obsessed (AHS S1 - completed)

Chapter 11.

1994. 

"Ladies and gentleman, the ham." my mother walked into the dining room with a big silver tray that held a huge ham, it was one of the only traditions she put in effort for. 

"Ah. Wow, it looks lovely.", Mom's boyfriend, Larry, always had something to say to please my mom, even if the ham looked like it had been pulled out of a dumpster, he would still say it looked lovely. 

"Now, who wants to say grace?" she smiled as she looked around at us, Addy sat across from me and Larry at the head of the table, he wasn't my dad so I was never going to address him as one. 

"Oh, Mother, may I?", I felt I needed to say a few words, Larry seemed to agree since he spoke for her. 

"Of course, son. I was hoping you would choose to become a part of this family." he said as I smiled and held my hands out for them to take. 

We all closed our eyes and held hands as I started, 

"Dear God, thank you for this salty pig meat we are about to eat, along with the rest of the indigestible swill. And thank you for our new charade of a family. My father ran away when I was only six. If I'd have known any better, I would have joined him-."

I was stopped when my mother slapped my hand telling me to stop, but I continued, 

"And, also, because she's been trying to get back into this house ever since she lost it, Lord, a big thank you for blinding the asshole that's doing my mother so that he can't see what everybody knows. She doesn't really love him." 

Addy smiled at me, 

"Amen."

My mother lit a cigarette as Larry clapped his hands together on the table and chuckled nervously. 

"Now, uh, Tate, I know that you've had a hard time making this adjustment, with all the recent changes, moving back in here after the tragedy my own family went through." 

I spoke with no hesitation, "They burned themselves alive after you were cheating on your wife with Constance, Lawrence." I emphasized his first name. 

"That...That was nobody's fault. Passion drove her to it. One day, you'll understand. There are sacrifices you have to make in the name of love. On a lighter note, I have reserved tickets for everybody, for Saturday, at our community theatre, for the opening night of Brigadoon. I'm delighted to be debuting in the chorus." 

How could he be so calm about all of this? 

He knew for a fact that what he did was wrong, he cheated on his wife and left their whole family after they killed themselves because of what he did, then he just moves on as if there's nothing to it. 

"Well, I, for one, shall be there with bells on.", Mother lifted her glass to him then took a sip with a weird look on her face. 

"Thank you, darling, for being so supportive and encouraging. You have allowed me to explore another facet of myself." 

"Yay! I love theatre!" 

Addy joined in smiling, I don't think she quite understood the things this man has done to us and our family. 

"Don't, Addy!", banging my hand on the table I looked at her, she looked scared as I stared her down and continued, "You're a smart girl. You know he killed our brother." I yelled at her. 

"Stop it! Beau died in his slumber of natural causes. Now you know he has a respiratory ailment. Your brother's in a better place. He suffered with every breath that he took." my mother wailed, she didn't like my brother being brought up but I had no choice.