I Just Keep Hoping That Your Heart Opens (Arranged Marriage) .01.

Dinner started out like any other dinner might have. Plates were set neatly on the table, conversations, though limited, were very much there, and everyone was enjoying the food. That is until Blythe’s father decided to jump in.

He stood up, knocking his knife against his glass, a pissed off expression on his face. Everyone stopped their discussions and turned to face the man at the head of the table.

“I believe Blythe would like to make an announcement,” he muttered, bitterness lacing his words. He sat back down as the table turned to Blythe.

Blaire squeezed Blythe’s hand lovingly under the cover of the table cloth as he stood.

“There has been something I’ve been thinking about for quite some time now, and I’ve finally decided to put it into action.” He took a deep breath and Blaire could see that for the first time since she’d known him, he wasn’t confident in what he was about to do.

“I’m quitting the family business in order to finish school and go to college.”

Everyone looked shocked but Kyle was the only one who actually voiced his confusion.

“What?”

“I’m leaving the family business,” Blythe repeated.

“But you’re coming back after school?”

“No.”

Blaire stole a glance at Blythe’s father and was not surprised to find him looking angrier than she’d ever seen him. His face was a dark purple, his eyes boring into her with such intensity she was afraid that if she wasn’t holding on to the table, she would run for the door.

“Well, what does everyone think of this?” Mr. Stark hissed from between his clenched teeth.

Kyle shrugged.

Kevin, Billy, and Shan seemed completely unaware of the tense atmosphere and were currently discussing football tactics for the next game.

The adults, however, showed a range of emotions from absolutely mad to fuming. Everyone that is, except Annie who was sitting in her chair quietly eating her food.

Mr. Stark seemed even more upset, if possible, that no one seemed as angry as he was. “Can’t you see that you’re ruining the family Blythe? You’re throwing us to the dogs right now, destroying us. I don’t understand how you could do this to your own family. You’re fucking us over, completely ungrateful of everything we’ve done for you. Raising you after your whore of a mother took off, making sure you had everything you needed and this is how you repay us?”

“Other than giving me a roof over my head and food on my plate you’ve done nothing for me, father. In fact, the only good thing you ever did for me was introducing me to Blaire. It was Blaire that showed me that there was more than work to look forward to every day. She showed me that family was more important than work, something you never understood, and something you couldn’t have shown me. For once in my life I’m doing something for me, something for my family.”

“Annie,” Mr. Stark pleaded, hoping for some support.

Annie glanced up from her plate, her eyes empty of emotion. “What exactly do you plan to do once quitting your job?”

Mr. Stark looked less than pleased, but acceptant, of her question.

“As I said, I’m going to finish high school and once that is over Blaire and I will be buying a house near which ever college we choose to attend.”

“You and Blaire could never survive on your own. She isn’t fit to be a wife. She isn’t fit to take care of a husband,” Mr. Stark cried desperately.

“She wouldn’t be taking care of me. I’m not a child, I can make my own dinners, I can dress myself, and I can share some of the cleaning. She won’t be alone either. Shannon will be able to help around the house.”

Mr. Stark’s eyes darkened. “If you think I’m going to allow you anywhere near my son,” he threatened.

“We’re taking Shan with us.”

“The hell you are!”

“Shan deserves parents who will be there for him, a father who doesn’t work constantly, and an actual mother. Things he doesn’t get here.”

“You will not take my son!”

“I’m not your son!”

Everyone turned to Shannon, who now stood, chair tipped over.

“You’re not my dad. You only took me because no one else would. You think I don’t know that I was an accident? I might be nine but I’m not stupid.” Shan tightened his small hands into fists. “You don’t even know me.”

“You’re my son. Of course I know you,” Mr. Stark muttered his voice softening a bit. “You think Blaire and Blythe care about you? They’re only using you to hurt me.”

Blaire had had enough. “Mr. Stark, I think it’s about time you shut up. I love Shannon. Don’t pull that crap about knowing him, because you don’t know shit about him. You don’t know that his favourite colour is the colour of the grass in the back yard, or that his favourite food is pizza because you can put anything you want on it, or that his favourite sport is football because it’s the most complicated one. You don’t know anything about him. You don’t see that he needs love, or a father to take him to ball games or help him with his homework. So don’t sit there and pretend that you fucking care about him. You’ll never love him, you’re incapable of love.”

Blaire burst into tears when she’d finished. The table silent as her body shuddered with emotion. Mr. Stark stared at her, unable to speak as she cried.

“It isn’t right to take a boy from his father,” Sissy murmured quietly.

“He’s not my father,” Shan repeated angrily. “And you’re not my grandmother, and you’re not my grandfather, and you’re not my aunt or my uncle, and none of you are my cousins. I don’t belong on this family. I want a new family. I want a family who comes to my birthday party.”

Shan ran from the room and out the front door.

Everyone stood still for a moment, taking in the little boys words.

“Are we going after him?” Kyle asked, unsure of what to do.

“Let the brat go. He’ll realize he can’t go anywhere and he’ll come back,” Sissy muttered returning to his food.

Mr. Stark nodded. “He’s just expecting me to chase after him. I won’t sink to his level. I’ll let him come running back to me.”

Blaire sat back down, a smile on her lips.

“Why are you smiling? You’ve ruined everything!” Mr. Stark roared, his knife digging into the table.

“A real father would have chased after his son,” she murmured, taking a bite of her mashed potatoes.

“I don’t see you running after him.”

“I don’t have to. Blythe already did.”

Blythe’s father snapped. He stood up, his chair falling backwards into the wall, his eyes furious as he started toward her. He’d raised a hand to hit her when he was thrown back.

Carl stood over him, his cane raised in the air. “No son of mine will ever hit a woman.”

“Pack your bags you filthy bitch. You aren’t staying another night in my house. You’ve taken everything from me, you hear? Everything! Get the fuck out of my house!”

Blaire stood up calmly, brushing off her jumper as she did. “I hope you realize that I’m taking Shan and Blythe with me when I leave. I’ll leave quietly, and I’ll leave quickly. However, I promise that when I leave, taking everything that you’ve worked so hard for, it’ll hurt. It’ll hurt badly. And when it’s hurting I hope you’ll sit down and think about why this happened. I hope you realize it’s your fault.”

“Get out.”

“Oh don’t worry. I wouldn’t stay another minute in this house. But I want you to do something for me Mr. Stark. Take a look at your family right now. Imagine what they’re thinking of you right now. How pathetic and troubled a man must be to attack a young girl. What a terrible parent he must have been to make a nine year old hate him so much. I hope you lay there on the floor and think of how badly you’ve just fucked up. And I hope you grow old never seeing your children. I hope you grow old never seeing your grandchildren. I hope you die ashamed and sorry of the mistake that you’re making. The biggest mistake of your life.”