23 #2
He had been talking to his father a lot, and Hank kept telling him that everything would work itself out.
Although Dash didn’t know what the outcome would be, he was trusting the process.
He was also trusting that God would continue to answer his prayers.
Trent looked in the full-length mirror and frowned at his reflection.
Due to his jaw being wired shut for weeks, he’d lost a substantial amount of weight.
He almost looked like an entirely different person and he hated it.
He never really had any weight on him before but he looked like a skeleton now.
His clothes barely fit but he wasn’t trying to buy any more.
He planned to start hitting the gym to add some bulk to his slender frame.
He was almost sure that he was gonna gain his weight back since he could eat solid food again.
According to his doctors, that too was gonna be a process.
They told him to start out slow with soft foods but he was already tired of eating mush.
It felt weird whenever he did eat, but he was just happy that he wasn’t on all liquids anymore.
Sadly, he barely remembered what led up to his hospital stay until one of his cousins sent him the video.
He was enraged when he saw how Clover and Dash did him and his cousin.
Caprice had been checking on him since he got released, and he appreciated her.
His mother told him to stay away from her but he wasn’t trying to hear that.
His cousin gave him a place to stay and he would be forever indebted to her.
She was a victim too, and he wasn’t gonna turn his back on her.
Thankfully, he hadn’t had another seizure since the one he’d had in the hospital.
He had a total of three but he didn’t remember any of them.
The only thing that he did know was that both Clover and Dash were gonna pay.
Admittedly, he didn’t know much about guns but he still wanted one.
As much as he used to love Clover, he hated her just the same.
Now, she was in the same category with his ex.
The only difference was he didn’t want his ex-girlfriend dead.
“Trent!” Trudy knocked on the door softly while calling out to her son.
“This bitch,” Trent mumbled in annoyance as he slowly made his way over to the door.
Although he had his own apartment behind his parents’ house, Trent still didn’t feel like he had any freedom. They had cameras all around the house and he could barely step foot outside without his mother calling to see where he was going.
“Hey, baby, I just finished cooking a pot roast and some veggies. Are you ready to eat? It’s soft enough to not hurt anything.”
“I’m good, I’ll order a pizza later.”
“Why, when there’s a delicious meal that’s already been prepared? Besides, I don’t think you should eat something so heavy.”
“I don’t want a pot roast, mom. Is that all you wanted?”
“Uh, yeah. I wanted to check on you too. How do you feel?”
“I’ll feel much better when you give me back my car keys. I’m not a lil boy. I don’t need you hiding my shit like I’m on punishment.”
“They’re not hiding and you’re not on punishment. Your doctors don’t feel like this is the best time for you to be driving. Did you forget about the seizures that you had?”
“Had is right because I don’t have them anymore. That only happened because of the fight.”
“I know, baby, but I think it’s best if we follow the doctor’s orders. It’ll only be for another week or two before you see him again. I’m sure you won’t have any restrictions after that.”
“I’m not waiting for another week or two. I feel like these walls are closing in around me. I need to get out of here for a while.”
“How about we go take a ride on the lake like we used to? Or maybe we can go get some ice cream,” Trudy offered.
“Are you insane? Why would I wanna go anywhere with you? Stop treating me like a child!”
Trent was getting angry, and that terrified her. Usually, her husband would be there to get his mind right but he was in the house. Trudy knew how her son’s moods could change like the weather so she had to choose her next words carefully.
“Okay, Trent, I’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing.”
Trudy walked away with her son following closely behind her. When she entered the main house, Trent was hot on her heels. She was happy when she walked into the kitchen and saw her husband sitting at the island.
“Where are my keys?” Trenton asked angrily as he walked up on his mother like he was ready to swing.
“Whoa. What the hell is going on?” Melvin closed in the small space between his son and wife.
“I want my car keys. I’m good to drive now.” Trent was trying to quiet the voices in his head that were telling him to defend himself. He hadn’t felt like that in a few weeks and he didn’t know why it was happening now.
“You’ll get your keys when your doctors give us the ok.” Melvin reiterated what his wife had just said.
“I don’t give a fuck what the doctors said. I’m a grown ass man.”
“Walk away, Trenton, while you still have the ability to walk.”
Melvin gave his son a stern look and his voice was firm.
Unlike his wife, he wasn’t afraid of him and he proved that more than once.
He’d knocked his son on his ass more times than he cared to count.
Trent looked like he wanted to challenge him but he decided against it.
He turned and walked away, leaving his parents alone.
“I only asked him if he was ready to eat.” Trudy sighed in exasperation.
“This is the last straw, Trudy. What would have happened if I wasn’t here?”
“I would have calmed him down like I always do.”
“I’m over this shit. Either you move forward with our original plan or I’m gone. I’m not tiptoeing around my own damn house. I knew you were gonna go back on your word.”
“I didn’t go back on my word but he was hurt, Melvin. Besides his broken jaw, he starting catching seizures out of the blue because some thug attacked him.”
Trudy felt like she was drowning under the weight of her problems.
Although she talked to her daughters and apologized for her behavior, their relationship still seemed strained.
Melvin was on her back about getting Trent committed, and she felt like she was the only one who still loved him.
She wasn’t going back on her word, but her husband wanted them to take him straight from the hospital to the facility.
She at least wanted to make sure he was fully recovered first.
She had taken a leave of absence from work but she was ready to get back to her normal routine.
“I guess you think he was attacked for nothing,” Melvin spoke up, interrupting her thoughts.
“I never said that but you have to admit that before today, he was doing better.”
“That’s because you were putting his meds in his smoothies and liquids. I told you that it was a temporary fix and I was right.”
Trudy was trying to do everything in her power to get her son back on track but her husband was right.
As soon as Trent was able to eat solid foods again, that was the end of him taking his meds.
She was scared out of her mind when she learned that he had been around Clover again.
Not just because of the protective order but the leverage that she had over Trudy was worth more than any dollar amount that she could ever offer.
Her only son was making her life a living hell and she felt stuck.
Trent couldn’t even keep a job, so they had to be his financial support system once again.
“You’re right. As much as it’s gonna hurt, I have to do what’s best for him. We can call the facility in the morning and proceed.”
“This hurts me just as much as it does you. But I’d rather us hurt a little now than lose our son and hurt forever.”
Melvin walked over and wrapped his arms around his wife.
He hated how strained their marriage had been for the past few years.
It seemed like when they got over one hurdle, another was waiting to fill the space.
“I wanna start living again, Melvin. I feel like all I’ve been doing lately is existing. We haven’t taken a vacation in forever.”
“Once we get Trent squared away, we can go wherever you want and stay as long as you want. We can both use it.”
Trent stood near the back door listening to his parents talk about throwing him away like he was trash once again.
His father hated him so that was no surprise but he was shocked that his mother was on board.
She was the only one who didn’t think he was crazy.
She actually made him think that she was on his side but she was a lying ass bitch just like every other woman that he’d ever encountered.
Both his parents had him fucked up and they were gonna find that out the hard way.
He was happy that the door didn’t close all the way when he tried to slam it.
It was obviously meant for him to hear their plans.
He softly closed the door and headed to the garage.
He grabbed a can of black spray paint before going to his apartment.
He sprayed the lens on the cameras so that his parents couldn’t see when he left.
Afterwards, he packed some clothes and called an Uber.
They could call whoever they wanted in the morning.
He would be long gone before they even got there.