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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Nick

The Tribulations of a Broken Marriage.

Nicholas Tasker was most definitely not happy and he wore that displeasure like a grim funerary mask on his youthful face. Travelling forty seven hours by bus from Minnesota to Los Angeles had done nothing to improve his surly disposition.

Sitting in the patterned blue colored cloth upholstered bus seat, arms folded across his chest, he leaned his shoulder against the fingerprint smeared window, cobalt blue eyes narrow, the corners of his mouth pulled down into a frown.

He hated being on the bus. He hated that his parents had gotten divorced. He hated how he had been made the subject of an ugly custody dispute. And now he hated being told that he now had to go live with his father after having resided with his mother for the previous two and half years. Prior to the finalization of the proceedings, he and his mother had been living in Maple Grove, located in the northwest corner of the metropolitan Minneapolis St. Paul area.

He had begged and pleaded with the judge to be permitted to remain with his mother at least for the duration of his final school year.

Not that he was a particularly great student, though the consensus amongst his teachers was consistent. All said Nick was a bright, intelligent pupil, who if he applied himself, had the potential to achieve a high degree of academic success. Instead, he was frequently absent, and suspended on two separate occasions for physical altercations.

The lady judge, in her final decision, stated, “That while Mr. Tasker’s current scholastic circumstance was taken into consideration when determining judgement, the paucity of information states his inappropriate behavioral manifestations, including persistent defiance and contumacious attitude with blatant disregard for the conventions of propriety, at home, at school, and in the community at large, are growing in frequency and intensity. This coupled with his mother’s current domestic situation and her inability at present to provide a structured and stable home environment conducive to the wellbeing of young man who may be traveling down a very difficult path, lead the court to make the decision that in the best interest of all involved parties, custody is to be awarded to his father.”

And that was that. In the best interest of all involved parties, Nick who hadn’t seen his father in over two and a half years was now being uprooted and shipped across the country. He had two weeks to pack of his life and go.

Adding insult to injury, Nick found out his father was now shacked up in a common law relationship with another woman and her kid. New home, new school, new family. The whole thing pissed him off. In his anger, he seriously contemplated running away. It was only his mother who persuaded him to get on the bus.

When the bus finally rolled into the station in LA, it was around 4:30 in the afternoon, the brown haze of smog hanging low and heavy in the sky.

With no particular need for haste, he waited for most of the other passengers to leave the bus before getting up from his seat, mindful to stoop because of the low hanging overhead storage compartment. Cooped up for nearly two complete days, he felt a distinct need for a shower as he navigated his way down the aisle of the bus.

Dropping down the broad stairs onto pavement below, he was greeted by warm, muggy air, very different than the fresh pristine air he was used to in Minnesota.

“So, this is the City of fucking Angels,” he mused aloud to no one in particular, sour look on his face as he waited to collect his luggage from the underbelly of the bus.

Grabbing the big black canvas duffle bag he had previously used to tote his hockey gear, now filled with clothes and personal possessions, he slung the strap over his shoulder and followed the queue of other passengers into the terminal.

“Nick!” called out his father’s voice call out amidst the clamor of white noise amidst the throng of people waiting inside the terminal.

He paused to try and locate his dad, spying him with a fairly tall dark haired woman attired in a simple sun dress, oversized sunglass situated atop her head. She appeared tanned, though not overly so, her eyes a startlingly bright green, almost luminescent as she looked upon him. His dad wore knee length tan colored shorts and a light blue short sleeved button up shirt.

“There’s my boy!” his father said, wide grin on his face as he moved through the sea of people and closer to the youth.

Shifting the heavy bag containing all of his worldly possessions to his other shoulder, Nick nodded and stepped up to greet his father, no emotion in the facsimile of the smile he wore on his face.

“Here, let me give you a hand with that,” his dad offered, extending a hand toward the duffle bag. The woman hanging back a couple of steps, warm smile on her lovely face.

“I got it,” Nick replied, turning slightly.

His dad put a hand on the boy’s other shoulder, turning to introduce the woman with him, “Son, this is my fiancé, Calista,” he said.

Surly expression still etched on his face, the boy nodded, “Nick,” he said, bobbing his head. She was tall and lean, very pretty face, dark hair pulled back into a pony tail under the designer sunglasses.

She smiled, flashing him a mouth full of perfect white teeth, “I’m so happy to finally get to meet you. Your dad has told me so much about you though he forgot to mention how tall and handsome you were,” she said pleasantly.

“Funny, because in the two conversations I had with him, he hardly said anything at all about you at all,” he replied with a shrug.

“Nick,” reprimanded his father, a reproachful look on his face.

Calista’s smile never faltered. “It’s okay Marty,” she said, looping her hand through his father’s arm.

Turning and looking over the crowd, “We going to go or what?” Nick asked before glancing back at his dad and raising his eyebrows.

“Do you need the washroom or anything, at this time of day it’s about an hour from here to our house?” Nick’s dad asked.

“I’m good,” replied the boy, shrugging dismissively.

Marty Tasker took the fore, leading his fiancé and son out into the parking lot to where a 2013 black Cadillac Escalade was parked. Opening the door remotely on the back of the vehicle, he helped Nick toss the duffle bag inside.

Nick climbed into the seat behind Calista, the interior of the vehicle allowing him to catch a hint of her perfume as he fastened his safety belt. Having been told Calista possessed a daughter about his age, he was kind of surprised at how young she looked.

 

Chapter End Notes:

Apologies to anyone who read the first few chapters and left a comment. I wanted to refine this story and draw several other projects to a close before sharing this one. Hopefully you will enjoy!

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