at least thirty minutes, willing for it to fall from the tree and die because I wanted to know what it was like to feel its soul. Then when I snapped out of the trance, I cried for another half an hour because of the guilt." Koda could feel the sadness crawling up his throat. "I don't want to be like this."

Morlen sat still, so still that he blended into the room. His stare was intense, his eyes didn't blink and Koda could feel him judging. He could see it oozing from his tense body. Then Morlen jumped to his feet and stormed around the table. He yanked the blankets off his son and hauled him up.

"Dad," Koda groaned, pushing him away.

"No, you're not going to sit here in the dark and mope over nothing." Morlen tried to pull Koda to his feet, but he was just as big as him and he struggled. "Get up!"

Koda eventually stood, matching his father's tall height. "I'm not moping over nothing."

"You are." Morlen grabbed his son's shoulders, squeezing them a little too tight. "You're acting like you're the one who has to kill for the souls. You don't. People die because of other circumstances every day. All you have to do is pick up the souls and take them to Alfie so they can move on. Now pull yourself together and go and do something useful."

"Fine," Koda mumbled and turned towards his room. His father, oddly enough, was very good at making his mind rational.

"Where are you going?" Morlen asked. "I didn't mean go back to bed."

"I have homework."

"It's the weekend."

"I still have homework."

"Well..." Koda paused before entering the hallway. "Why don't you come to the gym instead? It might clear your head."

Koda turned to stare at his dad, the man who stood tall and strong, now paced with anticipation from one foot to the other. "You think so?"

"Yeah, I do."

Koda looked down to his hands. He fidgeted when he needed to be creative. He had to hold a pencil and let his mind wander. He also needed to surround himself with other people, and his father wanted them to spend time together. He shouldn't waste the opportunity.

* * * * *

When they reached the gym, Morlen mentioned on the car journey that his friends would be there. By then, it was too late for Koda to back out. Morlen was very vocal about his hatred towards having a gay son when Koda first came out. He could only imagine what his father's friends thought of him.