NOT MY HOME.

CHAPTER 8: NOT MY HOME.

"Elizabeth. Isn't there anything in this God forsaken panty of yours that one could snack on?" Mrs Smith snarled, hissing her way through the kitchen, as she ransacked through some empty containers.

Mr and Mrs Smith felt they had a stake in the affairs of Trevor and Elizabeth. They felt entitled because they had helped Trevor and Elizabeth pay off their mortgage early. So they came and went whenever they liked.

Trevor's current joblessness further gave them the impetus to be the way they were to him. To them, he was just a spineless dweeb.

A day after Trevor went on his 'pretend job trip', they came unannounced, as usual, at 10:46 am. It was a Friday, and they were not expecting to meet their daughter home. But Elizabeth called in sick, so as to not get out of bed and spend the early hours of the morning with her lover, Frank.

Frank had left, just in time before the arrival of her parents. It wouldn't have bothered them if they met Frank there.

"Elizabeth." Mrs Smith called out to her again, irritably. Elizabeth had opened the door for her parents but went upstairs leaving them downstairs. She wanted to get some rest, but it was obvious that that would not be feasible.

"What do you want mom?" She grudgingly dragged her feet, coming downstairs, with a bit of annoyance in her face.

"Don't you have anything to eat? You've not made breakfast yet?" Mrs Smith questioned.

"No mom. I haven't made breakfast." She answered, grudgingly.

"By the way, where's Trevor?" Mr Smith asked, not as a show of concern though. He just wondered where he was.

"He's at Manhattan. " She replied, not wanting to talk.

"Manhattan? What's he doing there?" Mrs Smith was curious.

"He went for a job, or something. I don't know." Elizabeth replied nonchalantly, rolling her eyes away from her parents.

"I wish he doesn't even return." Mrs Smith scoffed disdainfully at Trevor's thought. "He probably just ran off to meet a worthless whore like him." She added.

This family of three were birds of the same feather. Looking at Elizabeth, one would know the fruit didn't fall far from the tree.

In the midst of their chatter, there was a knock on the front door of the house. A silence filled the atmosphere. They got awfully quiet, staring at each other.

"Go check who it is." Mr Smith instructed Elizabeth.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, and signed as she got up and headed to the door.

Opening the door, she was startled, freezing in her position. "Trevor! Yo, you're back!" She stuttered incoherently.

Trevor smiled at her, using his left hand to push her stiff body aside, as he walked in.

"Good morning Mr and Mrs Smith." Trevor greeted respectfully, as always. They didn't respond, but he was unfazed. He just walked upstairs.

Elizabeth's thoughts ran wild. She was unsure of why he was unusually calm, barely saying word. This almost threw her into a state of frenzy.

Mr and Mrs Smith noticed how their daughter was tensed up. "What's the matter honey?" Mr Smith asked his daughter.

"It's nothing." Elizabeth chuckled, trying to hide her fear.

"Are you sure?" Mr Smith pressed to know.

"I don't know if Trevor is sane. He gets like this sometimes, and as a result, he may even turn violent." She lied to her parents, in an attempt to manipulate them, to gain their support, just in case she's confronted by Trevor.

"Has he ever laid a finger on you?" Mrs Smith fumed with rage. But Elizabeth kept quiet, and that meant that he had, but she never wanted to say anything to anyone. Such deception!

At this point they were ready to call the cops on Trevor and press charges against him for physical abuse. But she stopped them, asking them to just be ready for anything though. At this point, Mr Smith wished he came along with his rifle in his truck. But he made ready his mind for any eventuality.

Few minutes after Trevor walked into his house, he came down with his bags, his clothes and belongings packed in them neatly. He took his seat in a couch, leaning backwards into the chair, relaxing his head on the head rest, then he sighed deeply, looking up.

The Smiths looked at him, wondering what the heck of this show was for. At this point, the arrogant Elizabeth re-emerged.

Opening his eyes, Trevor stared around. He drank in the sight of the life he had built over the years, a sight he would never see again. Pain filled his heart, but he maintained his comportment. He had one last thing to do.

"I know you're all wondering what is going on. Just give me this one last audience and I'll be out of your hair for good." Trevor spoke calmly, bringing out his mobile phone.

"Did I do anything wrong to you? Did I?" He looked at the Smiths. Turning to Elizabeth, he asked, "What did I do wrong? What happened to us?"

The Smiths threw a cold stare at Trevor. Mr Smith looked down at Trevor, with his chin held up.

"Why did you do it? Huh? Why did you do it Liz?" Trevor asked calmly.

"Do what?" Elizabeth claimed to be oblivious to what Trevor asked, putting up the act of innocence. But Trevor could see her for who she truly was. 'How did I not see through all her years of deceit?' Trevor shook his head with a frawn, clenching his fist.

"So you mean to say you didn't bring a man to our house yesterday, and slept with him in our bed?" Trevor's question caused her heart to leap, but she composed herself.

"That's a lie." Elizabeth denied.

Trevor unlocked his phone and went to the recording of the live feed from yesterday that the hidden camera clock had captured, and played it to the hearing and view of everyone there in the living room. "So, who's that?" Trevor asked, raising his eyebrows, as he looked intently at Elizabeth.

Mr and Mrs Smith were speechless, but they'd rather side with their daughter, than side with Trevor, even though they knew she was in the wrong.

"Okay! I did it! So what? Huh? It's, it's not like you're any better than I am. You're mean all the while we never had sex you abstained from other women? Really Trevor?" Elizabeth defended, trying to make Trevor out as one who had been unfaithful too.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Trevor nodded in pity. "Just because you're that way, doesn't mean everyone else is. And just so you know, I've never been with any other woman except you, since the day we married. That's how much I honored and valued the vows we made to each other. But it's clear it meant little, or nothing to you." Trevor said, this time, with pity for her.

Trevor stood up, with his head facing down, as he thought. "So you're leaving?" Elizabeth scoffed.

"This is not my home." Trevor said, as tears ran down his eyes. This would be the last time they would ever see him crying in their presence, because of all they put him through.

He picked his bags on the floor, looking round one last time, he walked out the door, to a car that had been waiting outside. It was Paul. He followed Trevor there just as he told his wife, just in case things got heated up with the Smiths, and they had an altercation which could possibly lead to unforeseen circumstances.

Seeing Trevor walk out the door, Paul hopped out of his car, opened the trunk of his car and assisted Trevor load them in.

Trevor turned around and looked one more time at the house, which was no longer his home. 'Goodbye.' He said inwardly, as they got into the car and drove off.

"Good riddance!" Mrs Smith said in all delight. They didn't question, neither did they say a word to their daughter with respect to what Trevor showed them. And Elizabeth got up, leaving her parents in the room without a care in the world that she was the undoing of her marriage.

"Finally. Freedom." Elizabeth muttered, smiling wickedly.

As they drove off, Paul noticed how gloomy Trevor's demeanor was. Of course, it was to be expected. "Cheer up buddy, the worst is over." Paul encouraged him.

"You're right. The worst is over." Trevor retorted.

Trevor took a deep sigh, exhaling out every stress. He closed his eyes as they drove, enjoying the gist of wind that blew gently across his face. With eyes closed, he smiled.

"What are you smiling about?" Paul wondered.

"It's over. Just like you said, it's over." Trevor smilingly said.

Paul was happy to see his friend smile, despite all he had been through. And boy, was he glad that it was all over. He had played counselor for quite some years, and he sure needed a break. Paul delightedly went ahead to turn on the stereo system of the car, and played one of their favorite song by Lionel Richie, titled 'Easy'.

They sang along as they drove off to Paul's house.