Thunder and Lightening
Chapter 30
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

Melissa pulled the black dress out of the bag and took one glance 
at it. She didn't have to look at the label to know that it wasn't a 
designer dress. With as much disdain as she could muster, she 
asked, "Where did you buy this dress? The hardware store?"

Jenny was very tempted to answer that she had bought the dress at 
Whores-R-Us on the understanding that it was where Melissa 
bought all of her clothes, but she controlled her anger. Instead, she 
answered, "It doesn't matter."

Putting as much sweetness into her voice as was possible, Melissa 
retorted, "It might not matter to a trailer park slut like yourself, but 
I assure you that it matters a lot to ladies such as myself. Unlike 
you, I have standards about what I wear."

Turning, Jenny marched out of the bathroom before she acted on 
the temptation to do something that she might regret later. As the 
door closed behind her, she muttered, "She can go naked to that 
funeral for all I care."

"I'm sorry, Jenny." Jerry had never been so ashamed of anyone in 
his entire life as he was of his daughter at that moment. Her 
behavior convinced him that she had no love for anyone except 
herself. 

Trembling in anger, Jenny marched up to Jerry and said, "That girl 
is a total bitch."

"Melissa takes after her mother," commented Jerry as he hugged 
her to him. He could feel the tension in her body. It matched his 
tension and he knew that Melissa was the cause of it. She was so 
much like her mother.

"How can anyone be that hateful?" asked Jenny holding onto the 
big man with all of her strength. In less than five minutes, the girl 
had called her whore, slut, tramp, white trash, trailer park bimbo, 
home wrecker, and gold digger. She couldn't believe the profanity 
that came out of that young girl's mouth. A woman with less 
strength would have been in tears. As it was, Jenny wondered if 
she would have to put up with that foul creature if she were to 
marry Jerry. The thought was almost enough to make her question 
the wisdom of marrying him.

Melissa came out of the bathroom and asked, "Can't you even 
pretend to be a lady for five minutes?"

As Jenny bristled, Jerry answered, "Melissa, watch your mouth."

She rolled her eyes and asked, "Did you bring my makeup case?"

Surprised by the question, Jerry answered, "Your what?"

"My makeup case, you fucking moron. I have to put on makeup 
before I go out in public," screeched Melissa at her father. She had 
a black eye, given to her by one of the black girls that had been 
locked up with her, and she had no intention of going out in public 
without covering it with makeup.  A little incident in which she 
had called the girl a nigger had prompted a violent response. 

"Sorry, I didn't think of that," replied Jerry not used to thinking 
about the beauty needs of a woman. He had been lucky that Jenny 
had taken it upon herself to pick up a dress for the funeral.

"Can't you do anything right?" The girl rolled her eyes and looked 
off to the side with her arms crossed tightly across her chest. 

Jenny attempted to make a peace offering by saying, "I suppose 
that we have time to stop by a pharmacy to pick up some makeup 
on the way to getting Bill."

"I'm not putting that cheap shit on my face," argued Melissa.

Jerry had enough and, with considerable anger in his voice, said, 
"We're going now."

"Not until I get some makeup," replied Melissa while giving her 
father a challenging look.

Jerry, with a tight smile on his face, stepped forward and grabbed 
his daughter by throwing his good arm under her ass. With a 
smooth motion, he stood with her draped over his broad shoulder. 
The action stressed his old wounds, but he ignored the discomfort. 
Turning to Jenny, he said, "Let's go get Bill."

Melissa screamed at him to put her down. She beat on his back 
with her fists and kicked her legs. Ignoring her movements, Jerry 
left the facility carrying her to the car. Reaching the car, he stared 
at the door handle wondering how to open the car door. 
Awkwardly, he knelt down and opened the door with the hand 
sticking out his cast. It was hard, but he got the door open and 
threw his daughter into the back seat. With a growl, he said, "Stay 
or I'll get a rope."

Jenny had been taken completely by surprise when Jerry had 
grabbed the girl and refrained from laughing only with great effort. 
She ran into the bathroom and picked up the clothes that had been 
discarded by Melissa. The girl might not be upset about throwing 
away her clothes like that, but the waste would bother Jerry. 
Throwing the dirty clothes into the bag, she raced out to catch up 
with Jerry. She made it to the car in time to hear Jerry say, "I 
haven't decided. I just might throw you in the trunk. Of course, I'd 
feel sorry for the spare tire that has to be in there with you."

Melissa was enraged by his treatment of her. Men were supposed 
to be doormats for women, but he wasn't acting like a doormat. 
She glared at her father and said, "You're a fucking bastard. I hate 
you."

Jenny smiled over the hood of the car at her boyfriend. His 
demonstration of strength had a definite effect on the area between 
her legs. She said, "You're my bastard and I'd love for you to throw 
me over your shoulder like that."

Feeling the tension leave his body, Jerry laughed and said, "I'll 
keep that in mind."

Melissa was not amused by Jenny's statement. She glared at the 
older woman, disgusted that any woman would allow herself to be 
toted around like that. It only convinced her further that Jenny was 
white trash. 

On the drive over to pick up Bill, Melissa kept up a constant 
stream of abuse from the backseat. Amazed that his rage hadn't 
returned, Jerry said, "Little girl. Your mouth is writing checks that 
your ass is going to have to cash. You stay here until I get Bill. If 
you run off, I'm not chasing you down."

Jerry got out of the car and went up to the door to pick up Bill. 
When he was gone, Jenny turned to Melissa and said, "Listen to 
me, Melissa. The world described by your mother is fantasy. 
You're living in the real world now. You better listen to your 
father, do as he says, and stop shooting off your mouth. He's not 
going to let you get away with that kind of behavior."

"He can't do anything," retorted Melissa fully confident of her 
answer.

"If he doesn't know what to do with you, I'll tell him how to handle 
the situation. You run off, we'll call the police and report you as a 
run-away. When they catch you, I'm going to make sure that he's 
delayed picking you up. I promise you that you can expect to 
spend another night in jail. If you destroy something around the 
house, I'll rip up half of your clothes."

"You wouldn't dare," retorted Melissa in shock that another woman 
would take her father's side. 

"Just try me," challenged Jenny. She didn't want to see Jerry hurt 
by the malicious little monster seated in the back of the car.

The tone of voice in the woman's voice convinced Melissa more 
than her words. She stared at the woman finding it hard to believe 
that she let a man dictate what she did. In an incredulous voice, she 
said, "You have to control men. They might be stronger than 
women are, but they are mentally weak and lazy. They are sheep 
that have to be told what to do. Didn't your mother explain that to 
you?"

Jenny broke out laughing at the younger woman. Shaking her head, 
she said, "You really have no clue at all about men and women."

"Bitch," retorted Melissa. She crossed her arms and stared out the 
window in time to see Bill come out of the house. She was 
surprised to see that he had a couple of friends that were patting 
him on the back and joking around with him. For a moment she 
wondered how he had managed to trick people into liking him. He 
was one of the losers and there wasn't a chance of him going 
anywhere in the world.

Bill entered the car with a smile on his face. Ignoring his sister 
seated beside him, he looked over at Jenny and said, "Hi, Jenny."

"Hello Bill. Did you have a good time with Woody?"

"It was great. We played Nintendo, went swimming over at 
Sandy's, hung around the mall, and watched a bunch of videos," 
replied the boy with enthusiasm. 

Melissa interrupted, "Billy boy, aren't you going to say hello to 
me?"

"No," replied Bill curtly before he turned back to Jenny. Smiling, 
he asked, "So what have you been doing?"

"Sharon and I went shopping. That was lots of fun," replied Jenny. 
The two women had gone out to find a black dress for Melissa. 
Once they had found a dress for the girl, the two went looking at 
wedding dresses. Sharon was getting married in a month and still 
hadn't found a dress for the wedding.

Bill wasn't all that interested in shopping, but knew that Jenny 
enjoyed it. He asked, "So what did you get?"

"Well, we bought a dress for your sister and then we started 
looking for a wedding dress…" Her answer was cut off and 
replaced with a scream when Melissa reached out and grabbed a 
handful of her hair. 

Jerry had been getting into the car when Melissa had yanked 
Jenny's hair. Instead of getting into the car, he ran around to the 
other side to rescue his girlfriend. Bill reacted without thinking and 
slammed his right fist into Melissa's stomach in a broad backhand 
swing. The girl crumpled in her seat letting go of Jenny's hair. 
Before Jerry was able to get the door open, Bill had pushed 
Melissa back and was hovering over her with his fist back ready to 
pummel her.

Jerry threw the door open and Melissa tumbled out, landing at his 
feet. Roughly, Jerry picked her up and headed towards the back of 
the car. He shouted, "Open the trunk!"

Jenny appeared at his side and said, "Don't put her in the trunk. I'll 
sit in the back with Bill."

Angry, Melissa glared at Bill and shouted, "He hurt me!"

Bill appeared next to his father and waved his fist in Melissa's face 
as he growled, "If you ever touch Jenny again, I'll kill you."

Jerry snapped, "Melissa, you are lucky this time. Get in the front 
seat and don't even say a single word. Bill, don't threaten your 
sister. "

"It wasn't a threat. It was a promise," countered Bill ignoring the 
angry look his father gave him. He was staring at Melissa with 
absolute hatred in his eyes.

Melissa hadn't believed her father when he had said that he would 
throw her in the trunk of the car earlier, but based on his actions 
she found herself believing the threat. When he let her go, she was 
going to yell at him. After one look at Bill, she slipped into the 
front seat without arguing. 

The drive to the funeral home was quiet. Bill sat in the back 
glaring at his sister and holding Jenny's hand. He was sitting right 
behind Melissa ready to reach out and throttle her if she did or said 
anything. He had lived with her abusive comments and behavior 
for years, but wasn't going to allow Melissa to do the same things 
to Jenny. 

Jenny watched Bill and Jerry as looks of anger crossed their faces. 
She patted Bill's hand with reassurance occasionally. She believed 
that he was upset about having to be around his sister. She didn't 
realize that the boy was more concerned about keeping her safe 
from his sister. 

Jerry drove mechanically. His mind was racing in a futile effort to 
figure out what to do with Melissa. The past three days had been 
absolute hell for him and she had been the root cause of all of it. 
He wondered if there was any hope for her. 

Melissa, her stomach hurting from the earlier blow to it, sat in the 
front seat plotting how she would get revenge on Bill for striking 
her. Thoughts of destroying his scooter came to mind, but she 
knew that he would be protecting it from her. She thought about it 
and knew that she'd have to come up with something much worse 
to have the desired effect.

When they arrived at the funeral home, Jerry's ex-wife was 
standing near the door smoking a cigarette. Before Jerry had a 
chance to put the car into park, Melissa had jumped out the door. 
She hit the ground running while she screamed, "Mommy."

Jerry sat in the car staring at the pair of women as they went 
through the ritual of exchanging air kisses. The sight of his ex-wife 
disgusted him. She had let herself go over the past year and looked 
twenty years older. She retained the cruel twist to her smile when 
she looked in his direction. After knowing Jenny, he wondered 
how he had ever thought his ex-wife was attractive.

Bill broke the silence when he said, "Mom looks like shit."

"Yes, she does." 

The three of them got out of the car and went up to the door of the 
funeral home. As they reached the door, his ex-wife said, "Well, if 
it isn't the gorilla and his crack whore. What are you doing here?"

Jerry stopped and looked at his ex-wife. In a somber tone of voice 
appropriate for attending a funeral, he answered, "Bill and I are 
here to pay our respects to your mother."

The three did not wait for a response before heading into the 
funeral parlor. Inside, they took seats in the back row of the room 
where the service would be held. The room was empty. Jerry 
wasn't exactly surprised that they were the only ones there. The 
time for the service came and a minister came into the room. Jerry 
looked around and saw that they were the only ones there. He 
whispered, "We are the only ones here."

Jenny looked around the room confirming that Jerry was correct; 
they were alone in the room. She wondered why the ex-wife and 
daughter were not in the room. They sat through the service with 
Jerry holding an arm around Bill's shoulder to comfort the young 
man. The woman may have been nasty to Jerry, but she was Bill's 
grandmother. 

Bill sniffed, trying to hold back his tears. He may not have 
particularly been happy with how his grandmother treated him, but 
he had still loved her. For years he had hoped that he could do 
something that would make her proud of him, but that had never 
come to pass. His sister, on the other hand, could do no wrong. 
Even in his grief, he felt bitter about the unfairness.

When the service ended, the three of them went to the gravesite. 
The weather was still and humidity made the cemetery 
oppressively hot. They waited as the minister gave the graveside 
service with Bill standing between Jerry and Jenny. Jerry had his 
hand on the boy's left shoulder and Jenny had hers on his right 
shoulder. When it was over, Jerry said, "I know you loved her 
son."

Bill sniffed and said, "Yeah, but I don't think she loved me."

Jerry frowned and wondered what to say. He decided that the truth 
was best. After a minute, he said, "Don't feel bad. I don't think she 
was capable of loving a male."

"Just like Mom and Melissa," commented Bill with a sad shake of 
his head.

"I'm not sure that your mother is capable of loving anyone," 
corrected Jerry. He stood by the graveside thinking how horrible it 
was that the old woman had been buried without her daughter or 
granddaughter in attendance. It was ironic that the two members of 
the family that the woman had actively disliked had been the only 
ones that attended her funeral. He wondered if there was any hope 
for Melissa.

With her heart breaking at the exchange between father and son, 
Jenny pulled Bill into a tight hug without saying a word. The 
tension in his back slowly lessened as he took comfort in her tight 
embrace. When she released him, tears were streaming down their 
faces. Jerry rocked in place feeling awkward, but not knowing 
what to say or do. 

Bill followed his father and Jenny to the car. He thought about how 
lucky his father had been to find Jenny. Bill had learned from her 
that not all women were as selfish and self-centered as the women 
in his family were. She gave him hope that one day he would meet 
a nice girl.

When they reached the car, Jenny looked around for Melissa. The 
girl was nowhere to be found. She asked, "What are you going to 
do about Melissa?"

Looking around the parking lot, Jerry saw that Melissa was 
nowhere in sight. It was obvious to him that she had left with his 
ex-wife. He answered, "I'm going to report Melissa as a runaway 
and then I'm going to take the two people I love the most in this 
world to lunch."

Bill looked over at his father and said, "I know where they are."

"Where?"

"They've gone to get the will," replied Bill. He ran a finger under 
his nose and then added, "After you left, Mom used to talk about 
how all of her money problems would be over when grandmother 
died."

"What a bitch," commented Jenny unable to believe the character 
of Jerry's ex-wife. She put her hand to her mouth as she realized 
that she had said it aloud. The woman was Bill's mother and it 
wasn't right to talk bad about her in front of the boy. She 
apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it."

Sighing, Bill said, "We were all thinking it."

Jerry pulled out his cell phone and called the police. It didn't take 
long to report his daughter as being a run-away. After agreeing to 
stop by the station to sign the appropriate paperwork, Jerry smiled 
and said, "Let's get something to eat."

"Chinese Buffet!"

"Seafood!" suggested Jenny.

Jenny's suggestion made Bill reconsider his previous choice. 
Smiling, he said, "Seafood."

"Seafood it shall be," summarized Jerry immensely happy at the 
choice. He didn't want to eat Chinese Buffet that day. He knew that 
Jenny enjoyed it, but not as a regular place to eat. He smiled while 
he opened the door for Jenny and, leaning down so that his mouth 
was next to her ear, whispered, "I love you, Jenny."

It was a quiet trip to the seafood restaurant. Each of them was lost 
in their own thoughts. When they reached the restaurant, Jenny 
said, "I was thinking about the will. You and your wife aren't 
divorced yet. If I'm not mistaken, that means that you get half of 
the inheritance."

Jerry didn't like the direction of Jenny's thoughts and wondered if 
she was just as greedy as was his ex-wife. He looked over at her in 
concern and asked, "So?"

"I was just thinking that you could use that to expedite the divorce. 
I'm sure that she would give up a lot of her claims to keep as much 
of that inheritance as possible."

Turning to face Jenny, Jerry couldn't believe what she had said. It 
sounded to him as if she were suggesting that he use the 
inheritance to coerce his wife into capitulating to his demands. He 
asked, "How?"

"Look. I know that you could care less about the money and just 
want to get rid of your wife. If what you told me about your 
mother-in-law is correct, then she left behind a house and a fairly 
good savings account. You said that her house was worth a lot 
more than you could get for your old house. Your wife will give 
you your old house and your retirement account without complaint 
if she is getting the better deal. You end up with what is yours."

Jerry nodded his head thinking about what she had said. It made 
sense that his wife would ease off on her demands in order to get 
as much money as possible. Thinking over the possibility, he 
pulled out his phone and made a call to his attorney. He was 
smiling by the time that he hung up and could imagine the scream 
of frustration that his wife would give forth when she heard from 
her lawyer.

The three of them left the car and entered the restaurant. They had 
a nice quiet meal in which Bill talked about his memories of his 
grandmother. He had loved her, but had never understood why she 
didn't seem to care for him. It broke Jerry's heart as he heard about 
the kinds of things that she had said and done to his son. Jenny had 
to leave the table to avoid breaking out in tears upon learning about 
the kind of treatment given Bill by his grandmother.

It was two days later when Jerry sat down across from his attorney, 
wondering how much this conversation was going to cost him. He 
felt as if the majority of his income was going to the attorney 
rather than into feeding and housing his family. So far, the divorce 
had been emotionally and financially draining. Most likely, this 
visit was about the divorce.

On the other hand, he knew that it could be related to Melissa. His 
daughter was costing him even more money. He had picked her up 
from jail that morning and dropped her off at his house. She was 
actually glad to be at the house after sharing a cell overnight with a 
very butch looking woman who had been arrested for assaulting 
her lover.

Gruffly, Jerry asked, "What did you need to see me about?"

Smiling at his client, Tony answered, "We've reached an 
agreement on the terms of the divorce. I want to verify that you 
agree with them. Once that's done, we put it to the judge, you sign, 
and then you're free."

The news about having reached an agreement surprised Jerry, since 
he didn't think he'd ever hear those words. He smiled as he 
considered that he would be able to marry Jenny sooner than 
expected. He asked, "So what are the terms?"

"You get the kids, the house, your cars, your savings accounts, and 
your retirement accounts. She gets her mother's house, her mother's 
accounts, her car, and all of the items from your house."

Frowning, Jerry asked, "I get the kids? She didn't contest custody 
of Melissa?"

"No. She said that she wanted to get what is hers and to be done 
with it." Tony hated custody battles, but this was one of the 
strangest in which he had ever been involved. The mother had 
poisoned the daughter against the father, but didn't bother to try to 
keep custody of the kid. Her desire for money overwhelmed all 
other considerations.

Jerry stared at the lawyer in shock. This was the last thing that he 
had expected, since he was positive that she would fight to keep 
custody of Melissa. It would take a lot of lying to himself to be 
convinced that he was willing to fight that hard to keep custody of 
Melissa. The girl had been nothing but trouble ever since his 
mother-in-law had died. 

Melissa didn't know that her mother had given up custody of her 
without a fight and he sure didn't know how to tell her. With a 
start, he realized that if he told her that she wouldn't believe him. 
Hoping that she might have learned of it without his knowledge, he 
asked, "Does Melissa know?"

"She's at your house and, as far as I know, your wife has not 
contacted her."

"What should I tell her?" asked Jerry. 

"The truth," replied the lawyer with a grim look on his face. He 
knew that was the only way that Jerry would have any control over 
his daughter. She had to know that her mother had abandoned her 
without a fight.

Jerry was quiet as he considered what he had to tell his daughter. 
He knew that she wouldn't believe a single word that he said 
against her mother. He shook his head and said, "There's no way I 
can tell her that her mother wanted the money more than her."

"It's the truth. I'll admit that it is an ugly truth, but it is the truth," 
replied Tony with a sigh. He looked up at his client, frowned as he 
considered his words, and then said, "She needs to know the truth."

"I can't do that," countered Jerry. In his opinion, it was wrong for a 
parent to ever tell their child that they weren't wanted. 

Tony countered, "You can't afford not to tell her that."

"I know," replied Jerry knowing that he wouldn't say a word about 
it.

"I'll see you in two days when we get the paper work. Your wife 
wants to meet and get everything settled. Until the paperwork is 
completed, she can't move into her mother's house," stated the 
lawyer. 

It was two days later when Jerry, Bill, and Melissa showed up at 
the lawyer's office. Jerry hadn't discussed any details about the 
settlement with the kids. Pointing to the chairs in the waiting room, 
Jerry said, "Have a seat."

Melissa believed that she would be moving in with her mother 
after the divorce was final. Her mother had promised her that on 
the day of her grandmother's funeral. She had even packed her 
suitcases and thrown a fit when Jerry wouldn't put them in his car. 
The girl seated herself in the lobby, barely able to contain her 
excitement at the prospect of returning to live with her mother. She 
knew that once they cleaned him out, they would both achieve the 
lifestyle to which they had always desired.

At a gesture from the receptionist, he went to the office and 
entered. His lawyer, her lawyer, and the soon-to-be official ex-wife 
were waiting for him. He left the door open behind him so that the 
kids could hear what was said in the room. Looking at his wife, he 
asked, "Why didn't you fight for custody of Melissa?"

"I wanted the money now," she answered with a grin, "and fighting 
you for her would have made it that much longer before I got it. 
She wasn't worth it."

"You're right. I would have fought to keep her." Knowing that his 
ex-wife had conveyed the message to his daughter, Jerry closed the 
door. In a disgusted tone of voice, he said, "I'll sign the papers 
now."

Jerry signed the papers and picked up the keys to the house. His 
lawyer had taken care of all of the details for transfer of title to the 
house. He handed the pen over to his wife and said, "You can sign 
now."

She signed the papers without even looking in his direction. Once 
that was done, she crowed, "You are a stupid fucking gorilla. You 
have no idea how much money you lost in this settlement."

Jerry opened the door as he said, "Yeah, I'm a stupid fucking 
gorilla. I do have an idea how much money I lost in this settlement. 
I also know that I got the better deal. I got the kids."

"Ha," scoffed the woman with a smirk. She didn't care who heard 
her.

"Do you want to see the kids?" asked Jerry knowing exactly how 
she would answer.

"Not really," she replied. She was ready to leave on a major 
shopping trip complements of the insurance money left to her by 
her mother.

"A representative will be over to your house to pick up Melissa's 
clothes and her car," said Jerry. There was no way he was taking 
Melissa anywhere near that woman.

"What car?" asked the woman surprised by his demand.

"The BMW. It's in her name," replied Jerry.

"You can't take that car. It's mine. It's in the garage of my new 
house," countered his ex-wife. She wasn't going to let him get 
away with anything from that house.

Jerry shook his head at the idea that she would steal a car from her 
own daughter. He turned to Tony in disgust and said, "Explain it to 
her, Tony."

Jerry left the office and entered the waiting room. Bill was in tears 
having heard that his mother hadn't wanted to see him. Melissa 
was in a state of shock and looked as if she were about to faint any 
moment. Jerry hadn't wanted to tell her that her mother didn't 
really want her. It was better for everyone to let her mother say 
that. He went to them and said, "Come here kids."

The kids flew to him. He threw an arm around Melissa as Bill 
hugged him tightly. Bending down a little, he whispered in 
Melissa's ear, "I'm sorry."

As tears threatened to overwhelm her, she asked, "For what?"

"That you had to hear what your mother said," answered Jerry. He 
hugged her closer as she burst into tears. He knew that her heart 
had been ripped out of her chest.

Melissa had never thought of her mother as a shallow self-centered 
woman. For her entire life, her mother had served as a role model 
of an intelligent and attractive woman. She couldn't believe that 
her mother had abandoned her so easily, particularly to a man that 
they both considered to be a barbarian who epitomized the worst in 
men. 

Jerry held the kids until they stopped crying. It was at times like 
this that he hated wearing the cast. He wanted to wrap both his 
arms around his kids and comfort them, but he only had one arm. 
They needed to know that someone in this world loved them. 

When the kids stepped back, he said, "Let's go home and talk."

He turned to find his lawyer standing behind him. Jerry gave the 
man a look that conveyed the hurt his ex-wife's actions had caused 
for all of them. His expression changed to worry as he realized that 
his wife might still be there.

Tony shook his head and said, "Don't worry. She's left already."

"Thank you," replied Jerry.

"If it will make you feel any better, I agree with you. You got the 
better deal in the divorce." Tony shook his head and returned to his 
office. He was planning on going home and hugging his kids. 

Jerry looked down at the kids and gave them a weak smile. Trying 
to put a lot more positive energy into his voice than he actually 
felt, he said, "Let's go home."

The kids walked out of the lawyer's office much closer to their 
father than when they had entered. Bill knew how much his father 
loved him and that his mother was a lost cause. Melissa, afraid for 
her future, wondered how her father would treat her. At least he 
hadn't gloated over the situation.

At the car, Jerry pulled Bill over to him and gave him a great big 
hug. Kneeling next to his son, he said, "I love you."

Bill sniffed, smiled, and then asked, "So are you going to raise my 
allowance?"

Jerry laughed and tousled Bill's hair appreciating that his son was 
still able to joke. He was never more proud of his son than at that 
moment. Bill displayed the kind of resilience of spirit that would 
see him through this difficult time and through the difficulties that 
an uncertain future might throw at him. 

As Bill climbed into the back of the Camaro, Jerry put an arm 
around Melissa and said, "Melissa, I'll try to be a little more patient 
and understanding from now on. I hope that you can meet me 
halfway."

Melissa pulled back and, with real despair in her voice, replied, 
"What choice do I have?" 

Jerry shook his head and answered, "I wish you had more choices, 
but that wasn't up to me to give you. When we get home, we'll talk 
about your choices. I'm sure there are a few left to you."

"You mean I have choices?"

"Sure you do. We all have choices. Some cost more than others do. 
Some are harder than others are, but you always have choices," 
answered Jerry. Divorcing his wife had been one of the hardest 
choices that he had made, but the rewards had been tremendous.

Melissa got into the car without her normal anger. She hurt too 
much to be angry and sat in her seat, quiet and thoughtful. Bill 
watched her with narrowed eyes trying to gauge her mood, but it 
was one that he had never seen before. Shrugging his shoulders, he 
turned and looked out the window promising that he wasn't going 
to trust his sister further than he could throw his car. 

On their way home, they stopped by the old house to see what kind 
of shape that it was in. The outside of the house looked like a 
tornado had gone through the yard. Trash littered the uncut grass. 
There were more weeds than grass. It was clear that she had done 
nothing with the yard since Bill had left the house.

The inside of the house was completely torn up. She had gone 
through the interior with a sledgehammer, taking out the walls, 
sinks, toilets, and kitchen appliances. Most of the windows were 
broken. They had to turn off the water to prevent further damage as 
broken sinks and toilets flooded rooms. The entire interior of the 
house would have to be repaired.

Bill and Jerry took the devastation in stride, but Melissa stood at 
the front door looking at the damage in shock. It had been her hope 
that they would move back into the house and out of that horrid 
neighborhood. With a tremble in her voice, she said, "There was 
no need to do this. She got everything she wanted."

Bill glanced at his father taking in the sadness that spread over his 
face. In a quiet voice, Jerry said, "No she didn't get everything she 
wanted. She wanted everything all to herself."