Tanis Half Elven
01-18-2001, 03:13 AM
1-In The Beginning There Was Death
The month is July; the year is 1995. It is a perfect day for a funeral. Grant Blake and his older sister Samantha Blake have been receiving stupid comments all day. They fall into two basic categories, the "too young for cancer/death" and the "at least you still have your father to help you". The second one was a greater pile of bullshit than the first. The day their mother died their father dove into a bottle of Canadian Club. The only time he comes up for air is when the bottle runs dry.
But that was okay the two siblings didn't need their father for anything. They had each other.
Samantha was approximately five feet six inches. Her straight dark brown hair hung down to the center of her back. Between school (she was starting her OACs) and her best friend Bobbi. Well actually school was on break but a new project has taken demand of her life…Bobbi was teaching her how to drive. This is considered the number one concern of any eighteen-year-old. She had no reason to lean on her father for anything. When she needed encouragement her brother was there.
If anyone needed encouragement it was Grant Blake. He was only five feet, which suited him fine, seeing that he wanted to be a jockey. He was only seventeen yet he had his whole life planned out. Grant was also going to enter OAC. Which some people thought he wasn't ready for just because he skipped a grade.
Other than school he had books and of course the horses. Grant actually hoped that his father would drink himself into oblivion. That way Grant could take full control of the buying, selling, racing and breeding of the horses without having his father muddle things up.
When there were no pressing engagements Grant and Samantha would talk with each other about a variety of things. It was a well-known fact to them that the only person that could help the one through thick and thin is the other. "I feel so stupid here especially wearing this suit."
"Well get use to it. You're going to have to wear a suit when you go to all those big wig parties."
Grant looked skeptical, "Big wig parties?"
"Oh sure, pre-Preakness parties. Triple Crown victory parties, the Eclipse awards. You know jockey super star stuff. Besides we might be attending another funeral soon. Dad is teetering on the edge of that bottle too often."
"I wish he would just fall in and drown." Samantha elbowed her brother in the ribs. "Hey! I'm sorry but its true. We lost both parents when the cancer took mom. All we have left is a bottomless whiskey pit for a father."
"He'll regain control of himself soon enough. This is just his way of grieving."
"Whether he regains control of himself or not is unimportant. We can manage on our own."
2-A Taste Of Things To Come
Three days later Samantha was clearing the dinner dishes when she asked Grant. "Where do you think dad's gone?"
Grant smiled. "Gee let me think…hmmm where did the booze hound go last night and the night before? The library…no not there, maybe it was church for choir practice? No…Eureka! I know maybe he went to the local bar. Now there is a possibility." Grant took a swig of his pop.
"Grant! You should be ashamed of yourself! Always thinking the worse of dad, you never know maybe he went to an AA meeting."
A spray of pop came from Grant. As he was coughing it was easy to tell that he was laughing. He regained control of himself and said in a flat tone. "It doesn't matter in a few years we will be able to set all of our dreams in motion. Pass me a wash rag."
Samantha stood in front of the sink rinsing the dishes. Without looking she threw a rag over her shoulder. Grant caught it and started cleaning the mess he made on the table. "Grant could you describe your dream again please? I can't remember how it starts."
"A foal will be born on the farm. A foal that will grow up to be one of the greatest race horses in Canada. Together we will put the farm on the map. No one will ever be able to beat us…" Samantha broke in. "And your names will be apart of sporting history."
"Yep. Then there's yours. Your Romeo will come and sweep you off your feet. After a period that you will later call the greatest time in your life you will get married. After which you will move to your dream house on the shore of a lake, or river or ocean. Doesn't matter what shore just as long as it is on the shore of a body of water. When it is necessary you will have the practiced ability to turn on your class slash charm."
"So I can ride on your coat tails."
"Yes so you can ride on I, the Great Grant Blake's coat tails." Grant and Samantha broke up laughing.
The front door slammed shut and both of the siblings fell quiet. Grant went to see if their father needed any help. But he didn't to Grant's surprise, actually the word is shock. James Blake was taking off his coat. "Was I too loud? Sorry I didn't mean to disturb you guys."
"Are you ok? Did something happen that we should know about?"
"Yes something happened. Nothing bad . Actually I came home so I could hit the hay. I want to make sure that I give my hangover, heaven forbid I have one, plenty of time to wear off. You see I asked this woman out tonight and she said yes. I still can't believe she said yes, damn am I lucky or what?"
Grant couldn't decide whether he was feeling shock or disbelief. "You're going out on a date and it's been what four days since the funeral of your wife, our mother? What the hell is the matter with you? Don't you have any respect for the dead?"
A dark expression came over James' face. "What the hell is the matter with ME? No, I think the question is what the hell is the matter with you! First off don't imply that I have forgotten your mother because I haven't. I am just trying to move on with my life I thought you would be happy."
"Happy? Oh yeah I'm thrilled that it took you less than a business week to find a possible replacement for the woman who gave you how many years?" Grant knew that that comment was crossing the line. "Look dad I…" Before he could continue James punched him. Grant would have blocked but it caught him by surprise, James had never hit Grant or Samantha before.
Grant fell onto the ground…hard. "You snotty little S.O.B. It is my life and I will do with it what I please. If you EVER talk to me like that again you'll be sorry. Are we clear?"
"Yeah we're clear." Grant put a hand up to his eye. It was stinging badly but there were more important things to worry about at the moment. "Good. Tell your sister night for me, will you?"
"Sure dad will do." James went upstairs. Grant didn't move till he heard the door to the master bedroom close. When it did, he got up and went back into the kitchen. "Dad says night. Could you do me a favor and take a look at my eye please?"
When Grant exposed his eye for her to see. She nearly knocked over the chair she was sitting in. "What happened to you?"
"Well it appears that dad has moved on with his life. He asked a woman out tonight and she accepted. When I stated my true opinion I stepped over the line a little and this is what I received."
"So that was what the commotion I heard out there was." Samantha went over to the freezer and took out the ice pack that they normally kept in there for when anyone hurt themselves. "I can't believe he asked someone out already."
"Neither can I Sam." Grant flinched when Samantha put the pack on Grant's eye. "There you go again calling me Sam without my permission."
"Ok. Ms. Samantha Blake I am hereby requesting permission to call you the aforementioned by the nickname of Sam. Is this acceptable to you?"
"Well…I guess…" They both broke out laughing again.
------------------
"From chaos order is born, but from order chaos comes"
The month is July; the year is 1995. It is a perfect day for a funeral. Grant Blake and his older sister Samantha Blake have been receiving stupid comments all day. They fall into two basic categories, the "too young for cancer/death" and the "at least you still have your father to help you". The second one was a greater pile of bullshit than the first. The day their mother died their father dove into a bottle of Canadian Club. The only time he comes up for air is when the bottle runs dry.
But that was okay the two siblings didn't need their father for anything. They had each other.
Samantha was approximately five feet six inches. Her straight dark brown hair hung down to the center of her back. Between school (she was starting her OACs) and her best friend Bobbi. Well actually school was on break but a new project has taken demand of her life…Bobbi was teaching her how to drive. This is considered the number one concern of any eighteen-year-old. She had no reason to lean on her father for anything. When she needed encouragement her brother was there.
If anyone needed encouragement it was Grant Blake. He was only five feet, which suited him fine, seeing that he wanted to be a jockey. He was only seventeen yet he had his whole life planned out. Grant was also going to enter OAC. Which some people thought he wasn't ready for just because he skipped a grade.
Other than school he had books and of course the horses. Grant actually hoped that his father would drink himself into oblivion. That way Grant could take full control of the buying, selling, racing and breeding of the horses without having his father muddle things up.
When there were no pressing engagements Grant and Samantha would talk with each other about a variety of things. It was a well-known fact to them that the only person that could help the one through thick and thin is the other. "I feel so stupid here especially wearing this suit."
"Well get use to it. You're going to have to wear a suit when you go to all those big wig parties."
Grant looked skeptical, "Big wig parties?"
"Oh sure, pre-Preakness parties. Triple Crown victory parties, the Eclipse awards. You know jockey super star stuff. Besides we might be attending another funeral soon. Dad is teetering on the edge of that bottle too often."
"I wish he would just fall in and drown." Samantha elbowed her brother in the ribs. "Hey! I'm sorry but its true. We lost both parents when the cancer took mom. All we have left is a bottomless whiskey pit for a father."
"He'll regain control of himself soon enough. This is just his way of grieving."
"Whether he regains control of himself or not is unimportant. We can manage on our own."
2-A Taste Of Things To Come
Three days later Samantha was clearing the dinner dishes when she asked Grant. "Where do you think dad's gone?"
Grant smiled. "Gee let me think…hmmm where did the booze hound go last night and the night before? The library…no not there, maybe it was church for choir practice? No…Eureka! I know maybe he went to the local bar. Now there is a possibility." Grant took a swig of his pop.
"Grant! You should be ashamed of yourself! Always thinking the worse of dad, you never know maybe he went to an AA meeting."
A spray of pop came from Grant. As he was coughing it was easy to tell that he was laughing. He regained control of himself and said in a flat tone. "It doesn't matter in a few years we will be able to set all of our dreams in motion. Pass me a wash rag."
Samantha stood in front of the sink rinsing the dishes. Without looking she threw a rag over her shoulder. Grant caught it and started cleaning the mess he made on the table. "Grant could you describe your dream again please? I can't remember how it starts."
"A foal will be born on the farm. A foal that will grow up to be one of the greatest race horses in Canada. Together we will put the farm on the map. No one will ever be able to beat us…" Samantha broke in. "And your names will be apart of sporting history."
"Yep. Then there's yours. Your Romeo will come and sweep you off your feet. After a period that you will later call the greatest time in your life you will get married. After which you will move to your dream house on the shore of a lake, or river or ocean. Doesn't matter what shore just as long as it is on the shore of a body of water. When it is necessary you will have the practiced ability to turn on your class slash charm."
"So I can ride on your coat tails."
"Yes so you can ride on I, the Great Grant Blake's coat tails." Grant and Samantha broke up laughing.
The front door slammed shut and both of the siblings fell quiet. Grant went to see if their father needed any help. But he didn't to Grant's surprise, actually the word is shock. James Blake was taking off his coat. "Was I too loud? Sorry I didn't mean to disturb you guys."
"Are you ok? Did something happen that we should know about?"
"Yes something happened. Nothing bad . Actually I came home so I could hit the hay. I want to make sure that I give my hangover, heaven forbid I have one, plenty of time to wear off. You see I asked this woman out tonight and she said yes. I still can't believe she said yes, damn am I lucky or what?"
Grant couldn't decide whether he was feeling shock or disbelief. "You're going out on a date and it's been what four days since the funeral of your wife, our mother? What the hell is the matter with you? Don't you have any respect for the dead?"
A dark expression came over James' face. "What the hell is the matter with ME? No, I think the question is what the hell is the matter with you! First off don't imply that I have forgotten your mother because I haven't. I am just trying to move on with my life I thought you would be happy."
"Happy? Oh yeah I'm thrilled that it took you less than a business week to find a possible replacement for the woman who gave you how many years?" Grant knew that that comment was crossing the line. "Look dad I…" Before he could continue James punched him. Grant would have blocked but it caught him by surprise, James had never hit Grant or Samantha before.
Grant fell onto the ground…hard. "You snotty little S.O.B. It is my life and I will do with it what I please. If you EVER talk to me like that again you'll be sorry. Are we clear?"
"Yeah we're clear." Grant put a hand up to his eye. It was stinging badly but there were more important things to worry about at the moment. "Good. Tell your sister night for me, will you?"
"Sure dad will do." James went upstairs. Grant didn't move till he heard the door to the master bedroom close. When it did, he got up and went back into the kitchen. "Dad says night. Could you do me a favor and take a look at my eye please?"
When Grant exposed his eye for her to see. She nearly knocked over the chair she was sitting in. "What happened to you?"
"Well it appears that dad has moved on with his life. He asked a woman out tonight and she accepted. When I stated my true opinion I stepped over the line a little and this is what I received."
"So that was what the commotion I heard out there was." Samantha went over to the freezer and took out the ice pack that they normally kept in there for when anyone hurt themselves. "I can't believe he asked someone out already."
"Neither can I Sam." Grant flinched when Samantha put the pack on Grant's eye. "There you go again calling me Sam without my permission."
"Ok. Ms. Samantha Blake I am hereby requesting permission to call you the aforementioned by the nickname of Sam. Is this acceptable to you?"
"Well…I guess…" They both broke out laughing again.
------------------
"From chaos order is born, but from order chaos comes"