From Darkness

  *****

  “Dad this isn’t working.”

  “What are you talking about Dane?”

  “I’m talking about you, me, this whole Christianity thing. It’s not working and it’s killing your career. You know as a publicity stunt it was perfect, unorthodox, but perfect and I was right on board, but you’ve taken it way too far.”

  “It’s not a stunt Dane.”

  “I know, believe me I know and that’s the problem.”

  “How is me becoming a better man and a better father a problem?”

  “Depends on what you consider better.”

  “Dane.”

  “What, now you’re revoking my right to free speech too is that it? Look I gave up a lot of stuff because I figured you knew what you were doing. You had a lot riding on this new tour and album, but I never thought you were serious about the whole God thing and now that I know that you are I’m not going to sit by and let you ruin my career like you have yours before it even gets started.”

  “I haven’t ruined my career Dane.”

  “Oh yeah? Tell me something old man how much money are having to cough up for ditching that concert tour, and am I mistaken or did your push to kill that last album get you dropped from the label?”

  “You know why I did that.”

  “Yeah because you went and got saved and now you’re all holier than everyone else and you’re dragging us all to that stuff shirt church of yours where you can look down your nose at everyone and make the rest of us feel like we’re trash.”

  “That’s not...”

  “Don’t give me that. You’ve got Mitchell running around believing in fairy tales and sooner or later his remarks are going to get him thrown out of school. You’re trying to convince Parker that his natural urges are dirty and ugly. Delilah’s going to become a social pariah if you keep wanting her to dress like Mother Teresa, and Mason was just fine with his decision that he’s gay and now you’re telling him he’s an abomination!”

  “That’s not true! None of it and if you would just open your eyes and see what’s going on around you you’d know that. You’re so caught up in launching your career off my connections that all you can see is what you want and how you want it all slipping through your grasp without even considering that there’s another way.”

  “Just because you haven’t got the stones to perform anymore doesn’t mean you’ve got the right to tell me I can’t.”

  “I’m not...”

  “Don’t even try it! You created metal, you were there for all of it and fought for the right to do it, to create and express yourself as you saw fit. You weren’t afraid to tell someone where they could go if they didn’t like it. For years, decades I’ve heard you rail about those closed minded bigots that tried to force everyone else to be like them and I heard you say thousands of times that you’d rather go to Hell and shake hands with the Devil rather than be like that and now just because you had some nightmare everything you’ve ever stood for went right out the window. You’re such a hypocrite and I refuse to let you turn me into one. I’m done, I’m out of here!”

  “What do mean by that?”

  “I mean I’m leaving, moving out. I don’t need you, your house, your rules, your connections, none of it. I’ll do it on my own without you or your help and I’ll be better than you ever were I can promise you that old man. I won’t go soft like you.” With that he stormed from the house slamming the door behind him and squealing tires out of the drive.