Daddy Runs Away From Home

Sara Williams, the wife of Ty and mother of Stanley died over ten years ago.

Ty could not let the words form in his mouth. He tried not to think them. But it was fact that his son, Stan, was a horrible person who seemed to enjoy emotionally abusing others.

It started just after after the funeral of his mother. Stan set on a path to make his father miserable. Why Stan blamed his father for his mother's death was analyzed by the numerous therapists Ty sent him to.

The fact was that Stanley did take pleasure manipulating and crushing those around him

At the age of fifteen, considering his father was homophobic, Stan decided to come out as Gay.

Obviously, this upset his father who shipped him to military school thinking this would help. Stan flunked out. Ty sent him to a circus of schools where Stanley caused myriad problems.

When Stanley was twenty a therapist suggested they go away alone, camping, a cruise, anything far from the environment so that nothing around them would be charged and they would have private time.

Ty Williams booked tickets on a cruise to Hawaii. He and Stanley flew to California, boarded the ship. Once the ship at sea, Stanley went on a walk about to get lost and make his father suffer.

As Ty went searching for his son he encountered. Joyce Bowen. She was taking the cruise with her twenty four year old son. Eric, who was openly Gay.

Meeting him, Ty found he wasn’t anything like Stanley. He was a nice, loving young man, with impeccable manners and charming presentation, who went off to give his mother private time not to abandon her.

Ty and Joyce had deep conversations. On another deck, Eric met Stanley. They hit it off as well.

Stan did not know his father had met Eric, nor did he care about Eric. Getting involved with Eric was a tool to torment his father. Stan was all over Eric so that every one would know he was gay.

Joyce had never had problems with Eric’s sexuality, nor had anyone in Los Angeles.

Ty had never met anyone like Joyce and was falling in love with her at light speed. Joyce was feeling the same and Stanley’s antics were unnoticed.

It was not until just before the ship arrived in Hawaii that Stanley met Eric’s mother, who was with his father.

Ty had explained to Joyce the purpose of the trip. Sadly, when they docked, Joyce and Eric went in one direction, Ty and Stanley in another.

After twenty empty hours, Ty contacted Joyce. They met for dinner, leaving the boys to do what they wanted.

On the Cruise back it seemed both couples were in love and would keep in contact.

Stan, of course, wasn’t in love with Eric. He was using Eric to torment his father.

If Eric didn’t live in L.A. and have some contact with celebrities Stanley would have used him to destroy the relationship between his father and Eric’s mother. But excited to visit L.A. and meet celebs, Stan decided to maintain the relationship. A month after return, he went to visit Eric.

Stanley didn’t appreciate the closeness between Eric and his mother. He didn't know they spoke every day. With Stan gone, Ty sent Joyce a ticket. She flew out to be with him. They talked of marriage.

They decided to marry on the same ship they had met.

Ty didn’t tell Stanley. He knew, subconsciously, that Stanley would make this impossible.

During the week Ty spent with Joyce he came to a number of realizations.

The first was that being Gay is not why Stanley behaved as he did.

The second was a painful recognition that Stanley had spent the past ten years trying to make his life as miserable as possible. Ty didn’t need to review the humiliations and embarrassments, he didn’t need to replay the hurtful language Stanley used, nor need to analyze.

For ten years he had put up with Stanley’s behavior, trying, always trying, so that his life was an empty shell.

Ty was forty seven years old, not old really, but his life was that of seventy seven year old. He had no hobbies or interests, nothing beyond running his business and trying to please Stanley.

Joyce was thirty nine and looked ten years younger. Although she didn’t have a tenth of the money he did, she was happy and had many friends. Ty had virtually none. The only persons he communicated with regularly were his accountant and his lawyer, and that was mainly business.

He thought about psycho-therapy for himself, mentioned it one evening to his lawyer, over a couple of drinks.

“Ty, I’ve known you for close to thirty years. So I’m going to blame the liquor. Stan is a lost cause. You ended your life when Sara died to ‘look after’ Stanley who needs no looking after. "

"He’s destroyed as much as he can of your life, and it’s only my fancy footwork to prevent him destroying the business. You have sacrificed your life for him. Now you have one chance for a life with Joyce. Trust me, he will destroy it. By any means necessary. “

Ty didn’t say anything, but every word was true. His life had ended when Sara died, and he had no chance at even a semblance of life with Stanley sabotaging every step he took.

Stanley, appreciating Eric was in love with him, began to abuse him. Eric had never been treated this way before.

What ended the abuse was that Eric bored him. Stan decided to dump him and find someone else.

Unknown to Stanley, Eric had many friends to succor him, friends who pointed out Stanley's faults. Eric got over him quickly.

When he told his mother how Stan had broken up with him, she was happy and shared her plans to marry Ty.

The hand of fate was evident.

Ty organised his life.

He sold his business for a large sum, bought a small house ten miles away for Stanley. He furnished it with pieces from the main house, and moved all of Stan’s things over there.

Stan was impressed with the 'gift'.

Then Ty sold his house, and just before he went to the airport, he called Stanley from his lawyer’s office. He told him he had sold the house, the business and deposited a reasonable sum in Stan’s bank account.

Ty then said he was leaving town.

When Stan began to rage, Ty handed the phone to his lawyer, made his escape.

He was on the ship with Joyce and Eric by evening, and the marriage took place a few days later.

Stan tried to contact his father but was unable.

At the age of twenty one, Stanley was on his own as Daddy had run away.