Rendezvous with Drama -1

AUTHORS NOTE - This is the first instalment of "Rendezvous with drama" and still very much a work in progress so feel free to rip it apart and appraise it as you wish) I have sacrificed setting details for story flow and action so hopefully it will still read okay. More detail will emerge as the story progresses, on a need to know basis so to speak.  

Caution - contains occasional coarse language and violence
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Logan Hectors drew a heavy sigh as the last of the party stragglers reverse down the drive and started their way home. He watched the taillights disappear into the distance. Looking over at the clock radio he noted that it was nearly 1:15am.The impromptu shindig had been going since 7:15pm. Five and a half hours of thumping music, burbling, out of tune singing and intermittent cheering. Two days prior his mother had been punished for making a far less racket, over a much shorter period. 

Despite the time, their bedroom light was still on. The floor was littered with chippy crumbs and small shards of pretzels. A folded checkers board sat on the top of the writing desk with its pieces scattered loosely around the room. Next to it was a small drawing pad with crude sketches, noughts and crosses games and hangman attempts with misspelled answers.  The bookshelf above Logan’s bed had regressed to its usual untidy status, with various crumpled comics that had been haphazardly crammed back after reading.                       
   
“Yeah right,” muttered Anthony from an array of tangled sheets and blankets that vaguely covered him. He whispered something to the small teddy bear under the crook of his left arm,  and then stared back at Logan with dim eyes. “The fireworks are about to start.”

“Oh, come on Tones. He promised to give all that away.”

"He never keeps his promises aspecially when he's been drinking."

“He will if he knows what’s good for him.”
               
“What the hell’s your fecking problem?” an all too familiar rant sounded from downstairs, as if cued in by Logan’s optimism. Think you’re too good for the likes of my mates or something...huh?”


Logan drew another heavy sigh and prayed for peace.

“I never said that, Daniel! I was more than hospitable, on short notice, to your friends,” he heard his stepmother reply. “It’s just we’d planned a quiet night home and…”

“All hail Queen Kelly the stuck up bitch! Is it because they work with their hands you think them inferior to you? Just because they did not go to some fancy university or sit on their fat asses in office blocks you think they should be treated as second class scum!”

“He’s gonna kill her!” fretted Anthony, embracing the teddy bear tighter.

“Hush, Tones, he’ll settle down in a minute,” affirmed Logan. 

“We? Ah…the fecking Royal “we”! “You” planned the night! Just the sort you like best, the one that doesn’t involve even pretending to be hospitable my scum mates. A night of being a rude stuck up bitch!”

“He’s gunna hit her, Logan!” cried Anthony, discarding the teddy bear. He ran to Logan’s bed, snatched his arm and started shaking him “He’s gunna kill her! Do something! Do something!”

"Quit it!”

Anthony stumbled as Logan pushed him back. He tripped over his own feet and landed on the carpet with a heavy thump. He stared at Logan with a deeply hurt expression and was just about to start bawling when a distant smacking sound chilled both of the boys' hearts. Seconds later there was a crash followed by yelling, screaming and more smacking.

“Stay here Tones, I’m putting a stop to this!”

The air was thick with hostility when Logan entered the living room. A toppled coffee table lay on the floor with a crumpled white dolly, and shattered crystal vase to the left. Cushions had been flung from one side of the room to the other and he could just make out, on the far left corner of the room beneath an array of beer cans the colouring in book he had been working on for the past two weeks swimming in frothy alcohol, and in the midst of the chaos stood Kelly and Daniel screaming blue murder at one other.       
       
“What the feck are you doing here boy?” snarled Daniel.

“L-leave her a-alone” retorted Logan, trying hard to be brave but notably shaken by such violence. Tears welled in his eyes as he saw the scarlet welts on Kelly’s saturated cheeks. “Get away from her you bully!”

Daniel’s was a large man with an even larger temper that had been an amateur welterweight boxer at one period and was presently employed as a part time bouncer at a local nightclub. His long dark curly hair hung down passed his shoulders whilst his busy beard hid most of his neck. He had an intimidating demeanour and often his scowl alone was enough to secure unquestioning obedience from his children.

“No I will not L-leave her a-alone,” he mocked. "Get back to bed and mind your own business.”

“You promised you wouldn't hurt her anymore, Daddy.”

“And she promised not to be a fecking stuck up bitch.” 

“Please calm down Daddy…you’re scaring Anthony…he’s upstairs terrified you’re going to kill Mummy.”

“Tell him to man up and stop being such a cry-baby drama-queen. Now get back to bed. No one asked for your presence, and no one need some reedy eleven year old brat telling them what to do. Go on, bugger off you little shit.”

“I’m staying right here. I won’t let you hurt Mummy.”

“Go to your room boy,”

“No…not until you calm down.”

“I’m calm, now get!”

“No,” 

Logan gasped as Daniel grabbed the front of back collar of his Pixar pyjama top and hurled him toward the doorway. He stumbled, lost balance and landed on the floor, a lot harder than Anthony had. He struggled back up to his feet, wiped his misty eyes on the back of his hand and watched on with horror while Daniel unsheathe and fold his thick leather belt it in half.

“If you’re going to be a smartass you’re going to end up with a sore-ass to match. You can either go to your room or go over my knee for a good whipping.”

“Daniel no,” interceded Kelly, grabbing the other end of the belt, and struggling to prize it out of his hands. “Logan run to your room and lock the door behind you.”

Seconds later, Daniel tore the belt from Kelly’s grp and advanced toward him, but the fray was far from over. Crying out like a savage warrior she sucker punched him, hard. He wavered and dropped to the ground. She rushed toward Logan, hauled him to his feet and hurried him from danger. 

"You must not get in the way when Daniel and I are fighting” she admonished towing him up the staircase. “You’ll get hurt.”

“I don’t care,” argued Logan fighting to free his hand as "I won let him hurt us anymore. He can’t. He won’t. I won’t let him….I won’t let him!”

“Logan, you’re being naughty. Stop it!”

Logan grizzled and dug his heels in, but she managed to get him back into the bedroom an locked the door just in the nick of time, before Daniel made his way up the stairs behind them. In the days when his biological father was alive the need for locks and keys had seemed unnecessary, now they were essential. More so, a conscious effort needed to be maintained from all of them, to ensure Daniel never got hold of a spare key to the boys’ bedroom. He huddled close to her as Daniel yelled and threatened and kicked at the door to no avail. The ranting eventually stopped and he could hear stomping receding back downstairs.   

"I hate that fecking asshole.” he affirmed. 

"How many times do I have to tell you not to swear?” she scolded swatting wagging her index finger at his nose.

“Daddy swears like all the time, how come he don’t get growled at?”

“I’ll have a stern word with him. Now, get to bed, and I don't want to hear anymore nonsense about you taking on Daniel!"

The pitter-patter of raindrops sounded on the window pane as Logan climbed back beneath the covers and reflected on all he had witnessed. He drew another sigh and watched on silently whilst Kelly tuck Anthony back into bed. Memories of his biological mother doing the same to him seemed a lifetime ago.

“Good night sweetie,” said Kelly turning to Logan and kissing his forehead.

"Goodnight mummy,” he replied then added “I’m sorry I swore. I was just really upset.” 

"That's okay just don’t make a habit of it."

"I won't."
 
"Good boy, I Love you heaps. Try and get some sleep and let me work things out with Daniel.”

“Stay here for a while. Don’t go back out to him…please.”

“He’s had a bit of time to calm down. I’ll be fine honey…honest.”

“Tell me a bedtime story before you go.”

“It’s very late.”

“Oh please mummy,”

“Oh please mummy!” added Anthony from the other side of the room. “Pretty please with a cherry on top”

“Oh, alright…once upon a time in a land far-far away….”







Continues