Disillusionment
Feb. 3rd, 2012 04:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
intheheartTitle: Disillusionment
Rating: PG.
Summary: Hugh gradually comes to realize the truth about Yvonne.
Notes: Olivia is, in order, three months old, two, six, ten, and thirteen.
Warnings: Child neglect and abuse.
He came home to Olivia wailing upstairs and Yvonne on the couch downstairs, watching TV and drinking a martini.
She rolled her eyes when asked, said, "She just wants attention," and changed the channel.
Hugh believed her, but his daughter was crying. He took the stairs two at a time, snatched her up and cradled her against his chest, humming. She clutched at his shirt, and gradually hiccupped herself to calmness.
"You're spoiling her," Yvonne told him later. "She has to learn she can't always get what she wants."
He believed her, but the words sat uneasily in his chest.
--
"Olivia wouldn't eat her dinner," Yvonne told him before he'd even walked in the door. "She said it was gross." She sniffed. "After all my effort!"
Hugh glanced in the kitchen, but couldn't see his daughter, nor the offending dinner. "What did you do with it?"
Yvonne shrugged. "Threw it away, of course. She won't eat, she can starve."
"Yvonne!" He couldn't believe his ears. "You don't starve her! Make her sit at the table until she eats it if you must but for God's sake, don't starve her!"
"Oh," Yvonne said, and then shrugged again. "If you say so."
--
Olivia was sitting on the steps outside, hugging herself, when he got out of the car.
"Afternoon, Sunny," he said, and ruffled her hair. "What are you doing outside? It's almost dark."
She shrugged, not looking at him. "Mom locked me out," she said. "I guess I was being too loud for her."
"She locked you out?" He stepped up and tried the handle; sure enough, it was locked. What in hell had Yvonne been thinking? "Did you apologize?"
"I tried," Olivia said. "She doesn't listen."
No, she never listened, not to him or to their daughter. Hugh's heart sank.
--
He answered his phone absently, knee-deep in paperwork as he was. "Dr. Marhenke."
"Daddy?"
He straightened-- Olivia sounded upset, and a little scared. "Sunny? What's wrong?"
"I'm at the dance studio," she said.
Hugh frowned, and looked at the clock. Dance class had ended an hour ago. "Did your class go long?"
"No, I..." She sighed, and said, "I think Mom forgot to pick me up. Can you come get me, please?"
"Yes, of course," he said, and rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily. He was no longer surprised by anything Yvonne did. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
--
He daydreamed sometimes about divorcing Yvonne, getting custody of Olivia and moving somewhere else, far away. Olivia was old enough now to be largely self-sufficient. They'd be so much happier on their own.
But he couldn't. For one thing, he wasn't completely sure he could get custody, if Yvonne chose to fight him-- most courts still favored the mother. For another, divorce was complicated and messy, and he did not want to upset Olivia or disarrange her life.
He could manage Yvonne, and so could she. They'd been managing for thirteen years, hadn't they?
At least they had each other.
Rating: PG.
Summary: Hugh gradually comes to realize the truth about Yvonne.
Notes: Olivia is, in order, three months old, two, six, ten, and thirteen.
Warnings: Child neglect and abuse.
He came home to Olivia wailing upstairs and Yvonne on the couch downstairs, watching TV and drinking a martini.
She rolled her eyes when asked, said, "She just wants attention," and changed the channel.
Hugh believed her, but his daughter was crying. He took the stairs two at a time, snatched her up and cradled her against his chest, humming. She clutched at his shirt, and gradually hiccupped herself to calmness.
"You're spoiling her," Yvonne told him later. "She has to learn she can't always get what she wants."
He believed her, but the words sat uneasily in his chest.
--
"Olivia wouldn't eat her dinner," Yvonne told him before he'd even walked in the door. "She said it was gross." She sniffed. "After all my effort!"
Hugh glanced in the kitchen, but couldn't see his daughter, nor the offending dinner. "What did you do with it?"
Yvonne shrugged. "Threw it away, of course. She won't eat, she can starve."
"Yvonne!" He couldn't believe his ears. "You don't starve her! Make her sit at the table until she eats it if you must but for God's sake, don't starve her!"
"Oh," Yvonne said, and then shrugged again. "If you say so."
--
Olivia was sitting on the steps outside, hugging herself, when he got out of the car.
"Afternoon, Sunny," he said, and ruffled her hair. "What are you doing outside? It's almost dark."
She shrugged, not looking at him. "Mom locked me out," she said. "I guess I was being too loud for her."
"She locked you out?" He stepped up and tried the handle; sure enough, it was locked. What in hell had Yvonne been thinking? "Did you apologize?"
"I tried," Olivia said. "She doesn't listen."
No, she never listened, not to him or to their daughter. Hugh's heart sank.
--
He answered his phone absently, knee-deep in paperwork as he was. "Dr. Marhenke."
"Daddy?"
He straightened-- Olivia sounded upset, and a little scared. "Sunny? What's wrong?"
"I'm at the dance studio," she said.
Hugh frowned, and looked at the clock. Dance class had ended an hour ago. "Did your class go long?"
"No, I..." She sighed, and said, "I think Mom forgot to pick me up. Can you come get me, please?"
"Yes, of course," he said, and rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily. He was no longer surprised by anything Yvonne did. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
--
He daydreamed sometimes about divorcing Yvonne, getting custody of Olivia and moving somewhere else, far away. Olivia was old enough now to be largely self-sufficient. They'd be so much happier on their own.
But he couldn't. For one thing, he wasn't completely sure he could get custody, if Yvonne chose to fight him-- most courts still favored the mother. For another, divorce was complicated and messy, and he did not want to upset Olivia or disarrange her life.
He could manage Yvonne, and so could she. They'd been managing for thirteen years, hadn't they?
At least they had each other.
