Dolls

a temple's listeners

Chapter 50: Coria

I am stunned into shock.

Cormen sighs, taking a drag from Daddy's cigarette. It lets me know that this has happened before.

"Father, Coria came to visit you. You kept asking for her, remember?" He prompts. Daddy stands.

"Give me my cigarette back. I have no need for it being wasted on you," Daddy says.

"No."

"I was not finished."

"You are now."

Daddy scowls, then looks at me, as if expecting me to step in. But his face softens once again, realizing I am still here, and he starts to walk over to me.

"Turn on the lights. It is too dark in here, I thought you were your mother. You just have her face, that is all," He comments. I step back and flick the light switch up. When I turn back, I regret doing it.

I wonder when he last showered. Or went outside. Or slept, for fuck's sake. He needs a shave, and a haircut, and water to wipe the grime from his face, and a fucking vegetable. Any.

"Sweetheart. How have you been? Fuck, you look just like her. Does she not, Cormen? Shit, I really cannot see the difference. Whiskey. Vodka? Son, where did you put it? You drink, right Coria? Oh, what kind of question is that? Of course you do. I allowed that son of a bitch to marry you, so you probably get drunk just to fuck him."

"Father!" Cormen snaps.

Daddy scoffs. "Oh, fuck off. All of you are annoying bastards. I should beat you all like I beat her."

I want to leave. I want to drop to my knees and sob into the floor. How does he still talk of her like she is alive?

"Father. Watch your mouth." Cormen looks pissed. I bet he wants to throw Daddy's head into a wall as hard as he can, and to be honest, I would let him.

"You act like Luther is going to barge in here and torture me like he did John. I did not fucking touch her, so he has nothing to hold against me. Besides, Ruthia is my wife. I can do whatever the fuck I want to her. The rebellion has yet to take over, son."

The words tumble out of my mouth before I can even think to stop them. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Wh—Cor—"

I point at Cormen, disgust pulsing through my veins. It is the only thing that keeps me going. "No! I can defend myself, thank you." Then I turn back to my father. "Ruthia is dead. Quit talking about her in the present, because all it is doing is adding to your fucking illusion. You need to watch your mouth. I will not tolerate lewd comments about my sexual life with my husband, who, by the way, I fuck perfectly sober! You need to stop digging yourself into a deeper hole than you already are. You told Belle of House Shies that you would join and fucking fix yourself! You promised Mama you would do that, and from what I understand, Cormen was doing to good job of it! So stop smoking, stop drinking, and stop sitting on that dirty ass ground. Put. Down. The fucking shovel, or I will tell my husband to stop answering your calls."

Cormen stares at me with impressed wordlessness. Daddy's confused eyes dart all over my face as he takes in my words. He has never seen so much anger in mine, and it scares him. I am tired of feeling bad for him when he acts childish. He is a grown adult and needs to show it.

Daddy tears his eyes from mine, putting away the forgotten alcohol. He grabs an unopened pack of cigarettes sitting on the counter and tosses it in with the alcohol as well. After, he turns back to me.