Paul

Paul
Paul drove Serena home after the inn so she could pack for a few days. Since he was going home he didn't feel the need to take anything other than his wallet, his phone and his keys.

They took a commercial flight to Nevada and a cab from the airport to his home.

They'd arrived by ten in the morning and Las Vegas was already arid and uncomfortable. Funny how quickly his body acclimated to cooler weather and stopped caring for the unbearable heat.

The trip itself was full of small talk pertaining to harmless subjects but that changed almost the moment they stepped they into his home.

Paul carried Serena's carry-on upstairs to one of his guest rooms. "This is where you'll be staying," he informed her as he placed the bag on top of the mattress. "I'll get sheets and covers for you," he said as she sat with her arms crossed on the unmade bed. He spun, sliding the closet's barn doors open and reaching for linens from the top shelf.

"How can you hold no resentment towards your mother?" She blurted. The strength in her voice and her words both catching him off guard.

Holding on to the white sheets he'd just grabbed, he turned to face her almost sure he'd misunderstood. "I'm sorry?"

"Why aren't you mad at Ellen for not defending you when you needed her protection the most?" She asked incensed. "She should have been your protector instead of being complicit with her silence."

Paul sighed as he dropped his head. Slowly, he looked up at her as he walked to the bed and dropped the sheets next to her carry-on. He took a seat next to her, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees.

Her words immediately transported him back in time to someplace dark and lonely. To all those times George sent him upstairs without supper because he wanted to enjoy a meal with his true family. When Paul half expected his mother to bring him a plate after George had gone to bed but she never did.

George did it a few times when Iris and Serena had sleepovers, too. On those nights it was Serena that snuck up into his room to bring him potato chips sandwiches and water. Not very nutritious nor delicious but when starving, it felt like manna from heaven.

He released a breath as he turned to her while reaching for her hands. "I had an angel in my corner whose presence helped ease the blows."

Serena gave him a small but sincere smile.

He sat up straight. "And yes, I do have moments where I resent Mom and get angry for all the things she didn't do to save me." He looked at her face, but it felt as if he was seeing through her at the wall behind her. "It's why I took this trip," he said softly. "Now that she's out of danger I feel the past rushing back quicker than I can handle and it's making it hard to breathe when I'm in her presence sometimes."

Serena inched her body next to his as she covered his hand with the other hand and rested her head on his shoulder.

Paul closed his eyes, resting his head against hers. He didn't know how but the contact helped unburden the weight of the memories.

"When I was a kid, I didn't understand the dynamic of your household - but something just didn't click," she whispered. "As I grew older, it became alarmingly obvious why things didn't sit right and I grew to hate George, and I became so angry at Ellen for giving up on you. You deserved so much- a daily parade in your honor at the very least, not mistreatment and hunger." She complained. "I even began to resent Iris for being of George's bloodline."

Serena raised her head to look at him. "You always meant everything to me, Paul," he turned to look at her in return. "But I didn't want anger and bitterness to poison my body day-in, day-out. Even towards Mom and her outdated thinking," she continued. "So, I sought professional help to overcome these negative emotions." She stood slowly, walking to the window that overlooked his backyard. "And now I have to seek professional help once more to help me overcome these abandonment issues and this overwhelming sense of worthlessness."

Paul stared at her back, his hands gripping the edge of the mattress.

She turned back to look at him. "And I think you should consider it too - to heal."