I'll be answering a very important question, and leaving a few interesting details behind.
Thanks for sticking with my lazy self. As thanks i'm posting THREE chapters today~~
that's one chapter of Frank Albion, and TWO whole new chapters of Holly Maxwell.
Its been long enough....
Oh I should also mention... In accordance with the rules of the 'true colours' legacy challenge, I'm only allowed one kid til the end of the legacy, when our messed up family tree, becomes healthy, if you will.
Enjoy~~
Frank: "Will that fricken dishwasher ever shut up!?"
the loud whirring of the machine bored itself deeply in
Frank's Brain. It was too noisy to be normal.
Driven mad by the repetitive din, Frank retreated into the bathroom.
As he scrubbed away at the dirt he'd accumulated from
last night's con he very suddenly remembered that he in fact
had a son who was growing up too quickly for his liking.
There was only one solution.
An arrangement of a father-son bonding trip was in need.
hard work. He was no longer the slightly porky, pizza eating, sugar
junkie he'd been in his late teens. He had more muscle than elderly
Arnie. He wasn't typically a narcissist, but everything finally
seemed in order.
taxi to take them to what frank labelled, 'a fun and interesting
place, filled with wonder'.
"So, are we really going someplace fun?" he asked. Frank cleared
his throat and instructed the driver "yeah just down to the laundrette".
Titus's shoulders sagged. "Really?" he mournfully muttered.
The taxi pulled up at their destination, and Titus stepped out,
pushed the glass doors open, and exclaimed "wow!".
The whole room was filled with colour! and Titus could smell
the alluring scent of washing power filling the small space as
he shuffled on the tiles. Remembering where he was, he said "Well,
what's so special about it?"
Frank scanned the room looking for a suitable distraction for his son.
"well son, I'm so glad you ask---"
*God what's an old codger like him doing giving flowers to her*
Physically repulsed by the sight of other human beings in love,
Frank took action.. "Gee son, I think I see a stereo. Why not start your
own dance party?".
"Like this Dad?".
"yeah, just like that." Swivelling on his heels, he wandered about
the room looking for a way to drive away the sweet-hearts.
A plan formulated in his mind when he noticed their young child
sitting on the cold lino floor, alone.
Usually Frank would have reservations about stealing a child's
sweets. But when he quickly glanced over to the parents
and found them to be passionately making out, he knew
he'd have to resort to it.
He rubbed his hands together- this was the best bit of the
candy snatch play. the prelude- the savouring of the moment.
He reached in, and snatched the lollypop from the toddler's tiny
fingers. "AHAHAHAHA, it was yours now it's MINE"! he exclaimed.
Just a little too loudly... For he had caught the attention of the mother.
"HEY! YOU!"
Frank swivelled around on his boot, to come face to face with
what may as well have been an angry lioness.
"JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE PLAYING AT?"
"Woah Preggers, you've got this all wrong".
"yeah, well I apologise then I guess".
"I'M THE VICTIM HERE, UNDERSTOOD?"
Preggers scoffed. "VICTIM! YOU STOLE A LOLLYPOP, FROM A BABY!"
Frank whispered "and I'm not afraid to press charges".
"so don't even think of smudging my good name in this
fine establishment ever again. Because... I'll do it..."
"Clearly, we've got an insane one..."
"David, ring the cops".
Titus, who Frank thought was off in his little world piped up.
"What should I do, Dad?" he squeaked.
Franks world spun as he emptied the couple's designated machine.
He couldn't go back to jail without first making sure it was worth it.
he quickly made up his mind "RUN SON! RUN LIKE THE WIND!"
As the couple dialled 911 Frank and Titus bolted out of the door.
"DAD! WAIT! I CAN'T RUN. THAT. FAST." he puffed.
Frank heard the unmistakable sound of sirens fill the air.
"Not now Titus, just run". he said. The boy obviously needs
fitness lessons, he mused.
Amazingly, the two made it home without attracting the po-po
to their doorstep. It was a long night for the two of them.
Every so often Frank would peek out of the window, just
to make sure that no one was coming to arrest them".
Titus, with a mouthful of soup questioned him. "Dad,
what I don't get, is why that crazy lady called the cops on us.
You didn't do anything wrong, right?".
Frank dismissed Titus, "eat your soup son."
Not long after, Frank sent Titus to bed. He still needed to work
after all.
From time to time, Frank brought home a shady looking girl or
two to the house. This bothered Titus greatly, and he took it upon
himself to ruin Frank's every chance to impress them.
For example:
"Hey Titus, we'll just be a second, buddy".
He was getting older now, and had begun to notice his father's
shortcomings.
"I've always wanted to do it in the shower. You know, like in the
movies?"
"I have a good feeling Chantelle, that you and I are going to be
great friends".
Chantelle kissed frank passionately before gingerly leaning over to
turn on the taps.
Suddenly, she darted backwards and fell into his arms.
She steadied herself, looked into his eyes, and
spoke in a cutting manner to Frank.
"I want to know, and heaven knows it had better be a good reason,
why there was hair dye in your shower. BECAUSE YOU DO
NOT MESS WITH MY HAIR! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?".
she promptly left.
if you're wondering why there was dye in the shower dear
readers.. here lies the answer..
"She left, Titus. Why did she leave?"
Clearly resting on his laurels, Titus cockily replied to Frank.
"Probably because you're kinda a douche".
"I'm sorry. What?" Frank yelled back. He rose up out of his chair and
marched into Titus's room.
even bothered telling me about my Mum.." he
trailed off.
and continuing. For he was about to get mad, and that
always took effort. "Alrighty then, I'll set up a family reunion
for you bud". "Right after work".
he called out gleefully.
Then he exited the house to go to the warehouse for his
little night shift.. *gasp* bathless.
Frank was vaguely aware of a low buzzing sound when he awoke
the next morning. As he slowly regained consciousness from the night shift,
the buzz became a voice, his son's voice in fact.
"Well anyway Dad, you don't have to go do all that just for me, on my
birthday. I'm sure It'll be great without her anyway. Just You, Me, and
Pizza."
Frank *Shit it's his birthday??*
"See you after school I guess."
Frank: *But it's my birthday*
"Yeah okay Son".
Frank feigned sleep until Titus was safely at school for the day.
After falling over the random sleeping bags on the floor,
Frank realised his son was in fact expecting a party."
So he did what any Dad would do and started ringing random
places to organise the pizza and cake for his mini henchmen.
"mmhmm yes, price isn't an issue".
"Ah I see". he picked his nose absentmindedly. "Well, would it
be cheaper to combine the pizza with the cake?"
Titus was important, but surely the cake wasn't a big thing right?"
"Uh huh, well just fill it with anything that you've got lying around
and
then we'll be done here, I think. $6.00 sounds perfect to me."
Frank hung up the phone feeling pretty darn pleased with himself.
As soon as the last phone call was over, he received a new one.
"Ah yes. You've perfected the pizza-cake".
Amy was expecting a strange conversation, but not right from the
very first second of the call. Frank's raspy voice sounded no
different from the last time she'd spoken with him, ten years
ago *N.B. "Uh, no." she said, slightly confused.
"Well look, I don't have time to play Guess Who, so can
you help me out a little?"
Who was this inconsiderate person to interrupt his
own birthday?
Amy sighed, she'd play it casual. See where that would take her.
"You remember that hot night you had with your neighbour
13 years ago?"
"Well I'm back in town. And I want to see our baby boy".
"Frank?". Great, the llama had hung up on her.
*What a craptacular birthday party. I could be knee deep
in toxic waste whist making out with a cute blond, and I'm
stuck talking to her.*
Frank spent the next hour or so reading a self help book
by his favourite misunderstood genius, to
help him deal with the task at hand.
Un surprisingly the book was titled "how to
manipulate people without them catching on".
He then rung Amy back for round two.
"Amy, how are you?? be there in 5".
step one: create a confusing situation
step two: compete for the right for child's love.
wait. what?
"If I win, I get shared custody".
"Oh, its on".
step 3 1/2
If lost, put emotional pressure on subject.
"Okay, okay, you may have won. But best out of 10?"
"Aww come on Frank, I won. Just let me see my son".
"what if I told you he doesn't love you?"
"nice try Frank"
"Yeah well, he totally loves me more".
Amy laughed and said "And this is why I've never married".
"Okay, so tell me. Where the party at?"
"My house, 5.00pm sharp".
"Now get out of my house, you rat-bastard". she said, in
an entirely different tone.
step 4.
should you be manipulated by subject in return, retreat.
"BWHAHAHAHAHAA"
"Hey Dad".
"Hey.. you".
Titus arrived home shortly after the plans had been made. Luckily,
he didn't seem to notice anything strange.
Frank stepped out of the chair and clasped his hands together,
staring at Titus, dead in the eyes.
"Uh Dad, can you get out of my room?"
"Oh, I will. Just as soon as I finish telling you about my
plans for your"... He cleared his throat... "Birthday surprise".
"Okay, well so long as there's nothing fishy about it then I'll be
happy with whatever I get".
*Oh this is going to be rich*
"Can, you like leave? Now?"
As he waited for 5.00 to roll around, Frank decided to throw himself
his own party. *Oh happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me*.
He ate a late lunch.
Worked out a little
Took a bath
and even had time to send a woo-hooty text back to
a girl named Janelle.
Titus's party was in full swing by the time his mother arrived.
Although Frank had done what can be seen as an upstanding
job with organising the shin-dig, he had neglected to really
invite any of his son's friends.
Titus didn't seem to mind though, and spend much of the afternoon
networking with his dad's work colleagues.
He made small talk with the one friend who'd made it to the affair
in the corner while he waited for what Frank had dubbed
the 'cakening'. Robert filled Titus in about his own
birthday affair, which had happened a
week previously.
"Yeah, I don't remember too much about it dude, but
I know there were sparkles all around me and then
suddenly, BAM! I got taller, and stuff"
Titus countered, "Well bob, that's proof that magic exists if
I ever did see it".
Out of the corner of his eye, Titus finally saw someone who
was around his age at the party. He excused himself from
Bob and walked over to the lone figure standing on the lawn.
"Who are you?" he asked, the question barely leaving his mouth
more than a whisper. There was something... familiar about him.
Somehow Titus knew he'd seen him somewhere. The question was..
where?
The kid yawned, before reaching out his hand to Titus..
Rubbing his eye, he offered up a greeting. "Oh hi, I'm..."
before Titus was issued a response, Frank cut in.
"Time for the... CAKENING"
"Well, whoever you are, don't just stand there looking lost. Let's
go grab some grub".
the pair, walked back into the house, along with the other party
guests.
Before Titus and the strange boy could walk into the house however,
they came across Frank and a mysterious woman standing in the
doorway, chatting to one another.
Titus tried to attract his Dad's attention. It was time for the cakening
after all. "DAAAD" he whined.
The two of them started to laugh, "Who's telling him?" Frank inquired.
The woman wobbled on her feet before bursting into a fit of giggles again.
It was at this point that Titus deduced two things.
His dad had brought one of his "lady friends" to his birthday party,
and they were both blind drunk.
Frank attempted to lean in and whisper something in Amy's
ear, but stumbled and fell to the ground in a heap.
After he dusted himself off, he looked into Amy's eyes.
In all the years it had been since he'd last seen her,
she hadn't become any less attractive. And although it may have
just been the rum and coke talking, he briefly felt a stirring of
his cold heat. She stared back, and her gaze met his in terms
of warmth. She'd only been his one night stand, and
they barely knew each other. But was it possible that
he was falling for her. Impossible.
He couldn't help but grin sheepishly back at her though.
The two boys had edged away from the two adults, and were strategizing
about an alternative way into the house. Amy kept an eye on the two of them.
In a few minutes they'd be brothers. Her youngest son knew all about Titus,
but was instructed not to breathe a word, until at least the candles had been
blown out. He was her back up plan, in case Franklin Albion, who's eyes
she'd been staring into for the first time in 10 years backed out.
She peered back at the two boys, laughing and joking about one
another.
Frank cleared his throat. Surprised by the gesture, she looked back at him
grinning at her. His smile truly was lovely. Frank then said. "I'll take care of
Titus."
"Yo! Where's my son at?" he yelled.
Titus glanced back at Frank. Relieved that he could finally get
the big "Cakening" thing over with, he and the mysterious boy
shuffled back over to the door.
Frank looked back over to the woman. "Gross" thought Titus.
He likes this one. Frank cleared his throat, the pungent stink of
alcohol filled the cold night air. "Titus, I'd like you to meet Amy."
"She's very special, and I think you two will be seeing much
more of each other in the future".
Amy gave Titus a little wave before giggling slightly.
Perhaps she shouldn't have drunk as much as she had.
Titus looked "Amy" up and down before replying. "Look I don't
know how much you paid her for tonight, but she's not living here
with us dad. Let her go home, its cold and we've got no central
heating".
Frank shook his head, raised a hand and pointed. "After all the trouble
she caused just to be here for your birthday, she's not going home until
you cut some sort of deal. I'm not facing any lawyers".
"Look just be nice enough and she might give you some sort
of compensation, on account of being absent for most of your life and all".
"I don't understand, Dad..."
Frank belched. "You wanted your mum in your life. Well it turns out I was wrong,
she wants to see you now, and be the best parent she can be." he chuckled.
Amy squinted down at a blur that she'd assumed to be Titus.
Her baby boy. He was totally adorable. She had to apologise about
his mouth though. That certainly was the Bull mouth.
she offered up a grin. "Hi Son". she said.
With that information, Titus shook his head and walked into the house.
Frank, too drunk to offer up any kind of response followed.
A fleeting thought about that night 13 years ago entered his mind.
Flustered, he pushed it away.
"Cake me" said Titus.
"I wish that this were all a dream" he said. The party horns drowned
out all speech and it wasn't long before the noise makers followed.
He closed his eyes, and went to blow out the candles. He had a
suitable wish picked out and everything.
Then his "Mother" had to go and interrupt obnoxiously.
"WOOO GO TITUS!" Amy squealed in delight as her eldest
reached forward to blow out the candles. Her heart melted when
he shot her an excited look.
It happened quite literally, in a flash. Sparkles surrounded
Titus and in the blink of an eye, her boy became a young man.
She captured another glance at him, "He'd be a heartbreaker with
different clothes" she mused.
Titus took a moment to feel his newly defined features. He ran his
fingers through his hair. It was certainly.. Fluffy.
He felt taller, it was strange being of a certain height a brief moment
ago, and now standing almost as tall as his father.
He took a moment to test out his voice. "Let's grab some grub people".
He smiled.
"More teeth too" he laughed.
He grabbed the first slice of cake and grabbed one of the only
chairs in the house. Frank set to work wrapping up the leftovers for various guests.
One by one the guests began to fill out of the house. Most of them
definitely wasted. A few offered up congratulations to Titus, but
more often than not they stumbled out of the tiny hovel.
Frank disappeared out of the room to throw up in the toilet.
While he was preoccupied, Amy took the opportunity
to bond with her son, and test the waters following the revelation.
"You know, you don't have to stay in what the cake gave you."
Titus ignored the comment and continued eating the cake.
This woman who called herself his mother wasn't off the hook just yet.
She had some explaining to do after all.
"You know, I'm not sure how much information your dad offered you about me,
but I'm sure it couldn't have been all good. I'm a stylist. That's where I've been
all these years. I'm sorry Titus. she gulped. But you know, if you ever want to find a new look
I can at least leave you my number.
Even if you decide.. Amy barely choked out the next sentence. Even if you decide that you
don't want to know me, and I'd understand why, I really would. That you don't want to know
me as your mother. Well at least I can be your stylist."
Titus continued staring at the cake, but his mother's words had softened his heart a little.
"Well you can leave your number in the address book". he said.
Frank walked back into the room, feeling a little queasy.
the rum and coke did not agree with him.
"DON'T THINK I'VE FORGOTTEN!" yelled Titus
he rattled the noisemaker as his dad visibly jumped.
"Okay here I go.. Frank could feel the years piling on as he adopted
the traditional birthday pose".
Titus blew a party horn in the background.
Amy smiled as she watched the scene develop,
as dawn began to reach the house she scribbled down
her phone number, placed it on the table, and walked out
of the house.
Frank clapped his hands together. It seemed mother nature had been kind this time around.
"YES! NOT A WRINKLE IN SIGHT!"
"But.. nothing happened". said Titus. A little disappointed that his father still had
all of his hair.
FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS TO TITUS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER
OF FATC!
which will be uploaded soon!
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