“Hello? Good evening, Grandfather. It’s Jared.”

“Well, well, well, the Prodigal Grandson decides to finally grace me with a phone call.”

“Hello, Grandfather.” Ten seconds in and Jared was already dreading the phone call. He knew his grandpa was up to something. He knew that nothing good came out of the tone of voice he could hear on the other end of the line.

Growing up, Jared remembered his grandfather taking him places, buying him gifts, showering him and his siblings with attention. They would spend more time with him than they would with their own mother and they were okay with it. He was strict, but he was caring enough. Every Friday, their mother would drop them off at their grandparent’s house and he'd pay them for the test scores. The way that he would encourage them to get good grades was by paying them for it. An A was $5, a B was $3, and even a C got them a $1. His grandfather was fair with the four of them, wanting them to be happy, and Jared's dad joked that he was more lenient with them than he had ever been with him growing up.

It was quite the opposite with their mother. She tried to be helpful with her children, to make sure that they behaved, but the only problem was that she didn't seem to understand that children needed love as well as constant nagging. She was extravagant in her shopping sprees and would usually give them electronics or toys to keep them content. The problem was that it just caused them ignore her and disobey her more because they knew they could get the rise out of her. How they had all come out sane, studious kids was actually thanks to his grandfather to be honest, because his father was hardly there as well...

Around the time he turned twelve, his grandfather began to invite him over to his office. He'd also take Jared with him during his tours around the factory, as he reviewed any issues with his managers regarding the machines or any complaints. Jared would be bored out of his mind. He liked books, exciting science things, not machinery. By the time he entered high school, he realized that the older man meant to mold him, to get him to get used to being around the factory and its problems, so that by the time he was old enough to head to college he’d head straight into a business major.

At the first given opportunity, he started taking college classes along with his high school courses. He took summer courses for both his high school and college courses, so that by the time he graduated from high school at sixteen, he was able to do about another year before he transferred out and started working towards his medical degree.

His grandfather had never explicitly come out to say what he meant to do with Jared, but years later, once he hit thirty, he’d begin bombarding him with lectures about family first, taking care of our own, and that he needed a wife.  Jared's response to all this, what he considered an attack, was to skip family events, holidays, and stop answering his mother's phone calls.

He could only imagine now what he wanted to talk to him about...

“Boy, we haven’t spoken since Christmas, and all you tell me is ‘Hi grandfather’? Why haven’t you called me earlier?” Jared could tell the other man was annoyed.

“I was busy.” Very smart.

“The whole year? It’s almost the holiday season again.”

“I was very busy?” Jared winced at his grandfather's scoff. “I’m sorry grandfather, I’ll make sure to keep in touch more often.”

“Bah.” There was rustling, a drawer been slammed, and Jared waited patiently. “You and I need to talk about important things.”

“I’m listening.” And it wasn't because he wanted to, but because he had to...

“You’re thirty-seven years old, Jared. You don’t have any children, you don’t see your family. We don’t see you unless we practically drag you home. All you do is work and then disappear for weeks on end and nobody ever knows what you’re up to. Karinne is the youngest and she already has three children. When are you going to give me some grandchildren to carry on the family name?”

That was a lot in one breath.

“Grandpa, I—”

“I'm not getting any younger, Jay. I want someone to carry on the family name. My other option is Caleb, and with the way that boy carries himself, I'm surprised he hasn't gotten anyone pregnant.  He's not ready, and as much as I love that boy, I don't think he's the best fit for the job. I think you’re ready, no?” Jared swallowed the large knot in his throat. Of course it was for this. What other reason would his grandfather have for contacting him? After thirty, there hadn't been any more conversations about school, what he was up to at work, his health, anything... “I can’t remember the last time I saw you with a woman. A friend, a girl friend. It is good, no? You do like women, don’t you, Jared?" Jared clenched his teeth. It was always the same question... "I have a proposition for you.”

“What is it, grandfather?” He felt a little sick to his stomach. Heart pounding, he knew he was going to really hate the words that would come out of his mouth next.

“I need someone to take over the company, the management. Your brothers don’t want it. You don’t want it. Karinne appears to have cut off ties with your mother, and I don't blame her! Your mother is something else. I don't care what happens between them as long as I occasionally receive pictures of her babies. I still need a volunteer, so I have a proposition for you.” Oh god...

“I’m listening...” He was sick to his stomach. Anxiety rolling deep inside his gut. He was glad he was at home just in case he felt like throwing up.

“I figured you won’t make a decision without good reason so I’ll give you some good ideas for you to choose. Listen well Jared, ‘cause I’m old, half dying, and my will has been written up already. You have three options, find a good woman and marry her, then I’ll leave you alone, and keep the house you currently live in to your name. Or you don’t marry, it’s your choice if you want to, but accept the position of president for the company. Lastly, you choose not to marry and you choose to walk away from the company-”

“I choose to walk away.”

“Listen here, boy, don’t choose now. Let me finish. If you walk away, without the company and without marriage, you’re getting kicked out of the will and the house becomes mine, and it’ll immediately be put on the market for some other person to buy and enjoy.”

Jared froze. Wait a minute, had he heard his grandfather correctly?

“But you said that was my present for graduating top of the class from medical school! I thought that was a deal. I finished school! I got my degree. I’m a doctor now. I’ve done something with my life! Father turned down the company, and you let him do whatever he wanted. How come it has to be different with me? There's Andrew as well! Why me?” Jared cursed hotly. F*cking hell, where had this come from? And why was it him?

Yeah, he was going to be sick soon. He couldn’t believe what his grandfather was telling him. The house, this house he was living in, had been living in since he graduated from medical school, could not be torn away from him! Why? Did a promise not count for anything in this damn family? Did family not count for anything?

Apparently not.

“I’ll give you some time to think about it.” His grandfather sounded so sure of himself, he probably believed that he already had Jared in the bag with that.

Jared was so close to snapping. He had never been rude to his grandfather, but he was very close to. This felt like a joke. A horrible, cruel joke.

“It’s time that you became serious and focused on your life.” His grandfather added, and it felt like a pail of cold water getting thrown over Jared's head.

“Excuse me? Grandfather, I don’t mean to be rude, but are you kidding me? What do you mean serious and focused on my life? I just told you, I am a doctor. Why would you want me to become president of a business I don’t even know how to deal with? I've stepped away from everything related to that company to focus on my life. I am focused on my life. I have my own priorities now. I have my own commitments, and they definitely don't include the company.” This was the reason exactly why he'd tried cutting off all ties between himself and his family. He hated feeling overwhelmed, feeling like his decisions counted for nothing with his parents or his grandfather.

“I have given you the options, Jared. It’s up to you to decide what you want.” 

"I already gave you my decision! I don't-" Jared nearly yelled that into the receiver.

"You haven't had time to think about it." 

“But Grandfather! I don’t understand—” He really didn't. He ran a hand angrily through his hair, trying to make sense of the whole thing. 

“Goodbye, Jared, I’ll check on you in a couple months.” His grandfather had already stopped listening.

“Grandfather!” Click. “Son of a – what the hell!” Jared threw his phone against the opposite wall, watching the screen turn black with the impact. He ran his hand through his hair angrily again, breathing hard, heart pounding. What made his grandfather and his mother think it was okay to mess with his life? He was a grown-ass man and they still wanted to control him. He had left home at seventeen, he hated growing up in that place. Even though he missed his siblings, he still didn’t miss his mother and her clutch or his grandfather dragging him around the factory. Why now? Why him?

He didn’t need this stupid house anyways. He made enough money to buy his own damn place, a better place.

And people wondered why he was always angry and in a bad mood? Maybe someone should walk a mile in his damn shoes before they started giving him crap about his attitude problem, since it wasn't completely all his fault. If he had a problem it was called 'family.'

“Dammit!” He cursed, throwing himself on to the nearest couch. “Dammit. Just what the f**k am I going to do?”

…

Dahlia sat on her couch, phone next to her.

She was waiting for a text she knew that wouldn't come. But she waited either way because she was stubborn like that.

Or stupid. Whichever it was.

She wondered where her life was heading to currently. Things hadn't been that great with her boyfriend lately. She couldn't remember the last time that they had dinner together, gone out somewhere just because they wanted to spend time together. Honestly, she couldn't remember the last time they'd had a conversation that didn't result in an argument.

She stared at the clock on the opposite wall and saw it was ten until midnight. He would've been out from work at eleven, eleven fifteen if it was busy. She tried to be understanding, knew that she didn't have to be pushy with him. But almost an hour later and no sign of him? Even with all the traffic of the college town, she knew that it would take him fifteen minutes to get home, twenty minutes top.

"I don't need this kind of negativity in my life," she tried to tell herself as she finished her tea. "What would my mom say if she saw me sitting here moping around for a guy?"

Probably, I told you so. But you never listen...

With a sigh, she finished her coffee and went to drop the empty mug in the sink. The clock had struck midnight and no text message from him. She had work tomorrow, she had to go deal with crazy Dr. Dale and didn't have time to deal with a crazy boyfriend as well.

She refused to feel sorry for herself. She was a nurse and nurses were tough. If she could handle Dr. Dale day after day, she could handle being with a missing boyfriend as well.

She knew that things just hadn't been the same lately and part of her told her she knew why. But she wouldn't go there, she wouldn't blame him for something she didn't have the facts about. Maybe that was her problem? She was always giving people the benefit of doubt even when they were acting like little sh*theads.

With a sigh, she grabbed her phone and headed to bed. She had work tomorrow and needed rest.

...

Jared laid in the dark in his bed.

He'd been laying there for about two hours now trying to fall asleep, but no matter how hard he tried, his brain just wouldn't shut up and shut down. Nights were always the worst because they were long and empty, and allowed his brain to ponder on every nasty thing his mother and grandfather had done, and could possibly do, to him. 

Add the conversation with his grandfather earlier and now Jared knew he was in for a freaking long sleepless night.

He flipped over to lay on his side and stare into the darkness.

The nurses were scared of him.

The nursing supervisor, Dahlia, probably hated his guts.

His mother was psycho and controlling.

His grandfather was plain out nuts, and trying to get him the same way.

"Ugh! I should just drop everything, pack my damn bags and disappear!" He exclaimed to no one except himself. "Maybe that would give them something to think about. Or make them come to their senses!"

He stopped and pondered on that idea as well.

He'd probably have to pretend that he was dead and then maybe, just maybe, they'd leave him alone.

He spent the next thirty minutes thinking about every movie he'd seen where a character faked his death and trying to figure out if he could do the same...