Page 25 of Twisted Diaries of a Monster Groupie
Dear Diary,
Sometimes you’re just better off not knowing.
XOXO – Roxy
Roxy’s house was quiet when she arrived home, leaving Acid alone in his mansion with his new friend Trevor. It would take a few days to get moved and she decided it was best to tell her mother and stepfather the news on her own to ease them into the idea.
She found Hank tinkering with a new project while her mom was inside, cooking dinner, and the house seemed quiet for once.
“Hey, Mom. What’s cooking?” Roxy asked, leaning against the doorway.
“Gumbo. Hank brought home fresh shrimp from the pier.”
“Oh yeah? He hasn’t been fishing in years. The old fart must be enjoying himself.”
“He’s better.”
“Yeah, Mom. I know. You are, too.”
She smiled seeing her mother happy, but deep down she knew Darla would never be the same. She could only do so much to fix thebrain. A lot had been damaged when Hank killed her, but at least she was alive… sort of.
Hank grunted in agreement, too absorbed in fixing the toaster to care about the conversation.
“How’s everything with Acid?”
Well, that was surely a living Mom question. It made Roxy smile a real smile in that house for the first time without Acid being there.
She slid up on the counter, grabbing a piece of celery. “Good. He said he loves me.”
“Sounds like the two of you are a match made in...”
“Murder?”
“Roxy?”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Am I dead?”
“You’re… undead.” She tilted her head realizing her mom was starting to get a grasp on reality, which was a good sign, but concerning. “Are you okay with that?”
“Did Hank…” She couldn’t say it.
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
“You killed him, didn’t you? It finally happened.”
“What happened?”
Her mother’s dead eyes turned to her. “You snapped. I did, too. That's why he did it.” She reached under the sink, pulled out a knife, and looked at it coldly. The horrific look in her eyes was much like the sickness her daughter carried.
“Mom? What are you thinking?”
“Your dad left me.” She looked at Roxy with tears. “He blamed me. I should have let him do this to me years ago. Maybe we would have been happy. Maybe I wouldn’t have hurt you.”
“You remember what happened over the years?”
A tear rolled down her mother’s cheek. “I do. So many of those men I was with hurt my baby. I let them because all I cared about was drinking. Can you forgive me?”
Leaning in to wipe her mother’s tears, Roxy felt her own pool in the corner of her eyes. “Yes, Momma. I forgive you.”
“I’m better now too, right?”
“Mom, is there something you’re afraid to tell me?”
She looked at the knife and then Roxy. “I think you still need to fix me.”
“Mom, what are you saying?”
“I was sick, Roxy. More than you.” She looked at the blade and then Hank. “I wanted… to kill. I was going to your room first to finish it. He got me first.”
Roxy slid from the counter realizing what her mother was saying. The drinking, the chaos, the screaming. She’d blocked it out for so long thatshe was blind to the truth. It all made sense, though. Hank had been fighting with her mother for a reason. He was fighting with her about Roxy. Her mother was sick, and she never even knew. But now she did. Her mother wanted her dead because she thought she was like her. A psychopath, ready to kill.
She looked at Hank, whose sad eyes looked back at her. The truth was, Roxy didn’t remember a time Hank was physically abusive to her like the other men. He was only just a grouch and yelled a lot. She just assumed he was like the rest. He wasn’t a saint by any means, but he wasn’t a killer. He saved her life.
“I tried to help her. She was so sick. So very sick.”
“Oh, Hank,” Roxy sighed. “I’ll fix it, Mom. I’ll take it away and fix your brain. I promise.”
“You’re not crazy, Roxy. You’re so smart. Too smart for this world. I’m so proud of you.”
Her heart clenched uponhearing those words. Her mother had never said she was proud of her, but it was clear now why. She was fighting her demons, and poor Hank was the one trying to patch her back together after years of past abuse from the many men her mother brought into her life.
“Hank, I need you to take Mom on that vacation you promised. I’ll tweak her chip and fix this, and then take her somewhere safe. Can you do that for me?”
“Away from Donnie?”
“That’s right.”
“Fix first,” he agreed.
“Come on. I’ll need your help.”
Hank stood and went to his wife, kissing away her tears. He did love her, but until now, Roxy didn’t see it. In some ways, Hank was a hero. Her real father left, but Hank stuck by his bride, even in death.
“I really misjudged you, Hank.”
“Same,” he sighed, touching the scar on his neck.