Control Freak ✔️

25 oedipus

There came an uneasy knock at Caleb's bedroom door. He found his father standing there with a nervous smile.

"Hello, son," he said kindly.

"Hey dad. Come in."

"Uh, do you mind coming downstairs to talk? I need a drink."

Caleb followed him down the staircase. The air in the room had gone stale, hanging in the motionless silence. They decided to stand, not sit, as they faced each other from opposite sides of the island.

"What do you want to drink?" Caleb finally said, pulling on the refrigerator door.

"Any beer in there?" his dad muttered.

"We've got beer," his son replied, reaching all the way back for a frosty can and handing it to him.

The silence was punctuated by the crisp sound of him popping the tab, and then turned it up for a nice, hard chug. Caleb got a glass and held it under the sink. The stream of water pierced the quiet. He returned with his glass of water, and sipped it quietly as he leaned against the counter.

"C'mon, son. Don't be nervous around your old man. Grab a beer if you want one."

He blushed. "I think I'm okay with water, Dad."

"I see. I guess it's not time for that."

"Yeah," Caleb replied, looking around.

"I know you were really hitting the books this year and I haven't been doing that great of a job keeping up with things, but, we never really had a chance to have The Talk."

"'The Talk?'"

"Yeah, fathers and sons still do that one, right? You and your girlfriend. Have you two, uh, what I mean to say is, have you, ya know... moms and dads don't need to wait for a stork to bring them a baby..."

"Dad! I'm not seven!"

"So, you guys did it then? You've had sex."

"No!"

"Really? You know, you could tell me, son."

"No, Dad!"

"Fine," he muttered with a vacant nod, continuing to contemplate his angle.

"Spoken to mom at all?" Caleb abruptly changed the subject.

"Uh, no, how's she doin'?"

"She was at the funeral too."

"Was she?"

"She's gotten sicker. You know that."

"C'mon, son, don't do this right now," he murmured, shaking his head and averting his gaze.

"Don't do what right now, dad?"

"You always change the subject when I'm trying to talk to you—"

"Why do you always act like it's not your problem? Why do you act like mom's not dying?"

"Don't turn this back on me, okay!" he roared. "I don't wanna talk about your mother and I. Crystal and I— Crystal was pregnant."

"What?" Caleb muttered softly as his lips began to tremble.

Parked around the block, Seguerra and his men were listening to the conversation through wiretap.

"That's right. Get his emotions into it," Seguerra murmured, pressing the cans of his headphones tighter to his ears. He turned to Hayakawa and the others. "He'll crack soon. Make sure everyone is in position as I give the word."