Page 125 of Tobias

“Marianne, what is the meaning of this?” Vern asks as her mother starts to sob. “What have you done, Channing?”

“Me?” my father shouts in response to Vern’s accusation.

My brothers are laughing, muttering to one another, and I think my head is going to explode. My mother is still wailinglike someone died, and Vern and my father are redder than tomatoes.

“Can everyone just stop?” I say, and when the shouting and laughing and crying gets louder, I decide to scream. “Everyone, shut up!” I yell, and it works this time. The chatter stops. I put my arm around Marianne’s shoulders.

“This is ridiculous,” I spit out. “Do you see yourselves? You’re acting like the world is ending all because we’re calling off a wedding.Ourwedding, by the way. If we don’t want to get married, we shouldn’t have to.” Every set of eyes in the room go wide. Even Marianne’s. Hell, maybe mine are, too. I don’t talk to my family like this. I’ve never even thought of speaking to them this way. “We deserve to be happy and if that means it isn’t together, then that’s what we’re doing. Now, we’re sorry if this upsets you, but the decision is final.”

“We agreed together, Mom and Dad,” Marianne says in a tiny voice, and I don’t know if she’s talking to her parents or mine. Maybe both.

“This is an outrage!” my father shouts.

My mother found a tissue box somewhere and is patting at her nose as more tears pour down her face.

Marianne gives me a sad smile and I shake my head, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “I’m sorry.”

“It’ll be okay,” she says, just before her parents usher her away.

“Marianne,” I call, taking a step toward her.

“It’s okay! Promise, I’ll be fine. I’ll call you tomorrow,” she calls out over her shoulder. Betty is packing her things, while Lawrence gets the baby in the carrier.

Fuck. This is crazy. It’s fucking ridiculous. Why are they all acting like this? It isn't the end of the world.

“How could you do this to us?” my father shouts in my face.

“I didn’t do anything,” I say, stepping back. I don’t think he’ll hit me, but he sure looks like he wants to.

“You’ve ruined everything!”

“I’ve ruined everything? Do you have any idea what it’s like to live with you as a father?” I growl.

I realize my mistake the moment the words leave my lips. His eyes go wide, mouth falling open.

“You ungrateful little shit,” he hisses. “I have given you everything!”

“I don’t care about that shit,” I respond. “I don’t care about your money, the house, the car, the business! None of it makes me happy.”

My mother sobs even louder, and Betty and Lawrence escape while they can.

“You are destroying your family!” my father screams.

“What about what I want?” I call back, huffing out a humorless laugh. “What about me? Don’t you care about me being happy?”

“Marianne is a good woman!” my mother cries. “She is good!”

“I don’t even like women!” I bark.

That gets everyone to shut up. My heart is pounding, adrenaline coursing through my veins.

One second goes by.

Two. Three. Four.

No one says anything. I think it’s time to go.

I storm past my father, yank my coat from the rack and hurry out the door. It’s best I get out of here while I can. So I get into my car and go home, hoping I’ll be safe from them for at least the night. I’ll pack my things in the morning and let Asher know that I have to go there.

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