Six Going on Seven, Chapter 2 ~ Ixion, part 2

Dad shrugged again, catching a soda can that Sam tossed to him.  He cracked it open and drank as if everyone in the room wasn’t staring at him expectantly.

Mom looked at Noah.  “What are you talking about?”

He squirmed, frowning at Dad, who just hid a smile behind his soda.  “We named the band,” Noah hit on an announcement.  He grinned.  “Yep.  Got a name now.”

“Really.”  Mom raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

“You’re looking at ‘Ixion.’”  Noah spread his arms out proudly.  The other guys nodded their heads, as if to say, “yep that’s us.”

“Huh.  So what’s the big deal about telling me?”  She slid her eyes toward Dad.

“Oh, and check this out—”  Noah put down his soda and grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt.  Mom looked shocked and took a step backward as he rolled his shirt up over his head and plopped it down on her kitchen table.  Dad snorted into his soda then coughed on the fizz, but Noah didn’t pause to notice.  He turned his back to Mom and said, “Got it done yesterday.”

“Oh dear,” Mom said, putting a hand to her mouth.

“Pretty cool, eh?  That’s the band logo.”  Noah hunched forward and flexed his arms into an M.  Elly scampered over by Mom so she could see what he was so proud of.  He had a tattoo covering his entire back: a wheel made out of flames, with an rather unhappy looking man in a toga spread out across it.

Mom looked at Dad, bugging her eyes out.

“We, er, decided on just the wheel,” he said, then gave her his most innocent smile.

Mom’s eyes unwillingly trailed back to Noah’s tattoo.  “And where did you come up with this idea?”

Noah straightened and turned around, leaning against the table.  “Ixion,” he said, switching into Geek mode, “is from Greek mythology.”

It was obvious when Noah became Geek; the name the other guys had for him.  Never the geek or a geek, just Geek.  He usually didn’t wait to be questioned, dispensing information whenever the mood struck him or he’d just learned something fascinating. Then he’d began with “Did you know . . . ” and there was no way of stopping him till he was done.  Except for Mom.  She could stop anyone cold.

Elly liked his trivia facts; she learned a lot of interesting things around Noah, like that the word “snafu” was something called an acronym that meant “situation normal all fucked up,” and that the walrus has the largest penis of all mammals and that’s why there was a song called “I Am the Walrus,” but hardly anyone knew that about it and thought it was just nonsense.  The band did a cover of that song; Elly liked it a lot and it was Noah’s favorite cover to sing.  He also liked Greek mythology, and probably had all the stories and names memorized.

“Some versions of the story say he was the son of Ares, God of War,” Noah went on about Ixion, as Mom crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side, lifting her eyebrows in mock fascination.  “He was the King of Lapiths, which was in Thessaly.”

“Really.  Is that so.”

“Yeah.”  Noah nodded.  “And the interesting thing about him is that he murdered his father-in-law, then tried to seduce Hera, so Zeus punished him by binding him to a wheel of fire, which then rolled through the underworld.  As the myth goes, he suffers eternally.”

“Great.”  Mom lowered her arms, shaking her head as she looked past him at Dad.  “Lovely.  Just lovely.  Noah, would you get your shirt off my table?”

“Oops.  Sorry.”  He snatched it up, bunching it together in his hands.

“And for pity’s sake put it on.”  She rolled her eyes.  As he shook it out and hurriedly pulled it over his head she walked past him, stopping near Dad.  “Alright, Russ, so what are they trying to talk you into doing?  You’re not all staring at me because you named the band after a mythical loser.”  She glanced around and each of the bandmembers looked away or down.  “Please tell me you didn’t all go out and get matching Ixion tattoos this afternoon.”

“No.”  Dad smiled briefly, before hiding behind his soda again.  He swallowed and went on; “Actually there’s two things.  Noah got the band a booking at a club this Saturday.  The Sarcophagus—”

“The Sarcophagus?” she echoed, frowning as if she’d bitten into a lemon.  “What kind of a club is that?”

“Oh.  I don’t know.  I’ve never been there.”  Dad looked to Noah.

“It’s just a club.  You know.  Well, it just opened, it’s kind of small . . . on 6th St. right in where Brian’s Bar used to be.  They remodeled it,” Noah rattled off.  “Did you know—”

“That’s nice.  What’s the second thing?”

Dad set his can down on the counter.  “Right.  I’ve decided . . . I’m gonna play with them Saturday.  As a member of the band.  Officially.”  He lowered his head to the side and absently drew streaks up and down the condensation on the can.  “Lead guitar, actually.”

Mom was silent for a moment, staring at him without blinking.  “Is the Sarcophagus Club paying you?” she finally asked, twitching one eyebrow up briefly.

“Oh yeah,” Noah jumped in, nodding.  “It’s legit.  This’ll be a real, honest to fu . . . honest gig.  I’ve got the agreement in writing.  Oh yeah.  We’ll get paid.”  He caught himself rambling and stopped.  Jake, Wes, and Sam hadn’t dared to speak, and didn’t look like they were about to.  Mom stared fixedly at Dad and said nothing, the way she did whenever she thought he was “behaving badly.”  He stared at the soda can, and Elly held her breath.

“So,” her voice gave away nothing, which worried Elly all the more.  When Mom was a little mad she’d yell; when she was really mad she could be quiet for hours.  “You’re going to get more of these . . . bookings?” she asked.

“Yeah.  That’s the plan.”  Dad looked at her.  “Have name, will travel.”  He smiled with one side of his mouth.  Nervously, Elly could tell.

“Well.”  She uncrossed her arms and clasped her hands behind her back.  “Big news, indeed.”

“You’re okay with it, then?”  He narrowed his eyes doubtfully.  Elly shook her head, but he didn’t see her.

Mom smiled.  “Well does it matter?”  Her voice was forcefully sweet, a bite hiding behind her eyes.  “You have it all decided and everything is worked out, I fail to see where I come in.  I’m surprised you’re even telling me in advance, I mean it’s not even Saturday night yet.”  She tilted her head to the side and her smile twitched.

“Okay,” Dad said in his “calming voice,” as the others shifted nervously.  Wes burped in the quiet and looked guilty, squeezing his can.

Mom turned around, flipping her hair over her shoulder.  “I don’t have enough food in the house for dinner for all of you,” she said without turning around.  She disappeared into the living room, the door swinging shut behind her.

“There.”  Dad finished off his soda and crushed the can.  “I told you it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“For us,” said Jake.  “Sounds like you’re in deep shit.”

Dad gave him a warning glance.  “That’s my business.”

Jake shrugged.

Elly felt Dad’s eyes on her, and looked up.  “Why don’t you go watch some TV with Kiki, Elly Ann?”

She fought down a sigh.  She was cramping their style, again.  They couldn’t talk band talk, or guy talk, with her around.  There was A Six Year Old in the room.  But she left, going into the living room and plopping down on the couch next to Jake’s girlfriend.  She surveyed the mound that was Kiki’s stomach in silence, and Kiki just smiled at her with the same dumb pleasantness she gave everyone.  Kiki was watching a nature show on hummingbirds, and Elly tried to be interested.  She knew she wouldn’t be able to go to the club to see the band, and she didn’t think it was fair.

A few minutes later Jake popped his head through the doorway and said, “C’mon, Kiks, we’re leaving.”

Elly watched as Kiki struggled out of the hole she’d sunk into the sofa, then shove her swollen feet into sandals.  Mom would say Jake should have helped Kiki up.

Elly looked out the window as Jake and his friends dispersed.  Jake didn’t open the car door for Kiki and Elly shook her head.  She heard the kitchen door open again and turned from the window.

Dad glanced from her to Marc on the floor before nodding at the them to stay put.  Marc didn’t even look up from his new toy to notice, but Elly smiled innocently, as if birds were her life.  As soon as Dad turned to his bedroom door, which was shut, Elly took her chance and turned invisible.  Marc didn’t notice her walk past him, and Dad didn’t turn back as he opened the door.  She made sure she got in behind him before he closed it again.

Mom sat at her computer in the corner by the desk.  Mom and Dad’s bedroom was part office for her, and she was ticking away at her keyboard, as if typing was her life.  Dad went over and leaned against the wall right by the desk, waiting a few moments for her to acknowledge him.  Mom pretended to be too absorbed to notice, even though it was impossible not to see him beside the monitor.

“Liseli,” he said finally.

“I’m busy,” she snapped.

“You’re upset.”

“I am not upset.”

He sighed and rested the back of his head against the wall, looking up at the ceiling.  The rhythm of Mom’s typing gave her away even worse than her tone of voice.  She fairly attacked the keys, and Elly didn’t know what she could possibly be writing at that pace.

Suddenly Dad reached over and turned the monitor off.  Elly caught her breath, but the sound went unnoticed by either parent.  Mom stopped typing abruptly and pushed her chair back.  “Turn that back on,” she said quietly.  Dad’s hand hovered over the on/off button, but she didn’t move to bat it away.  She just stared up at him.

“No.  I wanna talk to you.”  Dad moved his hand away from the monitor, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the wall.  Dad hated the silent treatment.  Elly thought he’d rather be yelled at than ignored.

“It’s a little late for that.”  She bit off each word.

He shook his head.  “I just don’t get your problem with this.”  He shifted, giving her his defiant look, and added, “You seem to hate everything that I like.”

“That’s not true.”

He snorted.  “Name one thing I’ve been interested in that you approve of.”

“You’re missing the entire point.”  Mom pushed herself up, but still had to lift her head to look him in the eye.  “You’ve been lying to me from day one of getting involved with your brother’s band.  You’ve been insisting it’s nothing serious, or it’s all just about helping Jake.  Yeah right.”

“I didn’t plan on getting this involved.  It just kind of happened.  Over time.”

“You told me that stuff this morning!”  She lifted her hands suddenly, but restrained herself, folding them down more tightly against her.  “And then, with your friends as backup, you tell me the opposite of what you’ve been saying all along.  And you don’t get my problem with that?”

Dad looked away.  For a moment Elly felt as if his gaze landed on her, but he looked away and said to the ceiling, “I don’t have to ask permission to do things.  Especially when you always say ‘no’ without thinking about it.”

“You lied to me,” Mom said with clenched teeth.  “I knew it was a lie the whole time, but it was still a lie.  A lie you’ve kept at till the last possible moment.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything until I’d decided for sure.”

“Russell.”  She stopped, too angry to speak.  Elly knew she was going to hit him a moment before she did, unfolding her hands to shove him into the wall.  “I don’t care about your stupid band, I don’t care!”

“I know you don’t.”  Dad didn’t look surprised by being struck.  He just grabbed her hands and held her still, with his back up against the wall.  “That’s why I don’t talk to you about it.”

Elly began to wish she’d stayed in the living room, with Marcus and the TV.  If she had right now she’d be turning the TV volume up so she couldn’t hear their voices carrying.  Instead she had to wonder if they’d notice the door opening and shutting.  Maybe.  Maybe not.  It was too risky.  She didn’t want them to find out about her.  She couldn’t trust they’d be distracted enough.

Mom was too quiet.  She shook herself free and turned around, walking toward the door and stopping only a foot or so away from Elly.  She reached for the door handle but seemed to think better of it.  If she went out right then she’d have to face her children.  Elly could almost see the thought run across her eyes as she turned away, looking around the room as if trapped.

“Liseli, be reasonable.”  Dad was annoyed now.  “I’m in a band.  It’s not the end of the world.”

Without a word, Mom went over to the closet and shut herself in.  Dad was left looking at the door.  No, glaring at the door.  Elly shivered, hugging herself to keep herself unseen.  She hated it when Dad got that look.  He left his spot and tried to open the closet door, but Mom had wedged something against it inside and it wouldn’t budge.  “Liseli,” he huffed, trying it with his shoulder.  “If you think I’m gonna pull out just because you’re having a tantrum . . . no.  I’m only good at two fucking things in my life and I’ve already given one of them up for you.  Now I am going to play the guitar in this band whether you like it or not.”

She’d made it too easy.  It was easier to talk to the door.  Dad could say lots of things to a door, and he went on when she didn’t respond.  “Lis-el-i,” he drew out her name slowly as he pressed his forehead to the door.  “I have friends you don’t like.  Interests you don’t share.  Would you get over this fucking victim complex and deal with it?  I’m gonna be paid for this show, anyway, you’re the one always after me to make an honest living.  Well there.  It’s not a lot but it’s legit.  I don’t know what else you expect from me.”

There was silence for a long moment.  Then from behind the door: “You’re telling me to be happy that you lie to me, and lie about stuff that’s really important to you.  And you want me to congratulate you on the revelation that you’ve been lying.”

His jaw clenched but he worked at saying calmly, “That’s not it.”

“It is,” she interrupted coldly.  “I don’t care whether or not you play in a band.  Or who the other members are.  I do care that you don’t have the balls to admit to me that it’s what you want to do.  I do care that I’m your wife but your idea of ‘talking’ to me is to make an announcement with all your friends around to back you up.  You treat me like the enemy.”

“Well who’s fault is that?  You’re not the easiest person to talk to, y’know.”  He slapped his hand against the door.

“Ball and chain,” her response was almost too quiet for Elly to hear.

Dad pulled away from the door and stood looking at it for a moment, as if deciding whether he was going to force his way in or not.  He decided not, shaking his head with a sigh of disgust and turning away.  He headed for the door to the living room without a word.  He left it open as he left, and Elly lingered in the room, looking at the closet.  She stepped closer and heard that Mom was crying to herself inside.  She turned away.

Sometimes she hated Mom.  She hated her now.

Elly moved out into the living room, pausing to see Dad on the sofa, remote in hand, clicking through the channels without looking at what was on.  He’d probably end up in the garage.  Mom made things so difficult.  She was always getting mad.  It was always something, nothing could ever just be.  Everything always had to cause an argument.

Elly went to her own room, and let herself return to sight where there was no one to see her.

Dad usually ended up apologizing, even if he didn’t know what for.  He might, yet, she thought, climbing onto her bed.  Elly only hoped he didn’t give up on Jake’s band.  She liked the band.  She didn’t know why Mom always had to dislike everything, and ruin all the fun.  She never thought about anyone but herself.  I hate you.

Elly couldn’t stop from crying.  She told herself to stop, that it happened too often, too predictably, to be able to bother her.  They argued all the time.  It would blow over, just like it always did.  Things would get better.  They’d make up.  This hadn’t even been a bad fight.

Yes it was, you know it.  It’s bad.

Elly shook her head, brushing angrily at the tears.  Go away, she told them, just disappear.  Don’t exist.  Hush.  Go away.  And they did, drying on her face.  She sucked in her breath, determined not to let any more fall.  Someday, she told herself, she would understand her parents and this stuff would stop bothering her so much.  She was sure of it.