Dysfunctional

Caroline held the phone between her ear and shoulder while holding a screaming child in one arm and trying to pour milk with the other. She spilled the milk, nearly dropping the phone and making three-year-old Tessa burst into tears.

Caroline inhaled sharply. “It’s alright, Tess, I’ll get more.”Jaxson, only fourteen months old, continued to wail in her ear.

“Mrs. Harper?” a pleasant voice asked as she readjusted the phone. “Are you still there?”

“Yes, I’m sorry,” Caroline said, using what Jeffery called her ‘phone voice’. He said she somehow managed to sound cheery even when her expression spoke murder.

As if on cue, Jeffery came tromping down the stairs. At fourteen, he was already taller than her, with a mop of brown hair that he refused to cut.

“Can I call you back?” Caroline hated to end the call with the insurance company after being put on hold for fifteen minutes, but she needed to get the kids to school.

“Mom, have you seen my shoes?”

Caroline nearly screamed. She turned to see her seven-year-old, Cassie, looking up at her expectantly.

“Cassie,” Caroline said, trying to keep her voice calm, “I did not wear your shoes. You’ll need to go look for them.”

“But I don’t know where they are!” the little girl whined, stomping a foot.

“That’s why you go look,” Jeffery said, poking her in the shoulder as he passed, shoving an entire blueberry muffin into his mouth at once. Cassie looked furious.

“Jeffery,” Caroline snapped. “That’s not helping.”

“I was just teasing!” he protested.

“Let me be the parent,” Caroline replied.

“She just needs to stop being a baby,” Jeffery muttered under his breath. Caroline decided to let the comment slide.

“Where’s Rylie?” she asked.

“Probably still doing her hair,” Jeffery said, rolling his eyes. “Like she has been for the last hour and a half.”

Caroline blew out a breath. Unfortunately, he was probably right. A glance at the microwave clock told her they had to be leaving in five minutes to get everyone to school on time.

“Well, she’ll just have to eat breakfast on the way,” Caroline said.

Derek Harper, CEO of Founders Inc., wasn’t sure he could handle one more phone call. So when his secretary called to say his wife was on the line, he almost told her to say he was busy.

With a sigh, he took the phone. “Hello?” he asked, more sharply than he’d intended.

“Rick, I need you to pick up more milk on the way home from work today. We’re all out the baby needs it.”

No ‘hello, how are you’, just straight to the demands. He felt his expression grow sour.

“Can’t you do it?” he asked. “You only have two kids right now. I’m really busy today.”

“Why can’t you just do it on your way home?” she said, sounding exasperated. “It’s hard to drag an infant and a three year old around Walmart.”

“Well, I have a meeting that will go until eight tonight, so if you want milk sooner than that, you’ll have to get it yourself.”

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. “It would have been nice if you had mentioned that before.” Her voice was cold.

“I’m so sorry,” he snapped, “that while I’m providing for you and the kids, allowing you to have a lifestyle most people can’t dream of, I don’t remember every little detail to tell you.”

“Rick!” she exclaimed, “You told Cassie you would drive her to the Johnson’s house at five today. Now I have to get her another ride.”

Derek hesitated, thinking. Had he said that? He remembered, vaguely, discussing the playdate with Cassie. Was that today?

He sighed. “I’m sorry, Carol. It’s just been really busy.” His secretary poked her head in, gesturing to him. “I have to go. I’ll see you tonight.”

Jeffery tossed another pretzel into the air and caught it in his mouth. Lawrence and Brady clapped appreciatively.

A few moments later, Justin slid into the seat across from Jeffery. “What’s up?” he asked, eating a French fry from off his lunch tray.

“Jeffery’s just showing us his mad skills,” Brady replied with mock admiration.

“I am the master,” Jeffery said solemnly.

Justin snorted, shoving three French fries into his mouth at once. He spoke around the mouthful. “The master of dopiness.”

Lawrence and Brady laughed. Jeffrey feigned defensiveness. “Your mom’s the master of dopiness.”

“Fight me!” Justin said, half standing out of his seat in mock anger.

“It will be epic,” Justin replied, holding out a pretzel like a sword. Justin leaned forward and took a bite out of the end.

“You just cut your tongue off,” Jeffry said, waving the rest of the pretzel stick. “No more talking.”

Justin put a hand to his chest. “I am a mighty warrior. My insides are as strong as steel.”

“We’ll see about that tonight,” Lawrence crowed.

Jeffery’s spirits fell instantly. Tonight. All of the basketball team was planning on meeting out by the stream behind the school. Harvin, a Junior, had invited all the freshmen for an ‘initiation’. From what Jeffery had heard, it would involve illegal substances. He didn’t want to be a baby, but he also didn’t want to get arrested. Or be killed by his parents.

Rylie leaned up against Brian, snuggling against his chest. Her legs were curled up on the park bench beside her as they sat together. She was technically supposed to be in English class, but she had perfected the art of forging her mother’s signature. As a freshman in college, Brian didn’t have any classes today, and had asked her to come spend some time with him. She had eagerly agreed.

She was nearly two years his junior, but she felt a connection to him. All she wanted to do was have him hold her, talk to her, be with her. She tingled when near him. She was certain that this was what love felt like. They had already talked about life after she turned eighteen in six months. He was looking for bigger places to rent next semester, a place they could share. The thought made her heart skip a beat. She let out a sigh.

He brushed his lips over the top of her head, and she shivered.

“We’ve been together for nearly six months now,” Brian said, his voice washing over her like a calm breeze.

“Yes,” she agreed. “I’m very proud you can count that high.”

He chuckled, shifting a bit so that she sat up and looked him in the eye.

“Don’t you think it’s time to take the next step?” he whispered. Her breath caught as she looked into those deep brown eyes, eyes she could practically fall into.

He had talked about this before, but she had always hesitated. She was, after all, still in high school, and couldn’t even move in with him yet. But if it was love, did it really matter?

When she didn’t immediately object, he cupped her chin in his hand.

“My roommates won’t be back from class until three. My apartment will be empty for the next few hours.”

Caroline sat down hard in the kitchen chair and buried her face in her hands. The baby had finally gone to sleep after fighting her for over half an hour. Tessa had finally settled in and was coloring pictures at the table.

“Mama,” Tessa said. “I want chocolate milk.”

Caroline sighed. “We don’t have any milk right now, Tessa. I’m sorry. We’ll get some as soon as baby Jax wakes up.”

Tess threw her crayon at the table, lips puckering. “Yes we do have milk!” she insisted loudly. Caroline cringed.

“No, honey, we don’t. We finished it for breakfast.”

“No we didn’t!” she shrieked.

“Hush!” Caroline said sharply. “You’ll wake up Jaxson.”

“I want chocolate milk!” The words were now a full-blown wail.

“That’s enough,” Caroline hissed, standing and moving to loom over her daughter. “I don’t want to hear another word.”

Tessa had frozen and was staring at her, eyes wide. Then her lip began to tremble, and she burst into tears, ducking under the table and curling into a ball, sobbing.

Caroline gritted her teeth, trying to control her frustration. Could anyone in this household manage to not have a crisis for five minutes? Her husband was a total space case, Rylie and Jeffery were distant and rarely home, and the little ones acted like they were constantly one step away from a meltdown.

As if on cue, Jaxson started to scream, likely woken by Tessa’s meltdown.

“Thanks, Tessa,” she snapped. “Now he’s going to be a beast for the rest of the day.” She stomped away to try to settle her screaming infant.

It was late before Derek got home. By that time, Caroline was beyond the breaking point. The baby seemed to have come down with something for he wouldn’t sleep unless she held him, the trip to get milk had been a disaster, and she’d barely gotten Cassie got to her playdate. On top of that, Jeffery had basketball and Rylie was with friends, so she couldn’t count on them for help.

Derek seemed to sense the tension in the air because he paused in the doorway.

“Leftover macaroni in the fridge,” she said stiffly, not meeting his eyes.

“Kraft or homemade?” he asked. It was the wrong thing to say.

She turned the full heat of her frustration on him. “Are you kidding? If you’re going to be picky, made your own dinner.” She stood abruptly and stomped away, holding Jaxson in her arms.

Jeffery didn’t get home until nearly eleven pm. Derek was still up, working on some reports from work. He glanced up as Jeffery returned. The boy was staring at the ground, seeming…off.

“Why were you gone so long?” Derek asked.

Jeffery still looked down. “I told Mom I’d be gone late. We had a team night.”

Derek grunted, ready to dismiss it. But as Jeffery walked closer, he stumbled a bit. Derek frowned. He stood, moving towards his son.

And was hit with the heady smell of alcohol.

“Team night, you say?” Derek said, steel in his voice. Jeffery ducked his head further.

Derek slapped him across the face. Not especially hard, but Jeffery still stumbled back.

“How could you do be such a fool?” Derek exploded. “Do you know what you are risking?”

Jeffery looked ready to burst into tears.

“You’re grounded. From everything. Until I say otherwise.”

Rylie sat on the front porch, red-eyed and silent. She had long since cried herself dry. Too ashamed to go inside, she just sat there.

Brian had announced to her that he was transferring schools. And he had no intention of taking her with him, even after all she had given him. She wasn’t sure what the point of living was anymore.

Caroline lay in bed alone. Derek wouldn’t be home for another hour due to a late meeting. She felt cold and alone.

How had her family come to this? How had everything fallen apart? She felt as though she barely knew her children or husband anymore. Rylie had grown dark, Jeffery was slipping away from them. The little ones all seemed in the clutch of anxiety, struggling to maintain even a semblance of composure.

A small tear slipped down her cheek. She desperately wanted her family back.

A small knock came on her door. She sat up, confused, until the door opened, revealing a small figure.

“Cassie?” she asked. “What are you doing up?”

The little girl hesitated, and then scrambled forward, throwing her arms around Caroline’s neck.

“I love you, Mommy,” she whispered. Then she leaned back, revealing something she had in her hand. A small, slightly wilted marigold. “I picked this for you today. Do you like it?”

Caroline gazed at the flower for a moment, then looked at Cassie, tears staining her cheeks.

“I do like it. Very much.”