Hereditary

LOGAN



   Although it was summer, logan shivered as the bus stopped on their street, the bus doors twinged open, logan hugged his backpack and hopped out of the bus. He landed on solid ground and dragged the hood of his sweatshirt over his head , backpack mounted on his back, hood over his head and one feet after another he walked and walked to his parents house.

   Three minutes of continuous walk and he could see the chimney of their house, he didnt know when he smiled to himself and walked faster, he made it to the lawn and a dog growled from behind him, he turned around and took the hood off, the dog yelped in joy and leapt at him. Logan chuckled and went down on his knees to pet the dog and ruffle its fur. The dog lolled out its tongue and relished in the affectionate touch. 

   Behind the lawn which the dog crept out of was the basement, logan swallowed hard and kept his mind cold like steel as Rachel's words kept crawling back into his mind. Rachel was his girlfriend and she had told him plainly on their third month of being together that he had to stand up to his parents, "I can never marry you if you continue your father's work, you have to stand up to them babe". Logan wasn't even shocked at her utterance because he also had it in mind to stand up to his father, he wanted and desired more out of life, he wanted out of this small town and he wanted more than this mundane lifestyle of performing autopsies.

    Growing up logan couldn't escape the smell of the dead, by ten, he could tell what the cause of death was by the amount of stink in the room and the coloration on the skin, his father saw and knew how attentive and brilliant his son was but he knew deep down logan would break the family tradition and he was anticipating the time and day it would happen. Logan walked to the front door and knocked but his mother swung the door open with a big smile on her face. His resolve melted and he almost changed his mind but he returned the smile with a frown and he breezed in with the dog at his heel barking as the smell of freshly baked strawberry pancakes wafted through the house. 

   "Where is dad?" Asked logan, the door creaked closed and his mother walked past him to the kitchen with a reply "in town". She went into the kitchen to examine the pancakes and turn it. Logan dozed off on the couch and a deep masculine voice woke him up back to reality. The voice was coming from the kitchen and he needed no soothsayer to tell him his father was back, he saw the dinning table was all set.

  There was heavy footsteps and his father came into the living room, "hop into the shower son, freshen up and we dine", logan could feel his hands tremble, it was now or never, he swallowed hard again and he croaked out a reply "no need for that dad, I have something to tell you guys" his father was a thick man with strong arms with ginger tinge beards. His deep blue eyes stared hard at him and he stared back, deep down his father knew the day had come and he was fucking glad, now let's see if my son has the balls to speak up.

They all took their seats at the dinner table and a few minutes of pretense love was observed but there was an uneasiness hanging in the air, noone wanted to break the silence but the silence was running logan mad, when he could no longer take it, he dropped his fork and spoke up "what I have to say won't be easy but I want you guys to listen closely" Everyone stopped eating and stared at him, he could feel his father's hard stare but he stared back, deep down he was trembling highly. "I know you really cherish being a pathologist, and I know the traditional story of the job being passed down to you from your father and his father before him" logan took a breather and swallowed hard again, "but I do not want that life, I want more and out of this"

   There was an eerie silence in the room as Logan's mother waited for her husband to respond but her husband only stared coldly at their son, logan couldn't bear it any longer and he broke the stare, "let me guess, this Is all cos of a girl?" Asked Logan's father with a scoff. Logan didn't break the silence as no reply came to his mind. "You will break tradition cos of a fucking bitch" his father snarled and rose on his feet banging the table, logan stood up too hurriedly and the chair toppled over and he stared his father down, "I think we ought to calm down" said Logan's mother feebly but logan couldn't let the insult stand.

  "Getting a wife from this town is so beneath you, taking on the family's job is too low for you but this family job in this shitty town all which you are too good for paid for your college fees, the roof over your head there and fills your belly with food too!" Snarled his father, Logan's mother knew both men were beyond reasoning and she kept worry praying this doesn't result in violence. "I've said my piece and I love Rachel, no matter what you say, no matter what you decide I'm not changing my mind" his father scoffed and added sarcastically "not even if I cut the funds which are too good for you?" Logan walked up to his dad and they were now five feets apart, "I do not bloody care", his father bridged the gap between them and replied "get the fuck outta my house and never return"

   Logan was shocked but he kept his cool, he was expecting the banishment but still it shocked him, he walked up to his mom and kissed her on the head, he retreated to the couch and picked up his backpack, he mounted it on his back, looked around the house, the dog came running towards him, he patted the dog absentmindedly and walked towards the door, he swinged it open and looked back at his dad but the stony look remained in his eyes, logan glanced over the house one more time and thanked the lord and his girlfriend Rachel for giving him the confidence to stand up to his father. He closed the door behind him knowing fully well his life would never be the same, knowing deep down he would always see a fault in a dead body,his father sighed sinking back into his seat his anger deflating. 

  "Did that go according to plan?" Asked Logan's mother, his father laughed and his mother joined in the laughter too, "more than I imagined" replied his father, "this shit is hereditary and he has my blood in him, his wife has and will always have a huge burden to carry because there will always be a part of him clawing for a way out no matter how rich and comfy he gets". Logan's mother sighed and glanced at the door like her husband, the dog also glanced at the door and whimpered because there would be stormy days ahead.