The minute he saw the brat, his blood pressure went up. "Same to you Skunk." Ava's brother is the most annoying, insulting, insensitiveâ- His thought was interrupted when the Skunk muttered "Jerk". Not being able to help himself, Johnny told him "I was literally thinking the same thing about you."
Ava grabbed Johnny's hand and pushed past her brother. They made their way to the family room, where everyone is gathered. Everyone includes her parents, Grandpa Jack and Grandma Irene, Uncle Tom, Aunt Kimmy, all the little kids, and of course the monster named Misty. Super.
Her grandparents greeted them. For the first time, since the Sunday dinners began, Johnny did not get pulled into a finance conversation. For one, he didn't want to leave his wife's side. For another, Jack was bent on discussing other things.
The two of them found a spot side-by-side in an oversized armchair. They shared the space nicely and didn't make even an ounce of eye contact with her crazy cousin. The room was already awkward and stifling enough, with her parents and ridiculous brother. She hasn't spoken to them in months. Feeling ill at ease, Ava reached for the newspaper.
She gave the sports section to Johnny and kept the rest for herself. After she had finished a section she would give it to Johnny, who read it and then put the paper back together. It was also the first time he had read a newspaper cover to cover. However, he became exceedingly happy when he saw this week's coupons.
"Look Babe, BOGO on TP. Plus there's a free sandwich of your choice coupon at Arby's. And there's a PAC-Man glass offer. I'm getting that glass," he told his wife. Flipping the coupon page over, as it said to do, he saw the PAC-Man glass. PAC-Man is eating the ghosts. It is badass. "I mean who doesn't want this glass?"
He rustled the paper, loudly, trying to put the coupons back inside. As he tried to put the coupons inside, the stupid paper came undone. So he had to put it back together again. By the time he got to the inside sections, the rustling was so loud, heads turned to stare at him. Ava grabbed the paper and his hand. She held both with a huge smile on her face.
"So, Johnny and Ava how have you been lately?" Grandpa Jack asked.
Answering for both of them, Ava informed the room "Everything is fine until you get hit in the head by a big ball." Pairs of eyes blinked at her. "It practically gave me a concussion. Johnny took me to the ER and they said I had a wicked migraine. Just started feeling better this morning. But enough about Johnny and I. We should talk to Misty, I mean she really knows how to handle her balls." She confidently slid that dig in, letting Misty know she knows it's her who threw it. It was now Johnny's turn to hold his wife's hand with a huge smile on his face. The awkwardness is strong in the room.
"Right. Because if I ever did throw something at someone, it would be a lot harder than a dodge ball. More like a hard baseball or golf ball," Misty admitted. Her crazy is really starting to break loose. Knowing the permanent damage either of those could do, made Ava clutch Johnny's hand a little tighter. A shiver of fright ran through her.
After that, Marvin announced dinner. Johnny didn't take kindly to those words. If he wanted to he could put all of this to an end right now, with one well-placed kick. But, knowing his intentions by the look on his face, his wife stopped him with a look of her own and a shake of the head.
Not wanting to be left with, or around, Misty the couple got up as soon as her grandparents did. They left the room at the same time as them. Tonight's dinner was a delicious Spanish-inspired meal. When her grandmother asked for Johnny's favorite foods she swore she said Mexican, not Spanish. Somehow Grandma Irene interpreted Mexican to mean Spanish.
So tonight's dinner consisted of marinated olives with orange and Chiles, blistered padron' peppers with sea salt, various tapas with albondigas (meatballs), chicken croquetas, gambas al Ajillo (garlic shrimp), tortilla Espanola, and traditional Spanish paella. Despite some hard-to-pronounce dish names, and Johnny's shake, shake, shaking of the salt onto everything (Ava had to snatch it away), the food was great. For dessert, everyone had three choices: Spanish almond tart, bread pudding with crème brûlée, or pera riojana (poached pear with raspberries).
After dinner coffee was served. When the coffee had been served, her grandmother asked a question. A very loaded question. "What's the hardest thing you've ever had to do?" She got a lot of raised eyebrows, strange looks, and blank stares. No one wanted to answer the question. "Alright let's try again. If you could do one thing for someone you love dearly, what would it be?" Again no one wanted to go first.
Finding herself compelled to answer, Ava said "Fight for my husband more. I'd also argue with him a little less over cleaning. Then it might have changed the outcome of things. And the hardest thing I've ever had to do was fight for my husband and tell the truth." Her answer was cryptic on purpose.
But it wasn't too much so, as her grandfather spoke up next. "The hardest thing I ever had to do was listen to my granddaughter pour her heart out and then watch a video. A video I never wished I had seen. And the thing I could do for someone I love dearly is to get that person some help." Eyes turned to him, confused. If Ava's answer is cryptic, then Granpa Jack's is mysterious. Under the table, Ava grasped Johnny's hand.
Jack Green put his coffee cup down and bore his eyes into those seated at the table. "It's interesting because you think things like this wouldn't happen in your own family. Then when it does you want to sweep it under the rug or point fingers for blame. But the truth is still the truth and like surgery, it hurts but also cures. And no matter how careful you are, you will get caught."
The truth? Getting caught? A lot of people at the table squirmed, thinking he's talking about them. Before Jack could make known a few things, Chase confessed. "Grandpa I went into Ava's old room and snooped around, where I know she kept her diary. I found out her secret and then I distorted her into confessing her marriage to Rat... I mean Johnny." His parents were mortified and ashamed.
His grandfather corrected him "Extorted. And that's a terrible thing to do to your sister." His displeased eyes left his grandson and landed on his coffee cup. "While I respect my grandson's confession, that's not quite what I was going for." Raising both his head and eyes up, he engaged the group once again. "Misty, do you have something you'd like to confess?" Eyes turned to her.
The thing about liars is they keep lying and lying, and eventually they believe their own lies. The shocking thing is are the lies they tell to cover up all the lies. That's the definition of a sociopath. They have a lack of remorse and are great wizards at rationalizing how they've hurt and mistreated others. But no matter how many times a lie is repeated or changed, it still doesn't alter the truth. Truth is absolute.
Tapping her fingers on the table, she put on a syrupy face. "I do have something to confess Grandfather." Her eyes turned to Johnny, then to Ava. "I'm sorry to have to say this, but Ava's husband is a predator." She hung her head and in a fit of dramatics, started crying.
Ava could feel Johnny's hand tighten around her own. She could also see the vein in his neck throb, and his face heat up. But unknowing eyes turned on him, even her parents. Like a knife to the heart, that really hurt.
Still crying, Misty told them all about how Johnny "ravaged" her in the shower. She also shared about him grabbing her arm tightly. "And it happened right here in your house Grandma and Grandpa." Picking up her cloth napkin, she dabbed at her eyes. "Then on Friday, he took a ball and hit me in the face with it." Turning to her father, she explained "That's why I came home with that red mark on my forehead and a hurt nose." She turned to her mother, who held her while she wept.
Johnny was receiving all kinds of nasty looks. He wanted nothing more than to kick the girl into kingdom come, but Ava dug her nails into his leg forcing him to stay put and silent. Misty's father, Tom, trained his sharp eyes on Johnny. His face was red and he threw his napkin on his plate. As he went to stand up, clapping ensued.
Heads turned and confused looks were given to Irene. She kept clapping and clapping. Then she spoke. "Bravo, dear. Bravo. That bit of dramatics would earn you an Academy Award for certain." Misty poked her head up from her mother's comforting arms. Knowing she has her granddaughter's attention, she spoke again. "I have to say that's the most convincing lie ever to disgrace this house. A word of advice dear. Never try to ruin someone's life with a lie, when your own can be destroyed with the truth." She took her coffee mug in hand and began to sip.
Her son was visibly upset. "Now mother, see here," he stated. He wanted to say more, but Jack cut him off.
Staring Misty down, he advised "Misty I'm going to give you one more chance, to tell the truth. If you do not, then just remember you brought the consequences on yourself." She did not and she also had the nerve to add more fake tears. "Alright then," Jack articulated. In a commanding presence, he stood up.
He began moving. "I think part of the problem with people nowadays is they have no respect for themselves and for others. They sure as hell don't have respect for the love others share, especially if they're jealous of it. So, they try to destroy it and in doing so destroy their own selves. It's better to seek respect, not attention. It lasts longer. Desperation does not look good on anyone."
His feet carried him to Johnny's chair, where he laid a hand on his shoulders and squeezed it. Then he moved on around the table. "Sometimes people don't want to hear the truth, because the truth hurts. It shatters their illusions. But desperate people do desperate things. And in their desperation, they get sloppy." He stopped at an oversized picture and pressed a button. It revealed a hidden TV.
His eyes surveyed the room and landed on Misty again. "Granddaughter in your desperation you forgot that this house is wired for security. There are security cameras strategically placed throughout the house. One of them just happens to be the library." To the untrained eye, it would have gone unnoticed, but to Jack Green (who's spent his life dealing with liars and cheats in the financial world) it didn't. Misty flinched.
He pressed ahead. "What you're about to watch is the truth. I'm sorry to say this but Misty is in a heap of trouble."
Before he could even play the video, Tom Green wanted to know "Dad just what are you trying to say?"
Unaffected, Jack told his son "It gives me no pleasure to say this. Your daughter is the worst kind of girl. She is a liar, a ruiner of lives, a bully, a drug user, a whore, and a sociopath to boot. In other words, she's the predator in this room." Turning to his wife, he said "I believe I got all of it out, right dear?"
Irene put her mug down. "You forgot pregnant." She poured herself another cup of coffee as if what she said was normal.
The gasps of breath heard in the room were comical. Kimmy Green rounded on her daughter. "Is your grandmother correct? Are you pregnant?"
Feeling the weight of the words unleashed against her, Misty hissed out "Yes. Yes, I'm pregnant." Turning to her grandfather, she snarled "How did you find out?"
Jack told her "Easy. I had you followed. To catch a fool you have to play the fool. Not only did I find out you are pregnant, but I also found out you acquired a date rape drug from some idiot named Skinny Bob. I learned that you like to bully, and gossip about, your cousin Ava. You hit her in the head with a ball. I have photo evidence of that, as well as slapping her. And after interviewing a girl named Charley, I learned you slipped my grandson-in-law the date rape drug. Which by the way could have killed him. But let's leave Johnny out of this, for now. There's overwhelming disturbing evidence without bringing him into the conversation."
Johnny could not believe what was happening. It's like some twisted soap opera. He wants to look away yet he can't. So, he just held his wife's hand and stayed quiet. But he did turn his head in time to see cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs Misty, get a look in her eyes. Without warning, she jumped up with her fork and went for his wife.
This time Johnny was prepared. Using a Mae Geri (a high front kick), he knocked her out cold with a perfectly placed kick to the chin. Screams sounded, from Kimmy and Linda. But Johnny turned to his wife and stated "I told you I wasn't going to let anyone hit you ever again. And I meant it. That includes crazy family members."
Ava jumped up and threw herself into his arms. She trembled as he held her. They sat back down together in his chair, with her on his lap. Jack looked at his son and condemned him. "Tom I love you but it's time you were honest too. Did you think a move to California would undo all of the things Misty did in Seattle? My people were looking into her background and found all the things she did there. The girl is sick and needs help. It can't be covered up any longer. She almost hurt Ava tonight, as well as other times. She almost killed Johnny and if it wasn't Johnny it would have been someone else. You can't ignore this."
At that Tom and Kimmy were in tears. "I know Dad. I know. But she's my child."
Then Nick Green couldn't stay silent any longer. "Well, Ava's my child. And Johnny's my son-in-law. They matter too. And if Dad has proof of all your daughter did, then Johnny could have her arrested. She'd end up in jail. Which is worse Tom? Jail or the mental hospital? Think about that. At least she'd get the help she needed and possibly be able to live a normal life if she's in the mental hospital."
With those words spoken, and a lot more tears, Tom and Kimmy relented. Birch Grove Behavior Hospital came to pick Misty up, thirty minutes later. She was still unconscious. Once she was gone, as was Tom and Kimmy who went with her, the suffocating air disappeared. The only ones to remain were Jack and Irene, Nick and Linda, Johnny and Ava, and of course Chase.
Jack told his other son, "I'm ashamed of you too. Your mother and I have had many dinners with Ava and Johnny. Johnny is a decent young man with a good head on his shoulders. It's evident he loves Ava and Ava loves him. Yes, they married young. But as witnessed here tonight, there are worse things than marrying young and for love." Nick hung his head down, shamefaced.
And turning to Johnny he offered these words. "On behalf of my family, I am truly sorry for the pain you have gone through. But know you are always welcome in my home. I know you love my granddaughter and I know she loves you. And you must be in it for the long haul to endure what you've endured by my other granddaughter. Which I am appalled by." He sat down and held his coffee cup.
He continued talking. "When Ava came to me and told me what had happened, I could scarcely believe it. Irene couldn't either. But then she reminded me of the video cameras in the house. When we watched it, with our own eyes, what she did to you in our library... my skin crawled. When Ava showed me your tox screen, I was shocked. But when I started finding out more and more about her, I was dumbfounded. My heart hurt for her and her parents. But make no mistake my heart was just as heavy for you."
Ava wiped a few tears away from Johnny's eyes with her thumbs. Her father stood up and rounded the table. He embraced his son-in-law. "Thank you for taking care of my baby girl. And if you can, please forgive a stupid old man."
Of course, Johnny did. Then Linda asked the same from him and her daughter. Many tears were shed. Tears of forgiveness and of time lost due to stubbornness. Eyes were trained on the only person in the room who hasn't spoken, Chase. "Don't look at me Rat Face. I've got nothing." Groans were sounded.
Nick was not amused. "Young Man you're already in huge trouble for extorting your sister. Don't think we've forgotten about that in light of everything else. Tread lightly Chase and mind your words."
Before Ava and Johnny left, her parents accepted an invitation to dine with them on Tuesday. And her grandparents promised them "We'll have a quieter dinner next Sunday. Just the four of us."
The car ride was silent on the way home. When they entered the sanctity and comfort of their own home, Johnny picked Ava up and carried her their bed. He put her down in his lap. "I just want to hold you," he remarked. She did not mind it one bit. In fact, she was glad he wanted to.
As he held her, he talked. "So you went to your grandparents and came up with this plan, that happened tonight?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I did. On our drive home from the hospital, I remembered they have security cameras. I prayed there was one in the library and there was. The security company was able to pull up the video of that evening. I told them everything and they were worried. They found out all of the other stuff, including her being pregnant. That's why she was so desperate. The father wasn't going to claim the kid and she wanted money."
Her lips kissed his forehead. "Honey, I'm so sorry for not telling you." She just knew the whole time he'd be disappointed about that. Until she felt tears on her neck.
Johnny held his head up. With a shaky voice, he confessed "You went to all this trouble just for me. You fought for me. You got your grandparents to fight for me too. No one has done that for me before. I don't know what I've done to deserve your love, but I want it for the rest of my life. And I promise I'll try to be the man you deserve. I love you."
With a lump welling up in her throat, Ava stated with surety "You don't have to try. You already are the man I deserve. You're worth fighting for. I will always fight for you because that's what you do for the one you love."
All he really knows is that he loves her. He knew it before, but if there were any doubts tonight confirmed it. He's the luckiest guy in the world. All because the woman he loves, loves him back. Really she's all he needs. Well, and that PAC-Man glass. He really needs that too.