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“Dad, with all due respect, I don’t want to be with her. I never liked Abby, and I didn’t appreciate the way that she treated me.”
She was whiny, a total bitch, and disrespectful. And I felt no connection whatsoever whenever I was around her. He shook his head.
“But didn’t you tell me, Caleb, that you would go on a date with her, at least to see if it was good for you?”
“Yeah, and I did. She was awful. She’s a better fit for my brother.”
I tried to figure out the best way to tell him that I wanted to be with Tina, but then he scoffed.
“You can’t make decisions like that. You’re supposed to be the older brother, and here you are throwing all of my opportunities away and—”
I slammed my hand on the table, rousing David from his thoughts.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“What I’m doing is simple. I don’t want to do this, but . . . I’m not going to sit here and take this shit anymore.”
I looked at both of them and took a deep breath, trying to keep my wits about me the entire time.
“Well, what are you throwing a temper tantrum about now?”
“I’m not, Dad! I’m just tired of all of you. Of everyone coming here and trying to dictate my life. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to go on dates with women that I hate, nor do I want to continue to live under your yoke. I want . . . I want freedom!”
My brother didn’t say a word, just trying to stop the bleeding.
“But you have freedom, Caleb. You have this whole farm, and you can do whatever you want, provided that you follow my instructions and—”
“That’s not freedom, Father. That’s a load of crock, and you and I both know it. I’m tired of you running my life and always getting in the way. David, you hurt Tina in ways you probably wouldn’t understand. You’re a selfish piece of shit who doesn’t care about anyone but yourself. You deserve Abby because she’s as selfish as you are.”
I watched David’s eyes widen. “I’m not selfish and—”
“Oh, you are. You’ve only cared about yourself. You’ve fucked off to different countries when we needed you the most, and you treat women like they’re commodities designed to do your bidding. And you know what? I’m so tired of that! I don’t want that, and I don’t want to associate with you, either. You have a lot to learn and a lot of fucking growing to do, and I’m not going to be the one to provide that information to you. You know what? I want you to . . . to disappear,” I snapped.
David looked at me, and my father gasped.
“You shouldn’t say that about your brother and—”
“He stopped being my brother the second he started to disrespect people. Honestly, you’re the same too, Father. You only care about yourself, and you only care about your image. You just want the wayward middle child to have some eye candy on his arm. Well, I don’t want that. I want to forge my own path, and I want to . . . just be myself,” I told him.
He looked at me, startled by the outburst. “Who taught you to speak like that? Especially to your father.”
“You did, Dad.” I leaned back and put my arms over my head.
He grimaced, looking at me and then at David. “Come, David. It’s clear that your brother is just as selfish as ever. I should tell Glenn about what you’ve done here.”
As he got up, about to walk away, I saw the look in his eyes. The fear that resonated there. He was scared, and I didn’t mind that.
“Go ahead, tell him. Trust me, this feeling’s been around for a little bit then, Dad.”
He didn’t say a word, instead encouraging David to get out of there with him. As the doors closed, I sighed, trying to keep it together. I didn’t know what else to say or what to do.
Being a Branson boy was hard. My own father didn’t believe in me. I made sure before I did this that he didn’t have complete control over this place. According to my accountant, that claim was a bald-faced lie, and my dad said that to scare me. I owned this place, and I could say what I’d wanted to say for a long time.
As they left, the house quieted, and I sighed.
It was . . . the first time I ever stood up to my father and my brother. David was a lazy shit and a total douchebag. He didn’t deserve the coddling that he got, but it wasn’t my place to say that. If I told my dad, of course, the bastard would get pissed.
But now, they were both gone, and I could finally have some peace and quiet.
