Family Portrait by PoisonG!rl
razorblade_romance93uk@hotmail.com

‘Hell, I’ve had it up to here with you, you bastard!’ Julian heard his mom bawl to his father. She was crying, he could tell. 

There was then a smashing noise, like a plate, or an expensive ornament been broken. ‘You’ve been putting your cock in them jailbait models you hire again haven’t you! You think I’m stupid! You’re a bastard, you fucking piece of shit! I want a divorce, I want a divorce now!’ 

Seven-year-old Julian Casablancas hid under the table in the next room, cuddling his teddy, he knew he wasn’t supposed to hear all them bad words, but he had grown use to them over the last few months. 

His mother and father argued nearly every day and he knew his father was doing things with other women behind his mom’s back. He hated his father with venom, and he hated him for making his mother cry all the time. When would all this shouting end? When would they be a happy family again? Never. 

Julian was turning into an unconfident, unhappy child. He was also chubby due to all the comfort eating he currently did. 

On days like this he could get though an entire packet of cookies. Eating was the only thing that made happy at this very moment in time and meal times where his favourite part of the day. He hated school too, where he got picked on for been fat and quiet, he also got picked on because of who his famous father was-model agency mogul John Casablancas, who had founded Elite, the biggest model agency in the world. The bullying was so bad, he sometimes ran back home in tears before the school day was finished, banging on the door of his home until he was let back in again. There he’d go straight to the pantry and find some chocolate cookies, chips and then he’d go and eat them in his bedroom until they were all finished and he could look forward to dinner once more. 

‘God damn it woman!’ John Casablancas yelled back ‘A divorce!’ Had that shocked his father? 

‘Hell yes!’ She, Jeanette Christjansen, snapped back ‘I’ve been to se my lawyer this week and all you have to do is sign the papers and me and Julian will be free of you!’ 

‘Your not taking my son away, no way!’ His dad bellowed with an unspeakable rage. 

Julian lifted up his head and hoped his mom was not lying. To be away from his dad would be bliss. Let it be true, let mom live without his cruel father, please!

‘Yes, way, John, I gave you a chance, you blew it and now you’ve paid the price for screwing around. Julian and me will move out next week. Drag me though the courts…do whatever, but I tell you something, they won’t give you our son. You’re an unfit father and you know it!’ 

‘Your not taking my son from me! I won’t allow it, not over my dead body!’ He stressed. There was a panicking tone to his voice. 

Julian cuddled his teddy tighter, wishing for his father to disappear now. 

‘Well so be it then…’ Jeanette sighed with a fed up tone ‘you won’t stop me no matter what’ 

Stunning, but willowy, Jeanette Christjansen had been Miss Denmark 1972 when she met swarthy Spaniard, John Casablancas in Manhattan. He wooed her like a gentleman should and she fell for him instantly. He took her on holidays in the Bahamas, bought her expensive gifts, and showered her with jewels. 

She had then left her home country, Denmark, to go to New York to marry the model agency tycoon. It had been happy for a few years, then she got pregnant with Julian in 1977 and she knew that’s when her husbands screwing around started. It broke her heart in two. She loved her beautiful big brown-eyed boy so dearly and now, she saw that this whole thing with his father was affecting her son and she wanted to go and start a new life some place else. Find someone that would love and respect her, unlike her current rat of a husband. 

She had then turned on her heel and walked out of the drawing room. Julian stayed still under the table. He didn’t want his parents to know he had just heard them argue. He shouldn’t even be here. He was supposed to be in his room, playing like a good boy they thought he was. 

His toys bore him and his room was now a prison, even though he had all the latest mod cons. He got piled with the latest toys from his father, but all he wanted was his love and affection. Never had that man shown him an ounce of that. His mom loved him, he knew that and has he peeped out from under his hiding place, he saw his father on the phone at his desk. He was angry and that scared Julian.

‘Yes, yes…this is John Casablancas, I’m at home…’ Snapped his father impatiently ‘I want my lawyer over here right now, pronto…I do not give a flying fuck if he is in a damn meeting, get his ass here now, or I’ll fire him!’ He then slammed down his phone with a furious rage ‘Fucking bitch…fucking bitch is gonna take me for every penny I’ve got! She didn’t sign the pre-nuptials paper…shit, shit!’ 

Julian had just realised, aged 7 that he’d be in a tug of love between his parents. It was money his father loved, not him. His mother loved him, but his father been a spiteful old troll, just wanted his son for the hell of it.

If they split, why couldn’t he choose who he wanted to live with? Why did his father bother with him if all he wanted was his precious cash? 

Has he sneaked off upstairs, he went to his bedroom. There he filled up his school rucksack with a few essentials, like cookies and a warm coat. He was running away because he felt he had no choice. Being at home was hell on earth.