Here we go again, Carlie thought to herself as she listened to her brother and father go back and forth. She had tuned them out as soon as they started talking, so she had no clue what Chris was upset about. Could have been anything though, knowing him.

“You can’t talk to me like that anymore. You’re not going to disrespect me like that!” Chris yelled.

Carlie caught her mother’s eye and gave her a sad smile. She knew these incidents pained her mother, even though she tried not to show it.

Carlie slowly backed away from the table. It was only a matter of time before…

“Chris!” her mother yelled as Chris swiped his arm across the table sending several glasses and plates crashing to the floor. Chris stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him. Minutes later they all heard his car peel out of the driveway. Carlie knew they wouldn’t hear from him for days, but the damage had already been done. Another holiday ruined.

“We thought he was getting better. That’s why we insisted you came this year,” Carlie heard her mother say as she bent down to start picking up shards of glass. Carlie gave her mother another sad smile. She knew her mother would never give up on Chris, but Carlie had reached her breaking point. He was almost thirty-years-old and she was tired of everyone excusing his behavior. They thought he was getting “better” last Christmas, until he’d cursed them all out because someone had suggested that he get a job and start helping out around the house. Which was better than the Easter before that when he’d punched a hole in the wall because someone had accused him of cheating in a game.

“What was it this time?” Carlie asked her father.

“He said he wanted to carve the turkey. All I asked him was if he would be okay with slicing the ham,” Carlie’s father answered.

“But we didn’t even cook a turkey this year.”

“I know. I never got a chance to explain that part.”

Carlie shook her head as she continued to pick up the mess her brother had made. Tears welled in her eyes as she realized this was the last holiday she’d be spending with her family for awhile. She would never ask her parents to choose between inviting her or Chris, but she also knew that she couldn’t take too many more of his anger outbursts.

“Well, let’s get on with dinner,” Carlie’s mother said once the last of the plate shards and glass had been cleared away.

“Yes, let’s do that,” Carlie agreed. She wiped her face and sat back down to enjoy the last family meal that she would be apart of for a long time.

Written By: SM Grady

© 2018 SM Grady