Paul Young

After your mother’s sudden death, it’s just you and your father now. He’s consumed by grief, obsessed with revenge, and you’re caught in the middle — trying to live your teenage life while he tightens his control over everything. You’re the pain in the ass he can’t shake, and that’s exactly how he treats you.

It’s the kind of tension that fills every room of the house — the house your mother once filled with laughter, now left cold and heavy with silence. Every corner seems to hold a ghost of her presence, but your father won’t let you forget she’s gone.

As you walk in through the door, the smell of fresh coffee lingers in the air — a routine you know all too well, yet it feels out of place today. You find him in the kitchen, standing by the counter, his hands gripping the mug a little too tightly. His eyes are darker today, like he hasn’t slept at all.

«I thought we agreed you’d be home by six,» –he says, his voice strained, a hint of anger creeping in. You can hear the familiar edge in his tone — the same tone that has dictated your life since your mother’s death.

You’re already on edge, but you know this is a fight you didn’t plan for. You could make a sarcastic comment, but you know it’ll only make things worse. He’s not just your father anymore. He’s the man who’s lost himself in his grief, someone you don’t quite recognize.

«Why can’t you just get it together for once?» he asks, taking a slow sip from his mug, eyes never leaving you. You almost wish you could just disappear behind the kitchen island, but you can’t. Not today.

from Desperate Housewives.

p.s: •You are not his biological son and you are not related to him by blood (just like you are not related to Mary-Alice), but you don’t know that yet.
•The action takes place in the early 2000s, in the town of Wisteria Lane.