Chapter 3
The sound of a vehicle pulling into the driveway awakens him. Eli startles and sits up, peering around his childhood room. He scans the remnants of his reminiscing and recalls his last thoughts before exhaustion hit him.
Wiping his eyes, Eli brings his feet off the bed until they hit the hardwood floor. He stretches before walking to the window to find out who could be visiting so early.
Her figure is the same. Petite. Slim. Confident.
A low grumble escapes when he moves the sheer curtain to the side and stares at the blonde. Remembering the first day they’d met, Eli knew he hated her. Closer to his age than his own father’s, Siobhan always made it awkward. She’d try to be his friend, and hook him up with people she socialized with. It was bad enough he had to live in the same house as one flippant female, but add her girlfriends to the mix and it was unbearable. Eli spent most of his free time either out getting into trouble, or over Clarke’s house with her little kid neighbor annoying the shit out of him.
They’d started officially dating in eleventh grade. He’d forsaken his buddies for a chance to get laid. Then something happened. Feelings came into play. Soon he was just as smitten about her and she was with him. They were inseparable.
His hate for Siobhan only reminds him of all he’s lost. She’s the wicked devil who ruined his life, and now he’s supposed to pretend they’re cordial in order to plan a funeral for his father.
From the above bedroom, Eli can hear the clanking of her high heels in the foyer. He takes a few deep breaths and awaits her call, knowing her impatience is a virtue she’ll never correct. His lip curls the moment her voice fills the home.
“Elias, I’m here.” She’s climbing the stairs. “Don’t tell me you’re still asleep. One would think you’d outgrown such bad habits.”
Not bothering to brush his teeth or check his appearance, Eli opens the door to face the person he hates most in the world. “Siobhan,” comes off his lips like he’s seeing a haunting ghost.
Siobhan gives him a once over and spreads her arms as if she’s offering to hug him. This causes Eli to take a step back and reject her. He crosses his arms and shakes his head. “I’d say it’s good to see you, but it would be a lie.”
She nods and peers down at the floor while speaking. “You’re never going to get over it are you?”
“Never in this lifetime. Believe me, I would if I could, but some things are etched in my memory. I’m not here to talk about the past. I’m here to bury my father and get the hell away from this town as quickly as possible.” He waits for her to absorb his blow to her ego before continuing. “What time does the funeral home open?”
“Nine maybe. I suppose it could be closer to ten. Small town. People don’t exactly live off stiff schedules.”
“Where’s Jonathan?”
“With my mom. He wanted to go to school. He’s trying to be strong, but I could hear him crying all night. He was so close to your father.”
Eli’s blood boils when she says it. He’s taken his place. There’s no resentment. Jonathan is just a boy in need of a relationship with his father. He’s happy they’re close and bonded. He only wishes the circumstances were different. “It’s a shame. I can’t imagine it happening when I was his age.”
A guffaw exudes from deep within Eli. Siobhan is his age. She would have been a child when he was growing up with his dad. Only being a few years older, she would have experienced the same upbringing. They would have watched the same television and enjoyed the same popular music of their era. Siobhan to Eli, is nothing but a gold digger who found love with her sugar-daddy husband. When the money started running out the marriage was over. Eli can't begin to understand why his father and Siobhan remained on good terms. Had it not been for Jonathan they probably would have raged war on each other. As it stands, Siobhan nabbed half of his retirement pension, and the family vehicle. She took half of his assets and gave him an ulcer from stress. Dad was left with the house and it's contents as well as shared custody of their child.
Eli only knows this because he read about it on social media. Having the conveniences of the Internet allowed him to occasionally check on his father, even if it was through Siobhan's personal account. He'd never sent her a friend request. The little slut had a public profile where her dirty laundry could be seen by anyone wanting to read her bullshit drama.
Eli snickers to himself when he remembers all the ridiculous things she posted that condescended her being a good parent. Parties. Clubs. Boating excursions. Pictures of her new relationships, and then comment about them being wrong for her.
It became so redundant he stopped looking. He hated the woman, and only found it entertaining she was miserable.
"You haven't changed." Siobhan accuses.
Eli shrugs and passes by her, heading for the kitchen to make coffee. It's too early for him to deal with this. "If they don't open for a couple hours why are you here?" he asks while going down the stairs.
Siobhan follows. "We need to talk about other things. My son is entitled to be a part of this. He deserves to have half of everything. It should be split between the two of you."
Eli twists as soon as his foot makes it onto the hardwood first floor. "Are you seriously pulling this shit already? Do you think I give a damn what you consider fair? Has it ever occurred to you that your attempts to play God could only keep you on top for so long? My dad is dead. I'm not obligated to give you shit, and I refused to stand here and listen to you tell me what Jonathan is entitled to. Did you honestly assume I'd forget?"
"No. Of course not. Regardless, he's still his son. He's the only father that boy has ever had. Would you seriously take that away from him, especially now when he's hurting? How cruel can you be, Elias?"
Eli clenches his jaw, his straight teeth grinding together and making a sound within his ears. Holding his anger in is seemingly hard when his adrenaline won't allow reprieve. "I'm not doing this with you. If you know what's best you won't cross me, not today. Go home, Siobhan. Leave the arrangements to me. I'll text you the information when I have it."
She huffs back up the staircase until he halts her. “Whoa. Now, what are you doing? I asked you to leave."
"There are things I want before you forbid me to take them."
She has tears in her eyes. For a second Eli relates to her sorrow. She loved his father, even if it wasn't always represented. A lot of her choices had been desperate because she feared losing her marriage. "Get them later. I need to be alone."
She stands in a staring duel with him for a few long moments. Then stomps back down the steps and out the door.
Not until the car pulls away, does Eli begins to realize the mess he's about to get involved in. He knows it's going to take more than a couple days to sort out, and it pisses him off.