American Gothic
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The last of the photos on the wall is somehow more damning, if more obviously merry. John and Dean hold the same pose from the family photo, John’s arm at Dean’s back and Dean’s arm at John’s chest. Both Dean and John are beaming. Dean faces the camera, expression alight. He looks young and handsome and entirely carefree. John only has eyes for Dean. The full brunt of his jubilant features is directed at his oldest son, eyes carrying a tenderness Connie wouldn’t expect from the man she has only known to be gruff and unfriendly. To John’s right is Mary again. She rests a hand on his shoulder and faces the camera, stony and unsmiling. She is the outlier in the image, a vision of restrained emotion beside two men refusing to hold back whatever it is they’re feeling.
Series
- Part 1 of American Gothic
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"Sitting on the bed waiting for his father to begin their wedding night proper, Dean can’t help but wonder what words he’s exchanging with his mother just beyond the door. Is Mom unhappy? Excited? She had been subdued, bordering on morose, all day, which had confused Dean. He thought Mom wanted this. She’d been his biggest proponent these past eight years. She had believed in this even when Dad had felt put off and disinterested by the very prospect. She had coaxed her husband—now Dean’s husband, he can’t help but marvel—into considering the idea proper in the first place. He’d heard her over the years, his parents’ voices hushed behind their closed bedroom door, as if Dean wasn’t anxiously listening with his ear pressed against the wood. He loves you. You love him. Let your love lead you both."
Series
- Part 2 of American Gothic