“Calm down. It’ll be all right. I spoke to your dad about an hour ago and he was fine with picking her up. He sounded okay. Grouchy maybe, but he said that he’d go get her, and he sounded fine on the phone. Now quit worrying.”
“Fine. I’m going to go upstairs and get a shower before she gets home.”
I didn’t stay to argue any longer. When it comes to dad we just don’t see eye to eye. She’ll defend his sorry ass to the grave even though he is a drunk bastard. He’s not abusive, well not physically anyway. Sometimes when he yells at my mom I want to strangle him. I know that I can take what he dishes out to me, but she loves the man so much and he still talks to her like she is a dog. She excuses it because she says that he’s really stressed out and tired. Maybe she doesn’t realize that he has been out at the bar all night and has drank himself into a stupor. I laugh to myself just thinking about it. When he comes home from being out all night I try and get to him first so that he won’t say something stupid to momma. I know he won’t hit her, or at least he better hope he doesn’t. The screaming is bad enough and it always makes momma cry. He’d be stupid if he tried to lay a hand on me. He knows I will lay his ass out. I can take him. His bark is worse than his bite. I know that he’s nothing but a worthless piece of shit. Part of me hasn’t made plans to go away to college because I don’t want to leave my mom by herself with him.
He wasn’t always this way. It started about the time he joined the Barrett Firm, about two years after we moved here. Once he made partner, it was all downhill from there. The late night business meetings started, and soon after it turned into all night business meetings. Now we never know when he will decide to grace us with his presence. When he does show up he’s usually so drunk he can’t stand up. I’m so sick of it. Sick of him, and the thought of him alone with my girl makes me want to punch something.
I slammed the door to my bedroom and blasted my radio. I better text her to make sure he even showed up at all.
Moon- Hey Shine baby has my dad showed up to get you yet?
I snatched a pair of boxers from my drawer and some loose gym shorts off my bed. I sniffed them first. Smells clean enough. Looking at my phone, I expected a text back and there was nothing. I’ll try her one more time before I jump in the shower.
Moon- You gonna text me back or what? Where you at? I am just checking on you so text me back soon. K?
Tossing the phone back onto my bed, I grabbed my clothes and went to get a shower. I hadn’t been under the water five minutes when I heard pounding on the door.
“RYKER,” Mom yelled through the door. “OPEN THE DOOR.”
“WHAT IS IT?” I yelled back.
“OPEN UP, HURRY” She was practically screaming.
“What,” I yanked the door open. I was dripping wet and standing there in nothing but a towel. “Mom, what’s wrong?” My mother was crying and shaking. She was literally freaking out and unable to catch her breath. “Momma,” I pulled her too me. “What’s going on? Please talk to me.” I rubbed the back of her head.
“It’s, its, your dad.”
I grabbed her shoulders shaking her. I may have shaken her too hard, but I got her attention.
“We have to go to the hospital now. Your dad has been in a car accident.” She said frantically, but she never looked at me. She was obviously not telling me something.
“Oh God, where is Shine?” Mom sobbed really hard, and could barely speak. “Shine was with him. Wasn’t she? Is she okay? FUCK!” I yelled. “Let’s go now.” I hope she’s okay. Nothing can happen to my girl. She has to be okay. I was going to tell her that I love her tonight. I groaned and punched the wall so hard that I swear my knuckles broke.
“Ryker,” Mom said.
“I’m fine. Let’s go. He better hope like hell she’s okay. Come on.”
5
AND A HALF
Shine
I don’t know how it happened or how I am alive for that matter. I can taste the blood on my lips that is running from my nose. We had to be going eighty miles per hour around that curve. The only thing I remember is screaming right before the car started to roll. My body is aching like one big headache and I can barely see. Only one eye is working properly because the other one is nearly swollen shut. Not from the wreck though, stupid bastard. Where is he? I slowly turned my head to the left. Well, my neck ain’t broke, good to know. I see him and I know. He is dead. I won’t tell you how I know, but I do. The sight is unforgettable. Oh fuck! That was all I could say before I started to vomit. I’m pretty sure I screamed, but I felt like I was watching everything from outside my body. So the screams may have only been in my head. Either way I couldn’t hold out the darkness any longer. I heard the sirens before I closed my eyes and let the darkness consume me. If I was leaving this earth at least I know that that son of a bitch died too.