Anthony's Story by MELODY DUPREE (first ebook reader .txt) 📕

I had thought the family photo was smashed and torn in two pieces, so I picked up the two pieces and repaired the damage, before walking out of the house with the newly repaired picture in my hands. Without sparing the house another glance I headed towards the airport. By the end of the week I would be in London in the house my mother had left me in her will. And without a second thought about Jason or the rest of my teammates I boarded the plane to London and comfortably sat back in my first class seat as I waited for the flight to take off. This was the start of my new life and I was finally breaking free from my dad and my now exboyfriend. I was finally free and it felt good. Ray's point of view

After I calmed down I went home to find Junior’s room empty except for the posters I had bought him when he was little. No clothes, shoes or books could be found in that room and all I could do when I found his cell phone was break down in tears like he had and sob. I went into the living room and noticed the two halves of the family photo we had done were gone and that there was the scotch tape in its place on the table.

“What did I do to him that could possibly make him runaway like this,” I asked myself and I came up empty as always.

So I decided I would go to Anquan’s house to see what I could have done to make my son run off like that. When I got there I knew something was wrong because Anthony’s car was not in the driveway where he normally parked it and I knew for a fact his dad would take him to school instead of him driving the expensive car to school. I knocked on the front door and then waited as Anquan shouted that he was coming from behind the door. When he opened it a look of surprise crossed his features and he stepped back to let me in without a word. So I started the conversation for the first time in years; actually since we were kids.

“Did you let Anthony drive to school today, Anquan,” I asked and he shook his head.

“Naw, Mel went over to Jamie’s and took him from me last night. I don’t even think she knows that he called me last night before he went to bed. All I know is I’m never going to see him again, just like my dad never saw me again. So enough about me and my life what brings you here Ray because we haven’t talked since I was in Anthony’s position with being Melissa’s slave,” he whispered and I knew it would be hard to hear that his fun loving nephew had up and done a runner to somewhere new.

“Junior ran away today and left behind all of his posters and even his cell phone behind; nothing else was left,” I said and Anquan’s head shot up his brow wrinkled in confusion.

“He could be heading to London because Mel left him a house out there. She gave him the keys to it on his sixteenth birthday and told him what they were for. It’s a really nice house with antique furnishings and purple painted and black trimmed walls in every room. The way her father decorated it for her with me, the one time he took all of us me included on a family vacation, was to die for and she showed it to Junior. He loved it. Try heading him off and take a much needed vacation while you’re at it, okay Ray,” he said and I nodded.

“Thanks a lot Anquan that’s all I needed to hear,” I said and he nodded quietly showing me to the door.

“Have a nice vacation Ray. You deserve it,” Anquan shouted as I made my way to my car on the side of the street where I always parked.

“I will,” I shouted and drove towards the airport.

My luck was with me; I made it to the airport with enough time to catch the second flight to London and get to him just before he could leave Heathrow Airport in London. When the flight landed three days later I had security radio Junior over the intercom and when no one came to where I was standing that looked like my son I hopped into a cab and told them the location of the house and tossed some of my converted money over the seat and the cab driver took off. Once there I got out of the car and went inside the house to see Junior lying on the couch asleep and his ravens blanket covering him. There was no pillow under his head but I knew he was asleep because of the time difference and jetlag.

“Junior it’s time for you to wake up,” I said roughly shaking his shoulder.

He groaned and rolled over on the wide sofa and looked at me through sleep filled eyes.

“Dad what are you doing here,” he groaned too afraid to go back to sleep now that I was here.

“We need to talk because I don’t take kindly to my only son running away from home like you did three days ago,” I whispered kneeling down beside him and running one of my hands through his hair.

He looked down tears in his eyes and started to cry in shame as I noticed the picture I had torn in two above the mantlepiece in a new frame and taped back together into one piece. Junior looked up as I rose to my full height to look at the picture to see that it wasn’t taped but that it was the one that he had kept in his room with him. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me down onto the couch as he wrapped his arms around my waist in a hug that we both very much needed. I pulled him up into a sitting position and hugged him tightly as he cried into my shirt.

“Junior you’re not in any trouble with me. I just need to know what I did to you that would make you do something like this,” I whispered into his hair.

“When you asked if I was joking about being gay and dating Jason and I told you no you looked at me with so much hate in your expression that it made me feel like you didn’t want me anymore. So I decided to just leave it all behind and never look back. But I would still have the pictures so I could always have the memories. Those would never fade away,” he sobbed into my shirt and I just rubbed his back hoping he would calm down.

We stayed that way until he fell back to sleep against me and I stretched out on the sofa quietly going to sleep with my arms wrapped protectively around my son. I slept for about three hours and then I got up to make dinner for my son and I when a hand shot out and pulled me back down onto the couch and then my son was breathing in the scent of my cologne that was on my shirt. A knock on the door alerted me to the fact that we had a visitor so I got up and went to answer the door with Junior trailing along behind me. The last person I expected to see there on the front steps was my team captain looking extremely pissed at something and I knew it wasn’t the boy standing behind her. I stepped to the side and Mel came into the house with Anthony right behind her. I looked at Junior with the question ‘did you tell her where we were at any point’ in my eyes and he shook his head in response. Now I knew I was in deep shit because the only person that knew I was here was Anquan and it wasn’t every day your team captain showed up where you were at taking a much needed vacation. I closed the door and walked after my team captain who was looking around the living room at the changes in décor when Junior and Anthony made eye contact which was the one thing that didn’t go unnoticed by Mel. She smacked Anthony on the back of his head and he ducked his eyes quickly tearing his gaze away from Junior’s gaze. Junior turned around and walked up the stairs to the second floor and entered the room that had the door open. I heard the springs creak on the bed and knew he had laid back down to go to sleep. I sighed in exasperation and walked over to the couch and sat down gesturing for the other two to also take a seat. Mel took a seat and Anthony looked at me and the chair fear in his eyes before he decided to lean against the wall instead of taking a seat. I shrugged and turned towards Mel before Anthony noticed the glare she was sending him. Anthony got off of the wall and took the seat she pointed at all the while never saying a single word. I looked at my team captain’s hands and noticed that she had a cut on the back of her wrist going down to the inside of her elbow that made me think the reason Anthony was keeping his mouth shut was because of that mark on her arm. I took her injured arm in my hand and called Junior down with the first aid kit. I wiped down the cut with an alcohol wipe and then wrapped an ace bandage around her arm, quietly pulling her into my arms when I noticed she was crying.

“Mel baby girl it is okay. I’m right here just tell me what happened,” I whispered over and over until finally she nodded.

“I went over to your house to talk to Junior but his room was empty of everything except for his posters. So I called your phone to let you know and I got a notice saying that you were on your way to London and that you would call me back when you returned to the states so I went over to Anquan’s house to drop Anthony off with him for the weekend. We got into a fight and he cut my hand all the way to the inside of my elbow by pushing me through a glass door. So I left and took Anthony with me. Anthony was trying to put up a fight as well when he saw his dad so he knows he’s in trouble with me which is why he hasn’t said a single word since we got here which is also the reason I looked pissed off when you opened the front door. So how are you enjoying London so far, Ray,” she asked and I shook my head.

“I really only came to get Junior because he ran away. Anquan was the one who told me about this house and that Junior was probably on his way here. When