Danny Montomgery (in_the_genes) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2010-02-16 19:57:00 |
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Entry tags: | #solo, 2009-07-04 |
What's Eating Tim Montgomery?
Who: Danny and Christine Montgomery (NPC)
Where: The Liberty Inn
When: Saturday evening, probably 5ish
It didn’t really seem like the 4th of July. Yes, there were still plenty of decorations up around some of the various places that made up Scarlet Oak’s very kitsch business district, but it wasn’t quite what it had been in the past. Even the diner seemed a lot less packed than it had in previous years. Perhaps it was just age eroding the nostalgia that Danny had once felt about the holiday, or maybe it really was what he thought it was. As he had told Dagmar before, the whole Independence Day thing just didn’t really do anything for him. What limited emotional connection the man had in the past was mostly because it was one of those holidays where people came together.
Danny worked the early shift on the 4th. It wasn’t exactly easy to roll out of bed on a holiday, but he managed. At times it seemed like there was such a lull at Sarah’s that he might as well have tossed his ass up on top of the counter and took a nap. Of course, he didn’t. It was one of those moments in his life where he at least partially lamented his unfavorable opinion of coffee.
At the end of his shift, Danny headed immediately to the Inn. Some of the area outside of the grounds had been transformed by patrons into a makeshift parking lot. It was the same every year. However, again, it seemed to Danny like things were just a little bit less vibrant. Even so, it was one of the traditions that he had long observed with his family. One of the good ones, too. Not like Mother’s Day… which was laced with unpleasant thoughts.
He brought his camera with him from home before work, taking it in with him and leaving it behind the counter. It wasn’t like he thought that there were people who would break into his car and take his camera, but given that the camera was probably the most valuable thing that he owned (for both practical and personal reasons), Danny wasn’t entirely willing to leave it to chance.
Although there didn’t seem to be as many people as there normally was, there was still a good vibe. He saw families that were familiar to him, people that he went to high school with, basically all the markers that showcased the fact that he grew up in a place where there was a certain level of comfort. Would they be as comfortable with him if they knew he was a witch? That was debatable. Tim had told his son that there were those who had known even before Danny himself was told, staying silent only because of Tim’s request. Regardless of how they may have viewed the information, he wasn’t going to be forthcoming with it.
Almost immediately, Danny took his camera into his hands and quickly started snapping pictures of the scenery. Some turned out better than others, as was the nature of pictures, but he doubted that there would be much difficulty in pulling out ones that he could save for future reference. An improvement that he immediately noticed was the overall presentation of the Inn. He’d been to the Independence Day festivities for his entire life, so he knew what the place looked like at its best and at its worst. In recent years, the conditions of the grounds had deteriorated, but that was an issue that seemed to be alleviated that year.
Turning right towards the side of the inn, near the restaurant, he continued down the path. An unusual sound caught his attention, and he followed it until he found what it was. The waterfall. Given his affinity for water, he remembered it well, and also remembered how long it was out of commission for. His camera immediately focused on the sight, fitting some of the children who were looking at it into the picture as well. Hardly necessary, but it did help capture that small town vibe, so it wasn’t useless.
“There you are.” A familiar, soft, effeminate voice called out to him. Without even turning around, he knew that it was his grandmother. Christine Montgomery was the closest thing that Danny had ever truly had to a mother. Sometimes people who weren’t aware of their family history (usually out of town, because, again, in small towns things had a way of getting around, desired or not) would confuse them for mother and son. Although in her mid 50s, Christine did not look like it. Possibly because she had her midlife crisis in her 30s when she realized she was going to be a grandmother, and since then she had done much to maintain her own ever dwindling feeling of youth. “I expected you earlier.”
The camera dangled harmlessly around his neck, “I was on schedule at Sarah’s today.” He wrapped his arms around his grandmother and gave her a tight hug. Nobody would confuse the Montgomery family for the Tanner family from Full House, but that hardly meant that they were without affection. He saw his grandparents less now that he no longer lived with them, though they remained a constant in his life. Whenever Danny was sick, which was a rarity, he would frequently be found at his childhood home. Christine would do more to cure his ails than make him take some cough syrup that tasted awful, as Tim would frequently do. Nobody could ever claim Danny’s father to be anything akin to the king of domesticity. Not that Tim needed to. He just needed to be a good dad, and, in his son’s incredibly biased eyes, Tim was the best. “Where’s grandpa?”
“You know your grandfather, especially today. He finds some people to talk history and politics with…”
“And you’re going to need to drag him away by his ear later,” Danny gave a nod. His grandfather, Jeff, was very politically inclined. Of all the people in his family, Jeff was the one who was proudest of Danny for his time spent in student government. Although he performed the duties to the best of his abilities, Danny knew that his reasons for running were mostly to secure his social standing. Those things were popularity contests, plain and simple. Jeff, a history and government teacher at a high school in Ann Arbor, had loftier political goals for his grandson that were ultimately dashed. “At least he’ll have gotten it out of his system for a little bit. Give you a break.” The rule about not talking politics at the dinner table was not one that applied to his grandfather.
“Like an early Christmas and birthday present all wrapped together,” she said with a smirk. She loved her husband, but wasn’t much of a political person. The children, and grandchild, probably got that trait from her. Speaking of children… “Have you seen your father yet?”
“He sent me a text while I was at work to let me know that he was on his way over here, so he has to be around here somewhere. I just got here a little while ago, though… and I haven’t seen him. You might want to try a place where there’s a bunch of those emo beatnik people with the French hats and striped shirts…”
“What are you talking about?”
Danny shook his head. “Nothing. Dad’s just been in a weird mood lately.”
“Weird how?” Christine was a mother. Tim was her child. Words like that were not going to go without her trying to dig a little bit deeper. Even if it meant grilling her grandson. Then again, who better to pry information from than the person who knew her son best?
Danny instantly felt that it probably wouldn’t have been in his best interest to open his mouth, but he wasn’t going to get away from his grandmother, and he knew that. He leaned against one of the pillars that led up to the patio and into the heart of the Inn. “I don’t really know. He’s been depressed or something ever since Uncle Cliff came into town.”
“Clifford did give him some choice words when we had dinner together, but he didn’t seem to be bothered by them at the time.”
“Maybe you just didn’t notice that he was, grandma…” again, probably not something that he should have said, but now that it was out there it wasn’t like he could run away from it. “You do tend to hang on just about every word that Uncle Cliff spews out of his bible beating mouth whenever he’s here. I know he’s your brother, and you love him… dad loves him, too… but that doesn’t mean that what he says doesn’t hurt dad. In fact, it probably hurts more coming from someone like Uncle Cliff instead of anyone else. Or maybe he just didn’t want to show how upset he was while you were all together because he knows how close you and your brother are. I don’t know. All I know is that he hasn’t been himself since then. And I hate that because I know I’m the reason why Cliff was able to get to him the way that he did.”
“Danny…” she saw some pain in her grandson’s eyes, and had to bring up her own emotional reserves to prevent herself from being overly impacted by that pain. “I know you feel like there are people who hold it against you for holding Timmy back, but you shouldn’t, because you didn’t.”
“He didn’t even go to college, grandma…” Danny knew that Tim was preparing to go to college before he became an expectant father.
“He could have gone to college if he wanted to. They don’t take away your admission if you become a father. He didn’t want to, though. He felt that it was more important to be a good father to you than anything else in the world. That’s what happens when you’re a parent, Danny. You put your children ahead of yourself.”
“Unless you’re like my mother…” Danny spouted out bitterly.
“Oh, honey…” she walked over and gently put her hand on Danny’s cheek. Nobody knew why she left her husband and son so suddenly. All they knew was that it was up to them to pick up the pieces. Christine knew that neither her son or grandson had truly made peace with that part of their past. They probably never would. “I can’t speak for your mother, and lord knows that if I ever see her again I’m going to tear into her for what she did…”
“Can I watch?”
The woman snickered, “I’ll even let you take pictures. We’ll frame them and put them on the wall in the living room.” But they were getting ahead of themselves, “The point that I’m trying to make is that Tim made every single choice in his life. He’s the one responsible for whatever happened after that, not you. You’re the best thing that ever happened to him. I believe that, and I know he does, too.”
“Then why the mood?” He asked dejectedly. All Danny ever really wanted was for his father to be happy. It was obvious that Tim wasn’t happy, and he just wanted to know if there was a way to change that.
“I wish I knew, but I’ll talk to him later, I promise. I do have a way of forcing things out of your father.” If she could get him to eat his peas growing up, she could find a way to get him to talk about whatever it was that was bugging him. “In the meantime… you said you just got here a little while ago. Have you eaten yet?” The boy shook his head, confirming that he had not. “Why don’t we find your father and grandfather and grab something before it gets too late. I’m sure Jeff will need to eat something. I wouldn’t want him passing out while he talks about Lincoln or something…”
“Just… don’t say anything about what I told you, okay? I don’t want him to be in a worse mood tonight.”
“I won’t say anything. But if you don’t feel comfortable at home, you can always stay with your grandfather and me for a few days. You know your old room is always there for you if you need it.”
“Thanks, Grandma. Really…” he was grateful to have such supportive people in his life. The only problem was that he still wasn’t sure he believed his grandmother. Not entirely.