ficwhatfic | The Price Legacy - Generation One

Part One

“Don?”

“Don, come on. I know you hear me.”

“Hey! Assface!”

Don: “The hell?”

Marci: “Get up and put your shoes on. Come outside with me.”

Don heard of lucid dreaming, but to experience it firsthand was astounding. This time, he knew where he was, who he was with, and what was going on. Only this time, he knew everything was fake. He wasn’t actually married to Marci, and they weren’t actually camping out in Granite Falls; just these facts alone nearly pulled him out of the experience. Unlike his other dreams though, he wasn't watching their daughter grow up without him, fulfilling Katrina’s greatest wish, or facing Marci’s disdain and disapproval. This felt different.

Instead of pulling himself out of the dream, as he probably should've done…he played along.

Don: “What time is it?”

Marci: “It’s two in the morning.”

Don: “Ugh. Nope. G’night.”

Marci: “Come on! You’re the one who wanted to go stargazing with me. Now’s the best time. You should see the sky right now. It’s fucking amazing.”

Don: “Sleep is amazing, too. What I want to do is sleep. You know, like most people get to do on vacations.”

Marci: “Oh please, we’ve got the rest of the week to sleep. One hour in the middle of the night isn’t going to break you.”

Don: “It might. We were supposed to go fishing in the morning. I’ll never get up early enough now.”

Marci: “Let’s just do it another day! We can do something else with the girl later. How often do we get this much alone time without hiring a babysitter anymore?”

Don: “(yawns) Fine. But you’re making this up to me later.”

Marci: “That’s cool. I’ve already got a little something in mind when you’re done being pissy with me…”

Marci: “I think you’re going to like this, though.”

Marci was correct: even in his dreams, the night sky in Granite Falls was remarkable.

Don couldn’t remember the last time he laid eyes on it. Perhaps it was years ago when he was still a child, a year or two shy from transitioning into his teen years. Even then, he couldn’t remember the woods being so serene and peaceful.

It must’ve been the nature of dreams, feeling as though the two of them were the only ones who existed in that exact moment. There was little to focus on other than the stars and moon over his head, as well as his best friend stargazing with him, her body intertwined with him.

Marci: “Wow…”

Marci: “You’re right. The sky back home’s got nothing on this.”

Don: “I told you. Once you sleep under these stars, everything else pales in comparison.”

Marci: “Have you ever actually slept under the stars? I thought your family rented out a cabin.”

Don: “Sometimes, I did. When I was a kid, I never wanted to go inside on a night like this. We never had the proper camping equipment, so I would come out here and set up a ‘tent’ with my blankets over by a tree, and start a little fire with some twigs and pretend I was roughing it. Pretty sure my parents just let me because it gave them time alone, and they would come and collect me as soon as I dozed off.”

Marci: “I can see that. I never got to camp when I was a kid. If I could, I bet I would spend hours just trying to connect all these stars together and try to come up with constellations.”

Don: “Oh, I definitely did that. You see those stars, right there? Just look at them for a minute. What do you think they look like, grouped together like that?”

Marci: “Hmm…I don’t know if I should say. Will my answer shatter nine-year-old Donnie’s brain?”

Don: “Alright, we know you’ve got a filthy mind, but you do see the shape, right? I called that constellation ‘the Galactic Pickle’.”

Marci: “Pfft. Of course, you did. Do you know any actual constellations up there, or do you have any more fake ones to point out?”

Don: “Not really, but there’s the north star, right there. It’s the first thing that my father taught me: if I ever got lost in the woods, for whatever reason, the north star would guide me home.”

Marci: “Oh…I know that one. Before I came out to Oasis Springs, I was roughing it outside for a long time. I didn’t have a car and I couldn’t always afford rideshare, so I always walked or hitchhiked. I ran into some trouble and fled off the path somewhere…it was in the middle of the woods, and I lost sight of the path. I remember what someone told me about the star though, and I just followed it until I found my way back to the path.”

Don: “Shit. What kind of trouble was it?”

Marci: “It doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago.”

Did Marci ever tell him this, in the real world, or was this his imagination filling in the blanks? Don couldn’t remember. She was so tight-lipped about her past, and what little he got out of her didn’t reveal much. Sometimes she made brief mentions to her upbringing and alluded to past mistakes, but it never left him with a clear picture. After a while, he learned to avoid the topic altogether. It didn’t matter, anyway. He of all people understood some things were best left unsaid.

Don: “It’s just hard to picture you being scared of someone enough to try and lose them in the woods. That doesn’t sit right with me.”

Marci: “Well…I had a whole other life before I came to Oasis Springs. You did, too.”

Don: “Not really. I wasn’t living. I was just…getting by. Trying to figure out where to go, what to do, who to be…it got ugly sometimes. There were a few times I didn’t like who was staring back at me in the mirror.”

Marci: “Well, do you like who you see now?”

Don: “Sometimes…but I prefer looking at you.”

She laughed and kissed his cheek.

Marci: “Suck up.”

Don: “What time is it?”

Marci: “Almost three. Did you want to go in yet?”

Don: “Hmm… no. We can go in when you’re ready.”

***

The next 'morning,' so to speak, Marci asked him to check on their daughter.

In every dream, they always had a girl.

Most of the time, he didn’t get to speak directly to her.

Don: “Hey angel, glad to see you’re up. What are you doing?”

This time, she turned around and looked right at him.

Daughter: “Hi daddy! I was just looking at the books.”

Don: “Books? We came all this way out here, in the middle of the wilderness, and you’re reading?”

Daughter: “I like reading!”

Don: “I know you do, but don’t you want to go outside and play in the dirt? Go hiking in the mountains? Birdwatch? Catch butterflies?”

Daughter: “Daddy, I can’t go out by myself! You and mom said I’m too little!”

Don: “You’re right. Your mother would kill me if I let you run around unsupervised. She barely lets me out of her sight anymore. What do you say we go out after breakfast?”

Daughter: “Okay! Can we pick some flowers? I saw some purple ones on the way up here when we were in the car. They were really pretty!”

Don: “We can do whatever you want. Breakfast should be done in about twenty minutes, so be ready to go. We can just shoot out the door after we finish eating.”

Daughter: “Hang on! Can I ask you something? I know it’s not for another two weeks, but I kinda already know what I want for my birthday. It’s a kitty. Can I please have one?”

Don: “A cat? I don’t know…taking care of a pet is a huge responsibility, and we have a hard enough time remembering to feed you. Besides, your mom doesn’t like cats.”

Daughter: “But I can take care of it! Really, I can! I’m a big girl now! I can do lots of stuff by myself now! Please, daddy? Pretty please with sugar and sprinkles on top? I want a cat more than anything else in the world! More than world peace, even!”

Don: “Wow, you would pass up world peace for a cat? You’re very serious about this, aren’t you?”

Daughter: “Super serious! Like you wouldn’t believe!”

It was touching, really. His imaginary child was a schmoozer just like him, and she made a very compelling argument.

Don: “Tell you what. Give me a few days to work the Lothario charm on your mom, and…no promises, but I’ll see if I can wear her down.”

Daughter: “Ah! Ohmigod! I’m getting my own kitty!”

Don: “Shh! Keep your voice down! Do you want to blow our cover?”

Daughter: “Sorry! I just got really excited.”

Don: “It’s cool. Just try and work on your poker face. Your mom is practically a lie detector.”

Daughter: “Okay! Let me try…uh, how’s my face now? Will this work?”

Her little face was perfect.

He just grinned and pinched her cheek. She giggled.

Don: “Eh. Close enough. Now finish your book and come downstairs for breakfast.

Daughter: “Okay! I’ll be down in a sec!”

He retreated downstairs and found Marci in the kitchen.

Marci: “Well, is she up?”

Don: “She was already dressed and reading when I found her. We’re going flower picking after breakfast. Did you wanna tag along?”

Marci: “Ugh…flower picking? Reading? I swear, I still think they switched our actual kid out at birth.”

Don approached her and reached out to hold her hands. She was wearing his great-grandmother Mama Lothario’s old ring. It looked lovely if a little over-sized on her petite finger.

Marci: “Did you get any sleep last night?”

Don: “Not a wink. Thanks for that.”

Marci: “Heh. Sorry, not sorry. Admit it, you had fun.”

Don: “Yeah, I did. You were right. I’m glad you dragged me out of bed for that.”

Don: “Not gonna lie, I thought it would be weird coming back to this cabin without my parents. I avoided coming out here for a long time because it held too many memories. It still does. But I’m glad we did this together, Marci. I always wanted to take you out here, even before we had our daughter.”

Marci: “I know you did. You never stopped talking about this place. I can see why you love it out here so much. I’m flattered you were so excited to show me around, but…”

Marci: “Where are the rest of my children, Don?”

Don: “What children? We only have one.”

Marci: “I meant Louis, Holden, and Lea. Why would I come here without them? And Josh? You know…my actual husband?”

Marci: “What did I tell you? Selfish. Even here, you don’t care about what I want. This is all just for you.”

Don: “Marci? Marci, wait! Come back!”

Don: “…I’m sorry.”

Marci was right.

He didn’t care what she wanted. When she tried to tell him…

He didn’t listen to her at all.

"You don't love anyone."

Before he reached the door, the lights turned on. Katrina sat up in bed.

Katrina: “Don? What’s the rush?”

Don: “Sorry. I have to go.”

Katrina: “Go where? It’s seven in the morning.”

Don didn’t say anything. She rose to her feet and approached him.

Katrina: “You’re doing it again. Retreating into yourself.”

Katrina: “Please talk to me. Something is clearly wrong. You don’t sleep, you’ve been drinking too much, and you won’t even touch me anymore. I tried giving you space, but I can’t stand this anymore. I can’t help you if you won’t talk to me.”

Don: “I…I don’t even know where to start.”

Katrina: “Anywhere is fine. Say what you need to say.”

For the first time in days, he embraced her.

When they kissed, he felt nothing.

Don: “Kat…you were right. I don’t want to look back on my life and regret anything ten or twenty years from now. I don’t want that for you, either.”

Don: “There’s something you need to know. I’ve been lying to you all this time. When we were on our break…I had an affair.”

Katrina: “Well…I can’t say I’m surprised. I suspected as much. We weren’t in a healthy place when we called things off, and you haven't been yourself lately. You’re still young. Maybe I was wrong to expect too much, too soon. Maybe it isn’t such a bad thing if you need to step outside our relationship sometimes—”

Don: “No, that…I didn’t just go and sleep with a stranger I picked up at the bar. This was different. She was different. I care about you. I really do. But you don’t deserve some asshole who stays for the wrong reasons, who can’t keep his mind off someone else.”

Katrina: “What are you saying? That you love this girl?”

Don: “…Yeah. I guess I am.”

Katrina: “How long have we been together?”

Don: “I…”

Katrina: “All this time, you never once said you loved me. I always let it go. I thought you had a different love language than me - that I needed to give you time and space. And yet, when I ask you if you love some other girl? Just one question? You didn’t even pretend to hesitate for my sake. You truly are a bastard, Don Lothario.”

Don: “I know I am. I’m sorry, Kat.”

Katrina: “Who is she?”

Don: “Does it matter?”

Katrina: “Yes, it does! If you’re going to leave me for some other woman, I want to know who! Is it one of my daughters? I swear to God, Don, if you and Dina have been doing anything behind my back—”

Don: “No! It’s not Dina! It’s Marci. Marci Price.”

Katrina: “You’re leaving me for her? For that psychopathic twig? Oh, that’s rich! Out of all the women in this town, you’re chasing the only person who’s a bigger nightmare than you!”

Despite the tension, that comment made him chuckle.

Don: “Huh…how about that? I guess I am.”

Katrina: “Oh, you think this is funny? Why am I even surprised? You’re dumping me just to run straight towards a married woman! Have you stopped to consider that? Don’t you care that she has a husband and kids? Does she?!”

Katrina: “You just can’t help yourself, can you? You ruin everything good in your life! Breaking up with me won’t change that! Mark my words, you’ll ruin this, too! When that happens, and she comes to her senses and kicks you to the curb, don’t even think about coming back here! We’re done! For good!”