Keep the Wolf from the Door

Family Affairs: Act 6

Act 6

            Leaning against the stucco house, Charlie watched Michael's fist pounding on the door getting louder each time. "Told you he was stubborn."

            Calvin Sanderson, in the hole seven grand...

            "He's home. That shiny little car says so." Michael gestured to the brand new BMW parked in the driveway.

            Charlie was lost in his own thoughts. A week had passed since Konstantin had tried to kill him and Charlie had isolated himself inside his house, turned off his phone – completely shut down. That was until Michael showed up at his front door forcing him back into the world and back to his new job. Charlie hated him for it.

            "Son of a bitch," Michael grumbled.

            "He's been doing this to me for a month now."

            "Oh yeah?" Michael walked down the front steps of Calvin's porch with grave purpose. Charlie watched Michael storm across Calvin's front lawn, his coordinates set straight for his car strategically parked out of sight. "Are you coming?" Charlie huffed pushing himself off of the wall.

            He leaned against Michael's brand new Mercedes truck. Hidden underneath a black tarp in his trunk were the tools Michael used to make his new luxury vehicle comfortably affordable.

            "When was the last time he contacted you?"

            "Three weeks ago." Charlie said. Michael pulled out a crowbar, looked at it, and then tossed it back in his trunk. Charlie shuddered in revolt.

            "Shit could be a lot worse for you, you know?" Michael grumbled. "I'm getting really sick of your moping."

            Charlie scoffed. "Please Michael." Michael stepped away from his trunk with a baseball bat in his hand and then leaned up against the car beside Charlie. "Spare me your 'I told you so' speech okay?"

            "Alright fine, but I did warn you."

            Charlie pushed himself off of the car. "Can we just get this over with?" Michael pushed himself off of his car and closed his trunk.

            They walked back towards Calvin's house where Michael stopped in the driveway. Charlie turned to look at Michael. Michael cocked his eyebrow looking at the BMW. He offered the bat to Charlie. "Go on. Blow off some steam." A twisted peace offering from a twisted individual.

            Charlie shook his head "Nah."

            "Just fucking do it." Michael insisted.

            "I'm not like you, Michael. I don't need to break shit in order to feel better."

            "Ever try it?" Michael retorted. Charlie refused to take the bat. "What's done is done. She left for New York today." Charlie's fists balled. "She'll be attending school there in the fall, getting married..." He could feel the anger stir inside him as his cousin continued to exorcise it out.  "And you will never get anywhere near her again." He grabbed the bat from Michael's hand and walked up to the brand new car, not one ounce of dirt on it— Calvin's pride and joy, yet he refused to fork out the seven grand that he owed Charlie. Charlie swung the bat knocking out the front headlight. 

            He thought about how she would continue to walk this earth but to Charlie, she might as well be dead. He thought about how Yuri would have all of the things robbed of him: his pride, his dignity. And her. He brought the down on the back windshield and, in the brilliant explosion of the glass, Charlie was reborn. He looked over at Michael who gestured to continue.  He thought about Konstantin and Aleksey and their whole life-force sucking operation. From that very moment, Charlie vowed that it was take or be taken. As the bat came down on the front windshield, he felt liberated. The sound of the shattering glass: a soothing melody.