Pretend You're Someone Else (Chap.18)1/2

*You can find the folder to the other chapters here.

ID: 1727540   (Rated: 18+) Pretend You're Someone Else  A man hides a secret from his family and has no clue that his son has the same secret. by KAT26/Adrian--Published!

Chapter Eighteen is divided into two parts. This is part one.

Part Two

Chapter Eighteen

May-1992

Avoy, Georgia

"Everything will be alright, you'll see."

         Peter twisted the lid off the mayonnaise jar. Placing it on the tiled counter-top, he picked-up a corn dog from the pan on the stove, dipped it in the white sauce and held it out to Robert.

         "Eat dear."

         His fiancée took a large bite. "Is this some kind of new sex game?" He smirked, wiping the grease from his lips with a red-and-white, checkered cloth napkin.

         Peter smiled and continued to fix lunch. With only three more hours till he had to be at the hospital, he kept himself busy. Earlier that morning Erich and Paul asked about his decision with Georgina. Peter wanted to tell them, but didn't because of the plan he had. The boys finally left with Erich looking depressed. Hopefully, in a few, short hours he would understand why Peter chose to keep this to himself.

         "You do realize that Paul and Erich decided to eat out for lunch because they're annoyed at you?" Robert called out, as he poured two glasses of peppermint iced tea.

         "Well, this is my choice, but I know for a fact that they will be overjoyed when I tell them tonight." Picking up the plates, he moved to Robert. "Especially, Erich."

         "Why do you say that?"

         "Because of what Erich told me a few nights ago. He confessed many things to me, just like when Paul told you he considered himself bisexual. Erich has a lot of secrets and I blame Joy for that."

         Robert popped a onion ring in his mouth, chewed, then swallowed. "That woman is a female version of your father. I can't recall how many times Paul would come home crying, telling me how she yelled at you and Erich, saying horrible names like, "stupid," "worthless" and "never going to amount to anything."

         Peter took a sip of tea and continued, "That's just drunk talk. The woman obviously had demons and instead of choosing to seek professional help, she took it out on us and in the process brainwashed her own daughter to be the splitting-image of her."

         "Paul told me one day that the boys actually prayed for her," Robert raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know our children were so...religious?"

         Now it was Peter's turn to be shocked. The boys prayed? Really? "When did this happen?"

         "Oh, when was this?" Robert poured catsup on his onion rings. "I think they said the day she left for the concert. A fight broke-out the day before, something to do with how clean the house was. Joy became crazily upset because someone left a water bottle on the kitchen table. She saw it and began trashing the kitchen, yelling that someone was, "too stupid" to throw away a piece of garbage."

         "Yeah, I remember that as well," Peter sighed. "I went into my room, locked the door and forgave her for everything she ever did to us." With a realization, he raised his head, "hey, the three of us pretty much prayed for that woman on the same day..."

         "God must have heard your prayers because that was the day she met Ned!" Robert interrupted with a shriek of happiness.

         "Well," Peter lifted his glass. "Let's toast to good killing evil shall we?"

         "Not to mention us getting engaged," Robert called out. They clinked glasses. Just as they were about to return to their food, the doorbell rang.

         "Hmm?" Peter lay down his fork. "I wonder who that can be?"

         Standing up from his chair, he quickly walked down the tiled foyer, then slowed to a snail's pace as he saw the shape behind the bubble glass door--Stacey.

         The only woman who can save Georgina's life.

         Fiddling with the locks, Peter somehow managed to open the door.

         "Hello, Peter."

         "Hello, Stacey. Is everything OK?" He could see the shimmer of concealer under her eyes and knew she had been up all night. Leave it to a gay man to notice these things.

         "Why, hello Stacey," Robert called out, stepping into the hallway, brushing his hands down the sides of his pants, smoothing out the invisible wrinkles. "Come in, we were just finishing lunch. You can join us if you wish?"

         "Thank-you, Robert." Stacey walked through the entranceway, shutting the door behind her. "But, I've already ate. I came because I have some news about Georgina."

         Instantly, Peter feared the worst. "Is she OK?" She hasn't?" He could feel Robert's fingers digging into his arm.

         Stacey closed her eyes. "Oh no, Peter, nothing like that."

         A flood of relief rushed though him. My God, I could have lost her.

         "I came because her brain activity slowed dramatically during the night. She's still with us, but I don't know if she'll make it through the pregnancy."

         Peter could feel himself falling from shock, but Robert caught him before he managed to hit the ground.

         "Hey, she could make it," Stacey stepped forward to take his hands. "She's made it this far."

         Shaking his head back and forth he tried not to cry. Stacey couldn't see him cry...it would be too ironic? Life coming full-circle. He remembered how she cried when chasing her from the house as a teenager, screaming, cussing, shrieking, then grabbing his mother's thousand-dollar vase and throwing it at her.

         "Peter, let's go for a walk and clear our heads." Robert's soft voice called out, then he reached up to kiss him, not caring that Stacey saw.

         "What about the dishes?"

         "Leave them, we won't be gone long. Come Stacey, I want you with us."

         Robert grabbed the keys from the dish on the coffee table and ushered everyone outside. A summer rain had recently fallen, leaving a earthy scent in the air. The kudzu and pine trees seemed to sparkle. Normally, Peter would have enjoyed an afternoon walk through such beautiful surroundings, but not today.

         Sandwiched in between Robert and Stacey he led the way down the driveway and took a left towards the woods. For the longest time no one spoke. The only sound made was their shoes crunching on long forgotten broken cement of a damaged sidewalk.

         Peter inhaled and exhaled, taking several deep, calming breaths. Several minutes passed when a familiar iron gate suddenly rose on the horizon. Fate had delivered the three of them to, coincidently, the place they saw each other last...his childhood home.

         In nineteen-seventy-six the gorgeous Anderson Estate was the envy of Avoy; today only the brick foundation remained, crumbling into the soft earth. The fire came the week after Erich's death, destroying everything, but somehow the gates survived.

         "Oh, my God," Stacey stepped forward to touch the rusty iron. "What happened?"

         "Fire," Peter spat-out, walking around her, snaking his way through the graveyard-like ruins. Stopping at the old cellar door, he paused and looked over at the others. "Ironic isn't it? This house died the same way my dad did. Both went up in smoke." He kicked a piece of wood, then suddenly perked up. "Hey, look the place where my bedroom once stood."

         Peter could see the concerned look in their eyes, as they followed his finger in the direction of a plot of earth.

         "Dear, perhaps we should go home?"

         Robert's eyes seemed to plead, as well as speak, "Peter you're going fucking mad!"

         Exhaling, he slid down and perched on what use to be a brick staircase. "It all started here."

         "What did?" Stacey held her skirt and settled next to him.

         "The abuse."

         "Your horrible father hit you?"

         Robert seemed to have turned two shades of red. With a smile knowing that his fiancée loved him, Peter looked down at his hands.

         "No, it was mostly verbal. Calling me a 'failure' and such. The thing is he never acted this way until I became a teenager. All of his evil deeds in screwing people over seemed to be haunting him. He always came home drunk and picked a fight with me. Being how I was quite young and stupid, I yelled back, which threw fuel on the fire. He seemed to enjoy that.

         When I married Joy I found her to be the exact same way, except she loved to throw things. I had yet to make peace with my dad, so I had her to endure.

         One day Erich forgot to throw away a water bottle. Joy found it on the kitchen table and she literally snapped--destroying everything in the kitchen. Trash was thrown on the floor, dishes were smashed on the title. The entire time she ranted about how stupid and lazy "my" son was."

         Peter snorted and gestured for Robert to join them on the steps. "To think, 'The Queen of Trash' freaked out over a piece of trash.

         Finally, she stormed upstairs screeching like a horrible banshee, returning ten-minutes later with two suitcases. I didn't see her for three days. After the incident, I cleaned up the kitchen, while Paul herded Erich to his bedroom. How they managed to keep calm was beyond me. I had no idea they were up there praying for her.

         Once the kitchen returned to it's pristine shape, I dragged myself to my bedroom. I never felt so drained in my entire life. I refused to give her the satisfaction of crying, instead I did the bravest thing I ever did--I forgave her. I forgave her for every evil deed she ever did to me since the day I met her in the bar.

         Well, to make a long story short, she met that tow-truck driver during her three-day absence. She left me for a penniless, piece of trash and looking back on it, if I had never forgiven her, she would have never met that man. Thus, it the power of forgiveness."

         Stacey shifted on the bricks and reached up to pull her hair back. "Seems to me she suffers from manic depression."

         Peter turned to stare. "I mean," she continued. "From a doctors point-of-view."

         "She was, without a doubt, insanely crazy," Robert added. "So, glad she's gone though."

         Peter smiled, then shivered. "That woman brainwashed my daughter. Made her believe there was nothing wrong with acting slutty. Like she cared. I mean that belief is the reason why Georgina is in a coma and now it looks like she won't make it," his voice rose. Robert quickly wrapped his arm around him.

         "Everything will be alright, you'll see."

         "He's right, Peter. I mean judging by what you just told me, I think you have a lot of faith. Now, it's a good time to put it into action."

         Out of the corner of his eye he saw Robert reach out to tuck a piece of hair behind his hair. "If it makes you feel better, today is the day Paul will meet his mother for the first time."

         "Seriously?" Peter's eyes grew large.

         "Well, I am saving his boyfriend's life," Stacey added with a smile. "Plus he deserves to know."

         "You're right about that," Peter glanced down at his watch, then stood up. "It's almost two, we should go."

         Behind him Robert and Stacey rose to their feet, brushed the dirt off their clothes and together they headed to the iron gates. Placing his hands on the rusty iron, Peter trailed his fingers over the decades old inscription of a previous owner embedded near the latch: Thomas Milton. He always wondered who the man was? He couldn't have been the person who built the home before the Civil War. Perhaps, he was a drifter? Whomever he happened to be, Peter had become obsessed over time. With a shake of his head, he closed the gate behind the three of them.

         "Wait," Stacey called out. "Did you ever find out what caused the fire?"

         With a self-satisfied smirk, Peter then swept his eyes over the charred remains of the shell. Would Thomas be satisfied with his former home? If he could come back in time would he approve of the fire? Did he loathe the place as well?

         "Of course I do. I received permission from the fire marshal and torched the place myself."

         He could hear the loud gasps behind him. Gazing into the sooty ruins, Peter came across the main staircase, the same one he chased Stacey down the day she caught him and Robert having sex. To his right he saw the burnt out living room, where his father hit him upon learning Peter had gotten Joy pregnant.

         "Too many painful memories. It had to go up in flames."

         With that said, the three of them began their descent back up the hill towards Peter's house.