Speak To a Girl

Chapter 1

Tim POV: 

Life has many paths... some take you to the sweet moments in life, others take you to hell, and there's not much in-between. It never really hits you just how important every little decision is in the course of your life... Being five minutes late may lead to you avoiding an accident that could've been fatal, but you view it as traffic that's screwed you over and making you late. Maybe I'm buying too much into it, but as a child of pure circumstance, I think life's choices are much too volatile to be taken advantage of.

I was raised by a single mother, with the occasional appearance of my abusive step-father, Horace. My father is a famous baseball player, currently pitching for the phillies. At the dawn of a drunken night, he and my mother met at a party while she was pursuing her dream in Jacksonville. She wound up pregnant, and was forced to move home to nowhere, Louisiana, where she raised me and my two sisters. 

We've got along by simply scraping by. We've never had a lot, but rather, just enough. Mom works her ass off day and night to provide for us, while our step-father can drink through half of his paycheck in a night. I tend to pick up the pieces at home while Mom works, and Horace drinks. 

So tonight, I'm washing dishes, while the girls eat, and ramble on and on about what's on their minds. Sandy looks up at me before cocking her head. 

"When are you going to meet a girl?" She croaks out, making me laugh. I roll my eyes at her, before Horace stumbles in the room, groaning about something. I ignore him, but it's hard for the girls to do the same. I watch as he reaches in the fridge for another beer, before walking toward me and squeezing my shoulder, giving me a shake. 

"My boy..." He slurs, before laughing and walking into the family room and sitting his drunk ass down in a recliner, while turning on the tv. He grows aggravated as he tries to turn on the cable, but it won't come on. "What's wrong with the box?" He grunts, as I take a deep breath. 

"TV got cut off last week. You forgot to pay the bill, remember?" I let out, before finishing off the last dish. "And Sandy, I'll meet a girl when I meet her, alright?" I answer her. She raises her eyebrows while staring down at her plate. I look over at the clock, before walking over to Sandy and Carri and kissing them both on the cheek. "I'm heading out. Love you." I say, before grabbing my wallet and escaping before Horace can notice. 

I got a job behind Horace's back. Mom knows about it, and was actually the one who helped me land it. She knows I want to go to college, and that we have no means to pay for it. Everything I earn is mine, which is in part why Horace doesn't know about it. If he did, he'd force me to pay rent and help cover the bills, which Mom doesn't want me to have to do. 

I work every night at an auto-shop right downtown, a few blocks from the house, so it's within walking distance. The guy who owns the shop, Mack, was best friends with my mom's father since they were in kindergarten. After he passed, he told my mom that he owes her a favor, this being her favor. He's quiet, and cynical, and stern. Half of the time I can't tell if he's joking or not when he addresses me. He's a master under the hood though, and there's no debating that. 

"You're late." He remarks the second I walk in. I nod, and quickly get ready to work so I don't get further ridicule. 

"I'm sorry. I had to clean up the girls' dinner mess." I explain as I search for my timecard. He waves something in the air, causing me to take a look his way. He holds my timecard between his fingers. 

"This is your second time late this week, Tim." He warns, seeming less than thrilled. I nod, taking a deep breath. 

"I know, sir. I'm sorry, but I-" I start, but he cuts me off.