Page 61 of Filtration Play
They’d basked in that bliss for as long as possible because today would guaranteed be a rough one.
They’d responded to Mom’s text, and they were meeting up at a diner closer to where they’d grown up. A bit of an odd request from Mom, since she normally tried to aim for farther away, but Fin just wanted to get this lunch over with. They’d see her in person and reiterate it had to be only two or three meetups a year or nothing. At least, not while she remained with their father.
The behavior changes had their pulse speeding up the slightest bit with hope. Maybe she was finally leaving him. Fin had wanted that for a long time—for both their sakes.
They pulled into the parking lot of Eagle Diner, their skin humming. Being this close to where they’d grown up was bad for them overall, and they regretted coming. The beat-up, faded yellow-and-black sign still stood out, the tan, flat building a relic and not in the charming way. This place even fucked up eggs, which—how? That was supposed to be a universal diner staple. Hopefully, Mom would want a quick meetup, in and out without having to suffer through too much stilted conversation.
Fin glanced at their phone, not wanting to leave their car.
Good luck.
The message from Ollie stared back at them, and fuck, they weren’t used to that sort of immediate support. That required letting folks in, and it shocked them they shared as much as they did with him.
That they were kissing him in public. Bringing him to Play Night.
However, as much as their alarm bells should be ringing, those kept silent, and Fin was becoming too addicted to the comfort.
Hell, they were just becoming addicted to him.
Ollie made them feel less broken, and damn, they never thought that was a possibility.
They pocketed their phone and opened the door. Time to face Mom.
Fin walked a few paces forward, noticing not too many cars out in the parking lot. Probably only ones from the cook and a few grizzled patrons. The place lay along a quiet stretch, random businesses tucked away in a back road, and Fin hated everything about this visit.
Especially shitty eggs.
Mom’s beat-up Hyundai sat right by the side entrance. It looked like she hung out in the driver’s seat, so Fin steered in that direction, their heart thumping a little harder the closer they got. Something felt off, an intuition thing. Maybe this was too close to the last meetup, and they were feeling the aftereffects.
Their fingers tingled, so they stretched them out, then clenched them. Their shoulders were quickly turning into a plank of wood. They slowed near the car and swallowed a bitter taste on their tongue. Their gaze landed on who had emerged.
Their body had been trying to warn them.
The person who stood before them was one they hadn’t seen in a long, long while. For good reason. The years and alcohol hadn’t been kind to him. Where once their father’s face had been full, his short chestnut hair healthy, he’d grown sallow, his strands now stringy and grayed. The lines in his face weren’t gentle dips but harsh canyons. His eyes were dark and hardened, focused for once. From what Fin could remember, the days when they weren’t reddened and ruddy were rare.
Fear struck to the core of them, and they froze midstride. All too fast, they vaulted back to years and years of being a scared kid. Their heart thrummed, and fuck, everything rushed to the surface.
The roar of his voice as it reverberated through the walls of their house.
The thunks, crashes, smacks that echoed over and over again.
The bruises and cuts that had started to garner attention at school.
The monster should’ve been six feet under with the way he drank. If karma held any sway, he’d be deader than dead, but instead, the asshole stood in front of them, breathing hateful breath after hateful breath.
Their lungs constricted, and they were frozen in their spot as he approached.
The main question they wanted to ask got stuck in their throat.
Their father’s ugly face twisted into an even uglier mask. “The two of you tried to get this past me?”
Fin swallowed hard. They balled their hands into fists so tight their nails pricked into their skin. They were outside in front of a diner in broad daylight.
Except the blinds were shut, and maybe two patrons were inside this place, tucked away on a back road. No wonder their father had picked this diner.
“Where’s Mom?”
“At home.” His eyes flashed with a too-familiar rage. Bile rose in their throat, threatening to make an appearance. The sight of him was everything they’d been avoiding for years. Once they’d made their escape, they never wanted to see him again. “She’s learned her lesson.”
