Heart To Heal

V.

Chapter Five.

Zealand stood at the stove, scrambling himself some eggs. Harmony sat at the kitchen table, eating cereal while watching toy unboxing videos on Zealand's iPhone 6s. He was surprised that it was still hanging on, considering that he had gotten the phone way back in 2015 and had dropped it numerous times. It was definitely time for an upgrade, but he didn't see that happening anytime soon. Money was extremely tight and ends were barely getting met.

"Harmony, turn that down." Eddie said sternly, trying to concentrate on sorting through past due and currently due bills as he sat across from her. Usually, Harmony would comply instantly since she knew her father was crazy as hell, but she was so astonished by the woman unboxing a new Barbie doll that his words went in one ear and out the other.

"Turn the shit down!" He barked, slamming his hand on the table making her flinch. Zealand quickly turned around, looking at his father.

"Pop, you don't have to yell at her like that." He said, trying to sound as calm as possible. Any slight hint of attitude or aggression and Eddie would have been on his ass.

"I yell at who I wanna yell at! I told her ass to turn it down and she didn't listen. Don't try to check me muthafucker."

"Sorry dad." Harmony said quietly, completely exiting out of YouTube and sitting the phone down.

Zealand mumbled under his breath, turning back around to face the stove.

"You wanna speak up? Cause I don't think I heard you." Eddie said, throwing an envelope down and looking at his son.

"Nah." Zealand said through clenched teeth.

"That's what the fuck I thought."

No doubt, the seventeen year old was afraid of his father. Eddie was a scary dude, standing at 6'6, 230 pounds of pure muscle. His face always held a mean mug, and the teardrops tatted under his eye confirmed that he had been to prison before.

After Zealand & Harmony's mother got killed in a gas station shooting a few years prior, Eddie became extremely stressed out and overwhelmed due to him having to deal with not having his wife around, as well as trying to provide for two kids on his own. He began taking all of his frustrations and built up anger out on them, which instilled fear in his children.

They walked on eggshells every day, trying not to piss their father off. He was very short tempered, and got irritated by the smallest things. Since Harmony was only nine, she didn't catch hell from him as much as Zealand, but that didn't mean Eddie wouldn't snatch her up by the shirt or spank her from time to time. Most of the physical attributes were put on Zealand, though.

"I swear, y'all make me sick sometimes." Eddie grimaced, standing up from the table. "Look, I'm going into work today for some overtime. I don't know what time I'll be coming back home, so don't ask. Zealand, this kitchen and the living room better be clean when I get back. Got it?"

"Yeah." He mumbled, coming to the table with his plate of eggs and a slice of toast.

"What?"

"I mean, yes sir."

Eddie cut his eyes at his son, grabbing his yellow hard hat off of the table. He worked at a construction site, which he hated. The hours were long, the work was tedious, and the pay wasn't worth a damn.

"Dad, when can I start back taking my dance class?" Harmony asked hesitantly. At one point, she was enrolled in ballet lessons but had to stop going because Eddie couldn't afford to pay for them each month.

"I told you to stop asking me about it. I don't know." He said, placing his hat on his head. Harmony kept quiet after that, and finished eating her cereal.