BRIAN 

Gus stayed on the phone with Jenny until he heard Carl's voice. Carl had already told us to meet him at Deb’s house, because he knew Gus well enough to know he wouldn’t stop worrying until he saw Jenny was fine. When I pull up I see Deb waiting on the steps with open arms for Gus. We are all worried about the way Gus tries to protect everyone, and I know it can’t be my son’s responsibility to do everything. The problem is that he refuses to leave Jenny alone at the house. I want him with me but there is still the problem of Jenny to figure out. We go in to wait for Jenny and Carl to arrive.

“Have you called Mom?” Gus asks Deb.

“No, I think that they deserve to worry.” Deb tells him.

“I’d agree with you but kids sometimes do things without thinking. I would want to know my children are safe.” I tell her.

“I want Jenny to come to our house.” Gus tells me.

“Gus, I don’t have any right to make them do it. You know I would take her with us if it wasn’t for that.” I tell him.

“Well Carl told me that either she stays here or goes with you for the weekend. The girls need to work out their issues without the kids having to be scared.” Deb tells me.

“Mel’s going to fight it.” I tell her.

“She can fight all she wants, but I doubt she wants us to report it.” Deb tells me smiling.

Deb goes into the kitchen to make the phone call to Mel, while Gus and I wait for Jenny to come here.

“I’m so mad at Jenny, I’ve told her to never go anywhere unless she tells me.” Gus tells me, sounding like a father not an older brother.

“Gus, she wanted to get away from them. Don’t be mad at her, but let’s make her understand that she can’t run off like that. Where did she get a phone?” I ask because Mel wouldn’t have given her one.

“I gave her my old one and used my allowance to pay for the phone time.” Gus tells me.

“Why?” I’m proud he used his money for his sister but confused as to why she needed a phone.

“So she could call me if it got bad. Dad she doesn’t handle the yelling and screaming well. They don’t come in the room and do it but it’s so loud that we hear it.” He tells me.

“So you gave her a phone for when you're not home. What do you do over the phone that helps?” I ask him because the idea that he did this for his sister means they deal with this all the time.

“I read her books you got for JJ and Julia until they stop. Jenny hides in the closet and listens. It’s the only thing I could think of for her.” He tells me.

“Gus, I don’t want you living there if this is what’s going on every night.” I tell him.

“I want to live with you but who takes care of Jenny if I’m not there?” He asks as Deb comes out and hears him.

“Gus, we are going to figure this out but you can’t sacrifice your life for everyone.” Deb tells him.

“It’s for Jenny, my other brother and sister don’t need me to do it.” He tells her.

“Neither will Jenny when I get through with your moms.” Deb tells him.

“They won’t listen to you because they think you’ll side with my dad.” He tells her.

“They’ll listen to Grandpa. I got a hold of Mel and she and Lindsay are on their way. Carl said they should be here in a minute. Jenny’s fine Gus.” She tells him.

Carl comes through the door with Jenny and Gus runs to hold his sister.

“You can’t run off like that.” Gus tells her.

“I wanted to get away from the yelling.” She tells him.

“Jenny call me next time and I’ll come home.” Gus tells her.

“I wanted to go with you but they wouldn’t let me.” She tells him.

The door opens to Mel running in and grabbing Jenny out of Gus’s arms.

“You can’t leave the house like that, do you know what could have happened to you.” Mel hugs her tight with tears in her eyes. Lindsay seems to just look as if they’re strangers she’s observing.

“You yelled again and I wanted Grandma.” She tells Mel.

I’ll give Mel this she does care for Jenny but doesn’t seem to care that what she and Lindsay do hurts the kids.

“Jenny, you could have been hurt running off like that.” Lindsay tells her.

“It’s better than listening to you yell.” Jenny tells her defiantly. 

“Who gave you the idea to run off like that.” Mel looks at Gus.

“No one, I just couldn’t listen to you two yell like that.” Jenny tells her.

“Or did your brother tell you to do that to scare us?” Mel ask her.

“What were you whispering to Jenny when you left Gus?” Lindsay asks him.

“That I love her and would be back Sunday.” Gus tells her.

“Is that what he told you?” Mel asks Jenny. This bitch better not make this my son’s fault somehow.

“It’s what he always tells me before he leaves.” She tell them.

“Gus take Jenny up to her playroom. I think the adults need to come to an understanding.” Carl tells him.

“We came to take her home.” Mel tells him.

“Not until you and I talk.” Carl tells her.

“Gus go and make sure Jenny’s okay.” Deb tells him smiling.

Gus leaves but not before he scowls at his moms. I wanted them to explain why they questioned what Gus tells Jenny, because my son wouldn’t tell her to run off.

“I want to get her home it’s late.” Mel tells Carl.

“If you two hadn’t scared her enough to make her leave the house we wouldn’t be sitting here right now.” Carl tells her.

“We were arguing, not hurting her.” Mel tells him.

“What was so important that you two seem to forget there’s a kid in the house?” Deb asks them.

“It’s not your business what we were arguing about.” Lindsay tells her.

“It became my business when we got a phone call that Jenny took off to the other side of town. She didn’t just walk a couple of neighborhoods away she got five miles from you. When I asked her where she was going she told me that she wanted Deb, because you two were being mean to each other. Are you understanding that your argument caused her to sneak out?” Carl tells them.

“Jenny should have…” Mel stops when Carl glares at her.

“Jenny should feel safe in her home, not have to hide in closets because talking to Gus is the only thing she has. My son shouldn’t be the one who takes care of her, when he’s a child himself. You want to hear what Gus said when I told him that he shouldn’t take that much on himself? He told me that he only has to do it for Jenny because his other siblings don’t need that. Sorry but I can’t stand here and listen them saying they don’t hurt the kids when they argue.” I tell Carl.

“I guess you and your perfect husband don’t argue with each other. It fucking happens no matter what you think.” Mel tells me.

“Of course we argue, but we do it silently and away from little ears. Not once in the five years we’ve been together did we have our kids hiding from us, which means that we realized that the kids didn’t need to hear that. I grew up with that and will not allow any of my children to deal with that kind of home life. Right now I’m trying to figure out if Gus living with you is the best for him.” I tell them and notice they look almost frightened of me taking Gus. 

“If Jenny had stayed home, I was planning to call and ask if she could come over to your house.” Lindsay tells me.

“What does any of that have to do with her running off?” Deb asks her.

“Just that I was thinking about the kids.” Lindsay tells me.

“So I wasn’t?” Mel asks her.

“I wasn’t saying that, just that I don’t get what was so bad about letting her meet Justin’s children.” She tells her.

“Because I don’t want BRIAN or his other family involved in my kid’s life.” Mel tells her loudly.

“If you two want to fight then do it out of my house away from the kids.” Deb tells her.

“I want to take my daughter home.” She tells Deb.

“I think that Jenny should stay here or with her brother this weekend.” Carl tells her.

“She’s my daughter…” Mel stops when Carl interrupts.

“How do you think Child Services would feel about your daughter running from you and Lindsay.” Carl warns her.

“You’d do that to Jenny?” Mel asks him.

“I would do it FOR Jenny if you two continue to upset her. I’m giving you the chance to fix what’s wrong with you two before it comes to that. I don’t think that Jenny should be home for that, because I love MY grandchildren enough to do what is best for them.” Carl tells her.

“Before you say anything, we aren’t giving you the choice. Jenny stays with us.” Deb tells them.

“I would like to speak to you two outside before you leave.” I tell them.

“Going to lecture us on how to be the perfect parent and partner?” Mel sneers.

“No, because I’m neither, but willing to do what is best for my kids.” I tell her.

I follow them outside and wait until they are both looking at me. I think it’s time for them to understand I know what they don’t want me knowing.

“Why did you need to know what Gus told his sister?” I ask them.

“I just wanted to make sure he didn’t convince her to run off.” Mel tells me.

“Gus wouldn’t do that, he cares to much about her to tell her to do something that could get her hurt.” I tell her.

“Gus would do anything to piss me off.” Mel tells me.

“You know, if Gus was me, I’d believe you, but he isn’t. He cares for people and wants them happy.” I tell her.

“Brian, he’s a spoiled brat, he doesn’t listen to anything we tell him and constantly defies us.” Mel tells me.

“He doesn’t respect our position as his mothers.” Lindsay adds.

“Why would he, both of you spend all your time arguing and he spends all of his time being Jenny’s parent. I would find it hard to respect either of you or listen to either of you.” I tell them.

“You get children and become an expert.” Mel sneers.

“No, I was a child of abuse and will do anything in my power to keep my kids from being abused physically or emotionally. Jenny unfortunately has parents who don’t realize that what they’re doing is abuse.” I tell them hoping to get through to Mel. 

“I don’t abuse either of the kids.” She tells me.

“Do you know what it’s like to hide under the bed praying that the argument this time won’t end with your mother looking like she was used for a punching bag or that the house will have a few more holes in the walls. No? How about that when he was through with her I would be next and hopefully still able to go to school the next day, if he didn’t leave my arm broken or bruises too visible for people to question it. No again? The funny part was the bruises were easier because when he was kicking the shit out of me he was out of breath so I didn’t hear that I was the biggest fucking mistake in Jack Kinney’s life. Words can hurt worse Mel, trust me.” I tell her.

“Look, we’ll stop arguing in front of them.” Lindsay tells me.

“Yes you will.” I tell them both.

“What makes you think you have any say?” Mel asks the question I was waiting for.

“I have the say in Gus dealing with it. If you two want me to continue to support your household. I honestly don’t have a problem with keeping you two from losing everything. What I have a problem with is that my son worries about where his sister is going to live because Lindsay is spending her way into the poor house with you.” I tell her.

“We’re doing fine.” Mel says looking at the ground.

“Really? Because I got the impression from Gus that you're about to lose the house. Which works for me because Gus has a home with me, but my son needs to know his sister will be okay in all of this.” I tell her.

“We can’t all marry well.” Mel tells me sneering.

“To bad, because it has a lot to recommend it. My husband comes with lawyers who find everything and will throw it on the table to win. The thing is, if he was poor it wouldn’t have mattered because I love him and he makes my world brighter. I’m taking Jenny to my house so that my son can have a good weekend. Fuck with me on this and you’ll meet one of the lawyers who would love to take you on Mel.” I tell her.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Mel and I could come over and see the kids tomorrow.” Lindsay offers.

“Lindsay you aren’t welcome at my house. My husband doesn’t like you and I like him too much to piss him off with you or Michael. So tell my BEST FRIEND he isn’t welcome either while you two plot to fuck with my life.” I tell them and walk in the house to get the kids and build my fucking fort.