Colt's Game : A Playing for Keeps Story

And He's Done It Again

Colt

If I were being honest with myself, he was more of a sperm donor that kept showing up for payment than an actual father. I hate him more than life itself, but I've had to learn to tolerate him for my mother, who somehow is so locked in his spell that no matter what he does, she always takes him back.

I rush into the house and flick the lights on. "Momma!"

I don't hear anything but an occasional grasshopper in the background. The last time my father came around, he had her outside with no clothes on, begging to get back into the house.

"Mom!" I call for her again.

"Colt, I'm fine, baby. Go get yourself something to eat," a weak voice comes from her bedroom, and I charge through the hall to get there. I try the doorknob, but it's locked.

"Mom, open the door."

"No. I'm okay. I'm just tired. I'm taking a nap." Her voice is low, and it sounds like she's slurring a bit.

"Fuck that, Mom! Open the door!" I yell at her.

"Boy, watch your mouth. I'm your mother," she reprimands me through the thin wood.

"Yes, ma'am." I do my best to calm down. I would never disrespect my mother, no matter how old I get or where I go. Respect is key. "Please open the door, I'm worried and don't want to have to break it down."

"Don't you dare," she hisses at me. "Okay, give me a second. I'll come out. I promise I'm fine," she tells me again. I don't say another word, nor do I move from my place in front of her door. When the door cracks open, I have to push forward to get her to come out. She keeps her head down so I can't see the damage.

"Momma, look at me."

"Go on, Colt. I'm fine. It's not that bad."

I groan on the inside. That only means it's worse than I think.

"Mom, please," I beg her and slouch down further so I can see her face. When she lifts her chin, my heart nearly explodes from anger. The entire right side of her face is swollen, and one eye is completely shut, a trickle of blood coming out of the corner.

"What the fuck! Mom, why do you keep letting him do this to you? Why don't you call the cops? He doesn't love you!" I scream at her, and she cringes away. I let my head fall down and I back away from her. The last thing I want is for her to be scared of me too. I'd never put a hand on her. Fuck, I'd never put a hand on any woman.

"It's okay, Colt."

Now that I can hear her talk, I can tell there's clearly something more going on with her mouth. Her jaw is probably broken, and the way that she is sipping in air leads me to think that something is going on with her ribs. She hasn't moved her arm from her side once.

"Mom, it's not okay. Please stop telling me that. This isn't okay." I grab her arm carefully and walk her over to the kitchen. There is only one chair. The other three, my piece of shit father has already broken in one of his rages. 

I sit her down and go to the freezer. It's mostly empty. Not even the ice trays are full. I pick up a package of freezer-burned fries that we have and try to press it to her face. She cries and pulls away.

"No, no, that hurts, Colt. Just let me get some rest. It's . . ." Her one eye pops up to mine. She must know that I'm going to lose my shit if she tries to tell me that she's okay again. "I just need to go to sleep. Tomorrow it'll go down."

"Open your eye." I hold the less swollen side of her face and try to get her to open the eye that is swollen shut. The blood is still dripping out. I don't know much when it comes to medical shit, but I don't think the human eye is just supposed to be leaking blood like this.

"I can't, baby."

I shake my head and grab her hand. "Mom, we need to go to the hospital."

"No! Absolutely not!" She jumps up from the chair but instantly has to freeze. She clenches her muscles and wraps her arm around her midsection.

"Mom, you could lose your eye. I don't know what's going on inside, but this isn't going to go away with just some sleep."

"Colt, you know we don't have any money for the hospital. We can't afford that." She pats my hand.

"Mom, I can get a job, I can—"

For someone who's hurt, she sure still is moving fast. She smacks me across the face, pretty much the same response I always get the second I say anything about not going to school.

"Don't you ever say anything like that to me again. Do you hear me, Colt? You are going to get your education. You promised me. That is all I want. Don't throw it away trying to get some dead-end job. You understand me?"

"Yeah, Mom. I understand." I shake off the slight sting on my cheek, "Either way, we still have to go to the hospital. I'm not taking no for an answer here, Mom. This is bad. We need to get some help here."

She crumbles back down in the chair. "You won't try to get him in trouble?" That pleading look in her eyes cuts me into my soul.

She wants to make sure that I don't say that it's my father who beat her up like this. I'm sure she would rather blame it on a random hobo than tell anyone that it's my father who was beating the bricks off her.

"I won't say a word, Mom, let's just get to the hospital, okay."

She nods, finally giving in. I help her to her feet and get her dressed.

As we walk out the door, the roar of engines hits my ears. I chuckle and throw my head back to the wind. Of course, they would show up right now.