Saturday, May 31, 2014

Patrick Sixteen: Rocky Road

A year had passed since my honeymoon, and I was hanging out with Emmanuel at his house in what felt like forever. I still saw him at work, and if I needed him to build me something for work, but we hadn't had the chance to have a guys night since Armand was born. This was the first time since then that I was able to go to his house just to have a beer with him. Armand had recently turned five, about a week ago, and had started school, so he was becoming a little more independent, not needing constant attention anymore. For his birthday, I had bought him an easel because I had noticed that he really enjoyed his coloring books when he was younger, and I wanted to encourage him to continue using the creativity he had found, but on a larger scale. Emmanuel and I had gotten a six pack of beer from the store and were sitting in his workshop in his beanbag chairs.


"Emmanuel, how have you been? We can actually talk now about other stuff since we're not working."

"I know, right? I miss hanging out with you. I'm doing well, I started dating someone. You know him..."

"Really? Who is it?"

"Pierre."

"Oh yeah? Cool. I'm glad, you deserve someone really nice. Pierre is great. He gives good massages, I know that first hand."

We laughed, and I sat back in my chair, relaxing in it, sinking back into the soft fabric. I took a drink of my beer and smiled at Emmanuel.


"What about you, Patrick? How is everyone?"

"Pretty good, things are getting into sort of a routine now that Armand has school. He takes the bus, so we're trying to get him to understand he needs to go to bed at a certain time and wake up when the alarm clock rings because he has things to do now. It's his first time having a schedule, so he has to get used to that. Katya's good too, she decided she's going to be a stay at home mom until Armand gets older. I think she's making up for the time from before when she wasn't around much."

"That's great, I know how much trouble you had before, from the little things you'd tell me in passing. How are your parents?"

"Busy. Since Armand is older, and they don't have to babysit as often, they've been going back to work. My dad is filming a movie in Italy, and my mom is doing a runway show."

"Your parents are some of the most fun people I've ever met. I don't know how they do it all, and still remain so down to earth."

"Thanks. I'm seriously grateful for them."

I finished my beer and leaned forward in my chair to grab another one, sitting back in it again.


"Emmanuel, do you ever think about what happened the night of the accident?"

"Sometimes. I keep running through my head what I missed, like how did I not catch that the mechanism wasn't working properly. I know it's not my fault, but I wonder if I could have somehow prevented it."

"Did you see anything wierd while you were under the stage?"

"No, everything was perfectly normal. I think whoever did it must have done it long before we were scheduled to perform, probably early in the day or something."

"Hmm, yeah, it's wierd the police didn't find anything, but I guess some people just know what to do to avoid leaving evidence. It sucks that we're back at the bar now. Maybe we should try to get a gig at one of the other theaters."

"What about the Pantages? I wouldn't have suggested it before, but now that you're well known in the industry, they'll take you seriously."

My eyes widened when Emmanuel mentioned the Pantages. It was a theater in town with a rich history that had housed theater acts, musicals, magicians, and various other shows since its opening in 1930. That would be the theater that I would want to aim for to perhaps do a comeback show. I'd been out of the business for a long time, but Emmanuel was right, people knew me. I could just see it, 'The Hunter comes back with a vengeance,' or something. No coma could stop me from pursuing my dreams and what I wanted out of life. By now, both Emmanuel and I had finished our third beer each, so I was feeling a little buzzed. I jumped out of my chair and held my arms above my head, cheering for this new found excitement about my career. As I sat down again, I looked at the empty six pack container and frowned.


"We have no more drinks."

"Wait, I do have some vodka in the fridge behind you. We can drink that."

Emmanuel got the bottle out, took a drink, and handed it to me. We continued passing it to each other the rest of the night, celebrating our idea about possibly getting a gig at the Pantages.


I woke up with a pounding headache, and when I opened my eyes, I saw an empty beer bottle in front of my face. I looked around some more, and Emmanuel was also asleep on the floor with beer bottles around him. I don't know how we ended up on the floor, maybe the beanbag chairs were becoming awkward to sleep in. I stood up slowly in case my legs decided to not work, and headed to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. I made two cups and just as I was about to go back into the workshop with the coffee, Emmanuel came out and sat at one of the bar stools in the kitchen. I set the second cup in front of him and then sat next to him.


"Wow, we drank a lot last night, didn't we, Patrick?"

"Yeah, but we were celebrating."

"Oh, right! The Pantages. I had fun. I've missed hanging out with you."

"Me too."

I picked up my phone and looked at it, seeing that I had multiple missed calls from Katya. I didn't know why, considering I told her I was going to be hanging out having beers with Emmanuel, I hoped that she would know I wasn't about to drive home after drinking. Armand wasn't going to school today since it was Saturday morning, so it's not like she needed help getting him ready for school. Emmanuel noticed me looking at my phone with a less than excited expression.


"Patrick, what's wrong? Do you need some aspirin?"

"What? Ah, no. Katya called a lot. I told her I was going to be here drinking with you, so I don't know what it's about."

"How are you and her doing? I know you said last night things were fine and that she wanted to be a stay at home mom now, but are you really ok?"


"I think so. I mean, I'm glad that she wants to try with Armand, and she has, she spends more time with him than she ever did, but whenever he doesn't agree with her or listen, she looks to me to fix everything. Obviously, I'm the other parent, so I do know I'm responsible for helping her if Armand is being difficult, he's a child, he's got to learn, and Katya and I are supposed to teach him, but sometimes it feels like she would rather I do all the hard stuff, while she just gets to spend time with him when he's behaving. I guess I better call her back."

"Do you want me to leave and give you some privacy?"

"No, it's fine, you know about all my problems anyway. I'd rather you know."

I dialed Katya and braced myself in case she decided to yell at me. Before I had a chance to even say hello, Katya was already on the other end of the line reaming me.


"Patrick? Where have you been? How come you're not home yet? It's nearly noon!"

"I'm still at Emmanuel's. We drank a lot, so I didn't think that I should drive home, and we slept in because of how much we drank. I didn't think it would be a big deal since it's Saturday."

"It's always a big deal since you have a family now! You can't just go off with your friends and be irresponsible!"

"Whoa, Katya. I haven't really hung out with Emmanuel for over a year, and I've been there plenty for you and Armand. I haven't had a night to myself since we got married! Just cause I'm at my friend's house does not mean I'm trying to ignore my responsibilities!"

"It's irresponsible not to come home at night when you're married, Patrick!"

I rolled my eyes, getting up off the chair, and wandering into the living room to sit on the couch. I had a feeling this conversation was going to last much longer than I wanted it to. I didn't like that Katya was trying to lecture me about being a good husband. At least when I had a problem, I told her, instead of ignoring her like she often did with me. She made it sound like it was a bad thing that I had friends, and I was getting upset about it.


"Katya... I don't understand why this is a problem. I am with Emmanuel, he's my best friend. You couldn't give me one night to hang out with my best friend?"

"It's a problem because when you're with him you're not with me! I should be your priority!"

"Oh my god, Katya, I'm not thinking less of you when I hang out with my friend! I just missed him! I'm hanging up now and coming home."

"Good, cause that's where you belong!"


What the fuck? Where I belong?! Like I'm some caged animal?! Ugh. Mom and Dad's relationship made me more and more jealous every day. Growing up, I saw them having disputes, but they always managed to talk about things civilly, and rarely did they ever yell or scream at each other. I always knew they loved each other, even in the middle of their arguments. Their relationship never seemed difficult. It's not to say I thought their relationship was effortless, I know everyone has stuff to deal with, but I never saw Mom or Dad try to control or change each other, which made me think that's why it did seem easy. I learned that from my parents, never wanting to change Katya, but rather trying to accept her for who she was and I couldn't understand why she didn't do the same for me. I didn't think I was a bad husband or father, fuck, I was the one who was there for most of Armand's formative years. I wasn't about to throw that in Katya's face though, because I knew that me saying that would solve nothing and just cause another argument.


I sighed heavily and put my phone back in my pocket, rubbing the bridge of my nose and not making any motion to get off the couch I had made my way to during the phone conversation. I continued sitting there, staring at the wall, not wanting to go home now because I knew Katya would be all irritated with me, but I couldn't stay here longer, or her anger would fester, and she would be even more mad at me. Emmanuel came over and was sitting in the arm chair, looking at me with concern in his eyes.

"Patrick?"

"Yeah... I guess I have to go home now. She's super pissed at me, but I don't even fucking understand why. I think she doesn't want me to be friends with you or something. That's not happening though, you're important to me too. Just because I have a wife it suddenly means I'm supposed to cut everyone else out of my life? What the fuck is that?"

"I'm sorry."

Emmanuel got up from the chair, and gave me a big hug, which I really needed at that moment.


When I pulled into my garage and entered the house, Armand came running up to me and gave me a hug.

"Daddy! Daddy! Did you have fun with your friend?"

I instantly felt better when I heard him ask me such a simple question, and I felt like this is how my family should treat me, my family should miss me when I'm away, not yell at me for going somewhere. I could understand if I spent the majority of my nights away from home that it would become a problem, but one night?


"Hey Armand. Yes, I did have fun. How about you? Did you enjoy spending time with Mommy?"

"I guess so. She kept saying I needed a haircut, and that she was going to take me tomorrow, but I like my hair. No, I love my hair. I don't want to go."

I sighed, wondering why Katya had to do this kind of stuff. If she wanted to hang out with Armand to get to know him better, why did she have to impose herself on him, and make him feel like he couldn't do what he wanted? It's not like his hair was so long he was tripping on it or anything of that sort, it wasn't causing him any grave danger, and he had never complained that he couldn't see with the hairstyle that he had.


"Well, I'll talk to her tonight about your haircut, and see if I can convince her you don't want one. I think that you loving your hair is a good enough reason for you to keep it the way it is."

"Thank you, Daddy! I wish Mommy could be like you. She's so bossy sometimes."

"Your mom just wants what's best for you. I know it can seem like she's mean, but she does love you."

"Daddy, are you tired? I want to play with you, but I know you just got home. I want to go to the playground."


"Ahh, well if you wait for me to change my clothes and wash my face, I can take you. I just don't want to play tag or anything, I think I'm too tired for that. Does that sound okay?"

"Yeah! Can I wait in your room for you?"


I nodded at Armand and he followed me to my room, then sat on the bed while I got ready. As soon as I got into the bathroom, I rubbed my face, trying to get the feeling of hangover out of my head. I was a little surprised Katya hadn't pounced on me at the front door since she was so mad at me for spending the night at Emmanuel's. I had noticed that Katya had two different ways she would get angry, one was that she would pester and call excessively, like she had last night and this morning, and the second was ignoring me. I seriously hoped Armand wouldn't pick up on her ways of stuffing his emotions inside and holding grudges.


As I splashed some cold water onto my face, it woke me up and I took some aspirin as well before leaving the bathroom. I changed my clothes, put on a pair of sunglasses and walked out of my closet.

"Hey, Armand, let's go."

"Daddy, you look so cool!"

As we walked through the rest of the house, I looked for Katya so I could tell her where we were going. I finally found her sitting in the kitchen, reading a book.


I told Armand to wait for me by the door and then I went into the kitchen. When Katya saw me, her reaction to the fact that I was home was completely different from that of Armand's.

"It's about time you got home! You didn't even come to say hi? I see you've changed clothes already. Is that how much of a priority I am to you?!"

"Katya, please, Armand is right by the door. If we're going to fight, we shouldn't do it in front of him."

"I wouldn't have to fight with you if you would just come home!"

"I don't understand why this is a problem. This is the one time I went to see my friend, one time. Every other night since you moved in, I've been home."


"That's where it starts, don't you get it? You can't spend a single night away, or you'll get comfortable with it, and then pretty soon you'll be spending all of your nights away!"

"What are you talking about? I didn't go to Emmanuel's to avoid you, I went there because I missed him and we were catching up. That's what friends do. I slept on the floor, you really think I prefer the floor over my own bed?"

"He must not be that good of a friend if he let you sleep on the floor."

"What is going on here? I thought you liked Emmanuel. We were drunk, and not in his bedroom, so we passed out on the floor."


"I do like him, but he's your employee. He works for you, and he shouldn't be making you take time away from your family! You should see him at work, but then that's it!"

"Oh my god, Katya! What terrible thing happened while I was away that is making you so upset?"

"You're a grown man! So man up and be responsible! Grown men don't get drunk and pass out on their friend's floors! Ugh! Stop acting like a teenager! You have a family now! You're setting a terrible example for Armand coming home all hungover, with bloodshot eyes! He's going to think it's okay to have a relationship with someone and not pay any attention to them!"


That was it. Now I was angry. I had been willing to discuss this like two civil adults when Katya first started yelling, but now she was insulting me, and telling me I was a bad example? The nerve of her. I was the one who took care of Armand when he was still in diapers, I was the one who played with him, I was the one who tended to his crying most nights, but I was the bad guy? In my mind, she was the one who was teaching Armand that it was okay to ignore someone when you were mad at them, which is what she did for the first few years of his life. I had been trying my hardest not to throw that in her face, but somehow it just all exploded to the surface at this very moment.


"Are you fucking kidding me?! I was the one who took care of Armand when he was a baby, and spent most of my time with him, when you were nowhere to be found! I know that's a horrible thing to say, which is why I never said it, but now you're telling me that I'm behaving badly and that I haven't been there for you and him, which is just ridiculous! Yet I'm the bad example? What is wrong with you, Katya? I don't even understand why you are fighting with me right now. Grown ups can have friends, and drink with them every once in a while. It's not like I do this every night. It's not like we went to a bar so we could flirt with strangers. We stayed at his house after going to the fucking Wal-mart to buy a six pack of beer! Then we hung out and talked all night. I didn't drive home because I was drunk, which in my mind, was the actual responsible thing to do!"

Katya glared at me with her pale blue eyes, now silent probably because she knew I was right, but not wanting to admit it. I took the moment of peace to tell her what I had been trying to do in the first place.

"Anyway, I came in here to tell you Armand and I are going to the playground."

"Whatever. Just make sure he's rested for tomorrow. I scheduled an 8 o'clock haircut for him."


"He told me he didn't want the haircut because he likes his hair."

"That's irrelevant. He needs to have a more put together look. The other moms talk, and they say I'm not a good one because Armand looks like he just crawled out of a hole in the ground."

I grit my teeth at how rude the other moms could be, all because of a simple hairstyle. Who were they to judge my son? He looked completely fine, it's not like he never took a bath or wore ratty clothes.

"So you want to teach him to conform to everyone else's opinion? I completely disagree with that, I will not have our son learning that other people's opinions are more important than what he feels. What's irrelevant is the opinion of the other mothers. I think Armand looks fine, he looks stylish because he doesn't have the same boring hair as the other kids. So, you can try to make him go to his haircut, but if he tells you no tomorrow morning, don't force him to go. Our son needs to learn that he can have a choice about certain things in his life, and his appearance should be one of those things."


Katya and I stared at each other for another minute, and I felt like I was in a gunslinger battle, ready to duel. Armand had waited long enough, so I turned around and left, taking him to the playground like I had promised.

38 comments:

  1. is it me or am i am i seeing another nasty marriage like solei.

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    1. I'm going to guess that you are talking about Helena? Since Soleil is the one with Max, and they are basically perfect? XD

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    2. oops. yeah i mean helena

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    3. LOL, I thought you might have. For now, Katya and Patrick are just having a normal fight, I don't think that it is grounds for divorce. They're going through an adjustment period, having being only married for one year, it's difficult. XD

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  2. OH DEAR!!! I really can't see their marriage lasting if Katya continues to carry on like she is. She is turning into a head pecking wife and mother 0.O Poor Patrick - and Armand!!

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    1. LOL. Katya's nagging right now. She doesn't understand how a healthy marriage is supposed to work, since her parents' marriage was just terrible. She's really paranoid of losing Patrick, and Emmanuel happened to be the target today. They've only been married for one year, so they're going through an adjustment period, which can be difficult, but I think normal for most couples. She is completely overreacting in this situation, though, and doesn't realize that nagging is what most men tend to run away from, so she needs to be careful.

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  3. Katya acts like she's jealous of Patrick and Emmanuel's friendship. To become upset because he spent one night at a friends house is ridiculous. Don't let her mess with Armand's hair, it's fine just the way it is. To cut it just because the other mothers don't like it is stupid. Too bad that Katya was being so unreasonable that she had to start this fight in Armand's hearing.

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    1. Katya's having some nagging wife syndrome right now, LOL. She is unaware of what a healthy marriage is supposed to look like because her parents' marriage was downright terrible. She thinks that she needs to watch Patrick's every move so that she doesn't lose him, which ironically can be the very thing that sends a marriage to the chopping block. Emmanuel just happened to be the unfortunate target for this fight. Katya's a little too worried about what others think, and she wants some friends of her own, so she is a little jealous that Patrick has managed to keep his friendship with Emmanuel as strong as it is over the years. That's also why she wants to appease the other mothers, thinking that she might gain some friends from it. Patrick for sure doesn't think Katya's reason for giving Armand a haircut is reasonable, and he is against it. Poor Armand, seeing his parents fight, he's been having a bit of a rocky childhood already. :(

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  4. Firstly, I see this row as a normal marriage row. Going out being a parent etc. I used to freak out when my husband went out when we were first married and would call him hundreds of times a night but after going to marriage counselling, other issues came up and when he brought that up the counsellor told me to sit on my hands and we agreed I could call him once in the night. Now after 14 years together I now say are you going out and if he's not get angry because I don't get me time lol. As a parent you have to learn to do what you need not what other expect but she needs to figure this all out and calm down.

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    1. Yeah, I agree, this fight they had is not grounds for a divorce or anything. They're having an adjustment period, they've only been married for one year, so they're still learning. LOL, it's funny how our thoughts change like that, isn't it? Now you value me time and you know you don't have to worry when your husband goes out. :) I value my me time a lot too. ;)
      Since Katya was so absent before, she's now having to learn from scratch what to do as a parent. She's also lonely, she doesn't have many friends because she doesn't get out much anymore, so she wanted the other moms to like her. She thinks if they like Armand, they'll go on play dates with her and she'll gain a friend or two. She is going about it the wrong way, though, by overreacting so much and trying to appease seemingly mean women.

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  5. I feel that Katya is being a bit repulsive, but this is how marriage goes. Couples always have fights. But I feel like this one is a little different. Katya should ignore other parents. There were tons of kids with different hairstyles at school and it doesn't matter. I would rather have Armand grow up making his own choices and not paying attention to what other people say. *sighs* Katya, sometimes you give me small headaches. Great chapter. Very realistic. I can't wait for another update!

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    1. LOL, nagging wives always repulse me too whenever I see them. XD She's overreacting way too much about Armand's haircut. Katya has no friends, which doesn't excuse her behavior, but she's trying to make friends with some of the other moms, and she wants to appease them so maybe they'll go on play dates with her. She's going about it the entirely wrong way, of course, LOL, but she's always been sort of a people pleaser, that's why she always wanted to do the "right" thing. Her definition of the right thing isn't always right, though, and that's where the fights happen. Patrick agrees with you, he firmly believes Armand should learn at a young age that he has a choice in his life.

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  6. I think their relationship can be cute- provided Katya isn't super controlling and understands that Patrick loves her, regardless of whether or not he's with her at that very moment. Marriage has its ups and downs, however, it seems like theirs has been heading downhill for awhile, without an up. I don't think Patrick deserves to have to go through constantly reassuring his wife that everything's okay and fighting if she doesn't understand. Maybe counseling will help? Or is this just a lot cause? Either way, I hope things don't get too nasty concerning Armand... I'm excited for the next update!

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    1. Yeah, their relationship has always been on more of the "difficult" side, LOL, but when they get along, they are super cute together. XD They've only been married one year, so they're going through an adjustment phase. Katya needs to understand that just because you're married, it doesn't mean that everyone else is irrelevant. Some people, more often than not, have issues with that concept. You're right, Patrick shouldn't have to constantly make Katya feel better, she needs to grow up a little bit and be in more control of her own happiness, sometimes Patrick feels like he has two children, when Katya acts like this. XD Haha, only time will tell what happens with their marriage and Armand... poor little boy has already had such a rough childhood. *sigh* LOL.

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  7. Aww, Patrick's such a good dad. I like that he wants Armand to be his own person and not get his hair cut just because other people don't like it. Katya needs to calm down, too.. Everything Patrick was saying was correct and she's being so irrational. I really hope she learns that it doesn't matter what others think, and of course Patrick would never cheat on her.
    I don't understand her at all right now, it's sad to see their relationship unraval because she's so insecure. :/

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    1. Mmm yes, yes he is. LOL. Patrick liked how his parents always let him be who he wanted, without imposing anything on him. Katya has no friends, so she's trying to use Armand to fit in, which is wrong, she needs to stop trying to get those other mothers to like her, they're obviously terrible people if they don't want to hang out with her because of her son's haircut. She needs to learn there are people who will be her friend, and that not all the moms are like that, but she cares too much about what other people think. Katya's being very insecure, I think she is overreacting because she is scared and doesn't know what a good marriage looks like. Her parents had a terrible one, and she saw it break down from lack of time spent together. She also sees Max and Soleil who are always together as long as they're not working, so she has a false sense of what happiness in a marriage means. She's overcompensating for when she was distant from Patrick, but she's now going in the other extreme. They've only been married for one year, so hopefully this is just an adjustment period for her and she calms down the rest of the time they are married.

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  8. Sigh. Where is this therapist?!!!

    She really needs serious skilled counseling for this level of insecurity. I understand how it might be unsettling to have people judge you. TRUST ME, I am an expert in being judged. But, that doesn't mean you just lash out at people....

    Maybe they should start couples counseling...

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    1. LOLL. Katya's frustrating you again, I see. *hands some aspirin* I don't know, I'm having her see a therapist who knows what she's doing, but some patients, like Katya, are harder to "fix," I guess. I wasn't sure how exciting a therapy session would be to write about since it would be a lot of rehashing of the same stuff I have Katya saying and thinking just in her everyday life, so I felt like it'd be unnecessary since you readers already know a lot about that.

      LOL, I trust you, I think I remember some of your comments on The Compound about being judged. XD You and me both, haha, I know how judging can make me crazy, but I've learned to deal with it and ignore them. Everyone has their own opinion, and I might not always agree, but it's whatever. I like me, and that's all that matters. I think Katya's problem is she doesn't entirely love herself like she should.

      Here, she and Patrick are just having a fight, as all couples do every once in a while. They're having to adjust to being married and learning how to be parents to a five year old, which I'm guessing, puts on a whole new level of stress, once the kid goes to school and there's all that stuff that goes along with that. Add that to Katya not understanding married people can have friends, her feeling distant from Armand as usual, and she's just blown up today.

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  9. WTF!! Calm down Katya!! In my opinion, all this stems from her insecurity. She's upset that other people are judging her and her child, so she wants to conform. She's insecure about herself and it's spilling over into every area of her life right now.

    I now it's wrong to throw things in people's faces when your fighting but I was cheering when Patrick let her have it about not being around when Armand was younger. Preach it, Patrick!

    Hoping that this helps to strengthen their relationship and is not an indication of problems for them down the road. I really do like though how you've changed their relationship and it's not as easy as Max's and Soleil's relationship. :D

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    1. LOL, Katya's having a bad day. You're completely right, Katya's insecurity is crazy high right now. She was not having a good time with the other moms, who she thought would be her new circle of friends, and they completely rejected her. So she's feeling down about herself, and then Armand goes and rejects her. Patrick happened to have bad timing spending the night at Emmanuel's, so then she felt like Patrick rejected her too. So she exploded.

      Haha, Patrick had held that in for very long and he knew that Katya knew about it, but he wasn't about to sit there and let her call him a terrible husband when he did nothing wrong. The man will stand up for himself when he has to, even if it is to his own wife. <3

      LOL, this is just one of their fights, as I'm sure you know, all married couples have once in a while. XD Thanks, how boring would it be if all ten heirs of Echoes had the same type of relationship? *yawn* Haha, I'm happy you are enjoying the different dynamics I have here, I really enjoy writing them.

      Oh, and I answered this comment out of order from the other ones, I don't know why, LOL. I answered the one above yours and then just thought I'd answer yours at the same time on this chapter. XD

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  10. Ok, so how exactly did I manage to miss all those updates since they went on that stupid honeymoon?!
    Whatever. I love how you are developing this, and I think it´s rather sad that Katya can´t seem to get her crap together once and for all. Wonder when Pat will recall who her behaviour reminds him of - his dead aunt >-<

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    1. Hmm... I don't know? *slaps technology* Maybe it just didn't inform you properly.
      Well, thank you, I thought it would be more interesting if I made this generation's couple a little more unstable than Max and Soleil since their generation was pretty much them being a perfectly happy couple. I'm glad you are enjoying it. :/ Sadly, yeah in this chapter at least, Katya is... showing signs of Helena, a little bit. In this chapter, she happened to have a terrible day, being rejected by the other moms, then Armand, and then she felt like Patrick rejected her, but that was all in her head. All of the feelings of rejection made her explode at Patrick. Hopefully Katya doesn't keep pushing and picking at things like Helena did, if she does, then Patrick could very possibly think she reminds him of Helena.

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  11. Oh I don´t think she is as bad as Helana was, but I am pretty sure it will not help ANY marriage if your wife starts to remind you of some weirdo relative *g*

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    1. Yeah, ain't that the truth. I'd hate it if my hubs reminded me of my asshole uncle. LOLL, it would be like that for Patrick if Katya doesn't stop being a crazy bitch.

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  12. Ugh. Katya. Can i smack some sense into you? Why are you doing this? You have the perfect husband? What is your freakin problem woman? Poor Armand. I am a huge believer in self expression and firmly believe people should follow their own happiness, if Armand is happy with his hair and feels confident in it, then for fucks sake leave him be!!!

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    1. LOL! Smack away. Katya had a bad day today, she got rejected by the moms at school, then rejected by Armand, and then when Patrick didn't come home, she felt like he rejected her too, so she exploded. Haha, yeah, I agree about Armand's hair, it's not hurting anything, so Katya should lay off of it.

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  13. If Patrick had stayed out all night and Katya didn't know where he was, it would've been a different story to me. That doesn't fly in a marriage. Personally, I'd be worried that he'd been in an accident or something. However, she knew he was at his best friend's house and that they'd be drinking. She could figure out that he probably got too drunk to drive. She blew things out of proportion, and fighting with your spouse in front of your child is always a bad idea. Keep the discussion calm, and have it in another room. These two may need marriage counseling before long.

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    1. Yeah, I agree with you, if the spouse knows where the other is, there's no reason for screaming at them when they get home. In her defense, she had a bad day, and she felt rejected by everyone that she interacted with, so she missed Patrick, but she didn't handle this situation well. She was making up excuses like priorities and pulling the "You're married now" card to justify her craziness which she shouldn't have done. She should have just told Patrick she had a bad day and went to him for comfort, but instead she pushed him away and made him the bad guy.
      Katya thought just because Armand wasn't technically in the kitchen that it didn't matter. She's selfish in that sense, that when she felt wronged, she just wanted to yell without discretion. When she's with Armand, she fights with him too, so she's been desensitized to the yelling, thinking it's something she doesn't need to protect Armand from. Her thinking is wrong of course.
      This particular fight was just a regular fight, every couple fights, and it's not always easy to keep things calm when emotions are being stirred up. As for marriage counseling, Katya's still getting used to the idea of being married and having to deal with two people who are around her all the time, when she's used to being alone, so they could probably deal with it themselves for now rather than letting a third party into their problems.

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  14. Katya is a stay at home mom now...I like it :) It seems like they finally got their lives back on track as a family. You know I have a strange feeling that Jaxson had something to do with his whole accident that night but I could be wrong. It would be wonderful for him to start having shows again, I like Patrick's personality, he's such a go-getter. Alcohol definitely is a depressant lol, they drank until they blacked out bur at least they drank responsibly...Sort of lol. I can understand Katya's feelings about Patrick drinking now that he has a son and eveything but we all need to have a little fun no matter how old we are. It's not like he's out drinking every night, what's the big deal? Idk maybe I'm to carefree but I don't see a problem with it. Armand's hair is perfect the way it is...I've never understood why parent's feel the need to dictate how their kids look. Don't worry little Armand, I like your hair too lol :)
    I totally understand Armand's sentiments about his dad being more laid-back. My dad is more easy going than my mom, I can talk to him about anything and sometimes we talk for hours about DEEP stuff even if I tell him something bad he gets upset but he's super calm about it...I think women just have a tendancy to over-react sometimes, I don't know lol. Wow this chapter has me at the edge of my seat right now while typing this! You tell her Patrick! Other people's opinions don't matter, if anything Katya should be defending her son and telling the other moms to shut their mouths. Seriously? It's just hair...Since when does the length of someone's hair determine whether or not they are clean? I mean yeah maybe if he had lice and bugs flying around his head sure, they could call him dirty but it's just long and neatly kept in my opinion. Katya needs to get it together, that argument was so intense though...I could feel it. Man, you got me so excited while reading this :)

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    1. Yeah, Katya still isn't happy with her body image, so she decided she wouldn't be a surfing instructor anymore, and stay at home. :)

      Jaxson is definitely the main suspect, as he had the most motive to want to harm Patrick. Uh huh, Patrick's a Natural Born Performer, so I thought that would be the best way to show it, LOL. Yup, they just drank till they passed out, haha, but they didn't operate any motor vehicles, so they're good. XD Sometimes it's fun to just have a night with your best friend drinking. LOL, I know it's one of my favorite things to do.

      That being said, Katya overreacted here, because you're right, and it doesn't matter how old you are, you should never stop having fun. I don't think people realize that, a lot of people are always saying "Act your age." So it's like when you get to be a grown up and get married, you're just supposed to become boring or something. I hate that shit. LOL. Anyway, Katya is having a bad day, many people rejected her since she didn't make a whole lot of friends with the other moms, she doesn't feel like she has any friends, so she was jealous that Patrick had a best friend. She used the excuse of "You're married now, and you're irresponsible" to try to make Patrick come home and tend to her needs. Very selfish of her, she should have just told Patrick how she felt instead of accusing him. When you accuse your partner, it just makes them angry and that's not good.

      IKR? Parents always think they need to make the child some wierd clone of everyone else, and the second the child is different, they think it's bad. *rolls eyes* Don't worry, I am just as carefree as you, I have no problems with husbands going out to drink with their best friends, and kids having stylish haircuts. I think more people need to just relax and quit worrying, which is what Katya is doing here. Yeah, I think I'd agree with that, women overreact because they think things should be a certain way and then they freak out when it's not perfect. At least, that's the reason I had in my head when I wrote Katya overreacting in this chapter. LOL.

      LOL IKR? Exactly. So Armand doesn't have the typical little boy haircut. Whatever, cause those are boring. LOL. I went with the societal stereotype of short hair, clean shaven (doesn't apply to Armand right now since he's too young for that), but that kind of stereotype you know? Like guys with longer hair must be some sort of bum or something, LOL. I don't believe that in the slightest, which is why I made Armand disagree about the haircut. Good, I'm glad you enjoyed this, LOL, I always get pumped up when I write argument scenes, so I'm glad you had that reaction when reading it. :)

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  15. Sooo, I guess that honeymoon period didn't last. :/ Patrick is such a great dad, always there for Armand and wanting him to grow up to be the person he wants to be instead of what other people say he should be. Ughhh What is she doing??? Why, why must you ruin a good thing, Katya? I'm so confused and saddened by her continued insecurity. I know that she has had a difficult past and life and has reason for those insecurities, but not when it comes to Patrick. He has been wonderful to her since they met, so I just...I don't know what to say. And everything Patrick said was so true. Emmanuel is his friend, what is the harm in Patrick spending a night with his best friend? And not coming home after drinking? Yeah, definitely the responsible thing. I hate that this is Patrick's marriage since he was so afraid of having one like this. Katya needs to get her act together.

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    1. Their honeymoon only lasted as long as Katya wasn't thinking about her problems. Sadly, when they got back into their regular lives, she let all of her insecurities to the surface again. I know, right? Patrick wants to teach Armand strong values while he's still little, which he thinks is the best time for that.
      In this chapter, her insecurities stem from her being a continuous people pleaser more than her situation about her prom night. She has always wanted to fit in with society. Now that she is being a stay at home mom, and she has to deal with the other mothers at Armand's school, she is desperately trying to fit in with the mothers. She's overreacting, of course, but she has no real identity to herself right now, and she is grasping at straws to try to get people to like her. Unfortunately, Katya has a very teenage mindset when it comes to making friends, she thinks if she does what the potential friends want, then she'll gain their love.
      Katya is jealous of Patrick's friendship with Emmanuel, which I guess is warranted, since she doesn't have any friends other than her sister. Her yelling about him not coming home and being irresponsible is her making excuses to cover up her jealousy and insecurity. She should have told Patrick about her day and how she felt sad the other moms didn't like her, instead of lashing out at him. If she needed comfort after a bad day, she should have been excited Patrick was home, but she didn't. She reacted terribly and used her problems to cause problems for Patrick. I agree, she totally needs to get her shit together. LOL.

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  16. Wow, what a roller coaster of emotions this chapter was!

    Good to see the two friends spending quality time together, and making plans for bigger business. The mystery remains -- who caused the accident? Because there seems to be no doubt that someone did it.

    And it is always a pleasure for my eyes to have Emmanuel show in an episode, with his top model looks :) I wish we will see him together with Pierre, but not probably the way I wanted to see them together ;)

    On the whole incident of the drinking night, both Patrick and Katya have right, to some extent. The problem here is she was not concerned about his safety, and wondering if anything had happened to him. That would be a reason to complain about his behavior, irresponsible to some extent indeed. Boys will remain boys, no matter how mature, wise and good Patrick thinks of himself. But Katya is way too insecure, though I see her point that this night can be the first of many nights out for Patrick... She never hinted on anything happening between the boys, like a spicier bromance? I woudl have tinted this conflict with more issues :)

    It does tell how different and even opposed Patrick and Katya's views are. Armand will have to bear his ways in this conflicting household. I have the impression that Armand is more present as a child than Patrick was, in the previous generation -- and I like that!

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    1. LOL, you know me, I love to write a huge slew of emotions within my chapters.

      Haha, yeah, the accident was definitely caused by someone, and not just something simple like faulty equipment. It's going to be the looming mystery throughout the generation. Patrick has been away from magic for too long, so he wanted to get back into it.

      Yeah, Pierre's just sort of a side mention, he's not really that important in the story line, I showed Emmanuel with Jaxson in Chapter 5 because Jaxson was important for the story. Pierre did help Patrick recover, but that's all his character was there for.

      Yes, both Patrick and Katya had valid points in the argument, although Katya towards the end was showing her insecurities through the yelling, which isn't really fair to Patrick. He can't always be there to baby her, she's a grown woman, so she needs to learn how to function when her husband isn't around. If she was worried, she should have felt better after Patrick talked to her on the phone, and she knew he was safe, but she continued to be upset, so her argument kind of fell flat afterwards. Patrick didn't feel like she was worrying about him, for his sake, but rather because she was selfish and wanted him home for whatever reason. Patrick's reasons were valid because people should be allowed to have friends, even married people. Well... I had thought about Patrick's orientation, and I did contemplate having him be either bi or gay but then I knew I wanted a gay heir for another generation. I didn't want to repeat story lines, so I thought I would go for a straight heir having a gay best friend.

      Yup, Patrick and Katya have very different views on life, marriage, and raising kids. Haha, yeah, I guess I felt like it fit for Armand to be around in this chapter, LOL, I didn't really plan how the kids in each generation would show up since I focus on the heir until their generation is over. You do make a good observation, though, LOL, now that I think about it, Armand is present a lot more in the generation. He is the source of some of his parents' arguments, like when he was a baby, and Katya ignored him, but Patrick didn't like that, so that might also be a reason why he shows up more too.

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  17. Holy shit she is turning into Helena!!! WTF gone is that sweet shy girl replaced with the mean, controlling beast. And poor Armand had to hear it all. :( That's not a good thing. Kids witnessing their parents fighting can have lasting effects on them in a very negative way.

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    1. LMAO. She has insecurities and she's taking them out on Patrick. Katya wanted her life to be picture perfect, but she doesn't realize that she's half of the problem. Armand unfortunately, was in the wrong place at the wrong time. *sigh* Katya does share one quality with Helena, of she always wants to "do the right thing," when it comes to what people think of her. The difference is that Katya often doesn't shove her beliefs onto her friends, but because she's married to Patrick, she thinks that they should "be one," and he should do what she wants.

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  18. Normally I would agree with Kat on the drinking and being out with the friends only IF it happened all the time. It was one night and Patrick has a right to have friends outside of his marriage. He has always been there for her and Armand so she had a helluva nerve getting angry at him. Patrick needed to put her in her place but it is unfortunate that Armand had to see that. I'm glad that Patrick put his foot down when it came to the haircut. I don't think this marriage has much of a chance if Katya doesn't change her ways.

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    1. IKR? People can have friends, and Patrick is NOT ignoring his family. She really did have a big pair on her to do what she did, and she was the one who started shit in front of Armand. LOL. Patrick is wanting to teach Armand good values, not conformity, that is just ridiculous what Katya wants to do. You're right, Katya has GOT to compromise a little, she cannot rule with an iron fist and expect to have a good marriage.

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Rated: R. Echoes of Eternity is a chronological story best read from Chapter One. It will deal with topics of all kinds, including some that are uncomfortable.

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