Deleted Scene – Thanksgiving night at the Devilins

Context: Martin is leaving his brother Luther’s (Luke) house after dinner

 

Martin stood on the steps and said a last goodnight to his brother. He thought he might give his sister-in-law a hug as well, but Lisa proffered a quick wave and returned to the interior of the house. She’d been distant for months, ever since he had slipped up and made a comment about her appendectomy scar. He had tried to play it off, telling her Luke must have told him, but she hadn’t bought the story. She jumped Luke as soon as he entered the room, asking him if he’d told Marty about her scare before he had a chance to brief his brother. Luke, as usual, muttered “Nope” before Martin could say anything, and Lisa had looked from one to the other, the betrayal clearly dawning in her mind. The explosion he expected had not come. She just left the room. Very few words had passed between them since.

It was 1a.m. and he was busy giving Luke excuses for not spending the night. He simply couldn’t wait to get home. He’d spent the entire evening with his mind in the room with his treasures, and he was impatient to finish the story that he knew had a very, very happy ending. With one last yell over his shoulder that he’d call over the weekend, Martin ran across the frost-covered lawn to his car.

“Bye, Uncle Marty”, came the harmonious voices of his niece and two nephews from their windows on the second floor. He turned, waved, and laughed at the terrible trio. They should have been asleep hours ago. He threw them one last wave as he pulled away from the curb.

In those rare moments of self-honesty, he admitted that he envied Luke his family. Luke was terribly complacent, without an ambitious bone in his body. There was nothing sexy about Luther in either appearance or lifestyle, but he had the father/husband thing down completely. Luke was perfectly content to slave away for someone else with no hope of ever being in control, but he was master of his domain. Lisa and the kids adored him, and there was nothing he ever did that didn’t bring them running to his side and lavishing him with love and kisses.

Their father had called them his knights. Luke had gotten the quest for love; Martin received the quest for power.

I’m happy with my life. I wouldn’t swap places with Luke for anything.

As a car sped past, Martin caught a glimpse of orange, yellow and red out of the corner of his eye. He laughed out loud when he saw what was on the passenger seat. There sat a large turkey composed of brown construction paper, adorned with bright paint and glitter, and signed by the kids.

How and when did they manage to sneak out and do this?

“I’ll have to give them a call tomorrow to thank them for this handsome bird.”

Martin repositioned “Tom” in his seatbelt. He didn’t want to wrinkle a single feather. He gave Tom one more smile before setting his mouth into a pout.

 I definitely have the better life.