The Concession

Chapter Eleven

His dream was comprised of a lot of things; he revisited places in his past he never wanted to, places he'd long buried.

He saw his father. The subject of his father had always a touchy subject, one he hardly ever talked about and for good reason—

The door closed with a fierce bang enough to rattle the old glass windows barely holding together in the living room.

The children cowered in their rooms, as usual, they'd eaten already per their mother's request. They ate earlier to avoid any confrontation with their father.

Five-year-old Will balanced his eyeglasses on his small button nose and peeped out through the small crack in the door.

He looked exactly like his father. They were exact carbon copies.

Even though young, he could see the apprehension on his mother's face and it made him unhappy.

"Dear, I made your favourite. I hope you like it." The man sat down on the chair, answered his mother with a grunt, and devoured the food without so much as a compliment for the meal.

She was the one who provided for the family. Since he lost his job at the company a few years ago he's turned into a recluse.

"Where are my kids?" He asked out of the blue after she'd cleaned the table after him. Electricity flickered across Will's tiny heart.

"Willy, what's going on? Is papa home?" Laura asked rubbing her eyes—she's woken up.

"No Laura, go back to bed," William whispered.

"But I want to see daddy," she whined.

"Shh, shh, daddy's sleeping okay Laury." he soothed, going over to where she slept. He sang her favourite song and before long she was fast asleep again—it'd always been easier for her to fall asleep; him, not so much.

By the time he'd gotten back to his peeping spot, something else was blocking his view.

William's eyes widened.

"So this is where you've been hiding boy." He heard his father's gruff voice on the other side of the door.

The door opened all the way and William quickly scrambled back, falling on his butt.

"No father, I just woke up." The little boy stammered.

"Samuel, you leave those children alone!" It was their mother. She was upstairs now and was coming to get him when his father's hand connected harshly with her cheek.

She went sailing down the floor.

"How many times will I tell you Katy not to hide them from me?! They're my kids too!"

Smack!

William locked the door per his mother's instructions and he went to the desk by the bathroom door and huddled into one corner.

He wrapped his small shaky arms around his knees and cried.

'Stay safe children, lock the door whenever he starts.' Those were his mother's instructions and he'd promised he'd obey.

His grip tightened on his shorts.

"Mama..." he sobbed.

"Mama." Will opened his eyes.

He sat up and found out that he'd dozed off again.

He'd dreamt of his childhood and as always, he loathed the memories that resurfaced of 'that man'.