Chapter 1
Slam. The flimsy screen door smacked against the old wooden frame of the house as David stormed outside to finish his task. “Another bill to pay…he goes for another beer. Something needs fixed…I have to ‘figure it out myself.’ Mom can’t go to work because she needs her ‘pills’...he loses control,” David thought aloud. He laughed sarcastically under his breath. “What little control he has to begin with, at that.” David used the back of his left hand to wipe the sweat of his brow. The central Florida heat was immense, and doing this kind of yard work wouldn’t help how exhausted he was. At least it kept things off his mind. He cranked the lawnmower and tried to block out the bickering that came from his house. “I shouldn’t have said anything…I know better. I keep my mouth shut for mom’s sake…Why am I such an idiot all the time?!” Frustrated towards himself, again, he sped through the lawn & had it completely mowed in less than half an hour.
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“Mom! Where are you? I have to be at the Turner’s in 15 minutes to watch Alex tonight, you know that! I can’t be late again. We’ve gotta go right now!” Marilyn yelled down the hallway as she sprayed herself with perfume. She babysat for a couple from church almost every Thursday night, & she had been late to the job for the past 3 weeks. With barely enough time to change clothes & eat a bite of dinner after FCA, these nights were always a rush. “Sorry, baby! I was on the phone with Ms. Julie. She was wondering if you could come watch little Benny on Saturday. She has a job interview that morning, & you know she would really appreciate it,” her mother finally replied as she searched for her car keys. Marilyn sighed at the thought of taking on another responsibility. “You know I’m supposed to go see a movie with Clay Saturday!” she said sharply. “Honey, it’s just for a few hours. You guys can still catch the 7 o’ clock showing AND go get dinner before! Heck, she’ll probably be back before lunch. Whatcha say?” It didn’t sound like fun, but she agreed to do so, for the simple fact that she knew the single mom desperately needed that job. “Dear God,” she prayed, “please give me patience and peace to make it through these next few days. Forgive me for being so selfish. And most importantly, Lord, let me get to the Turner household on time! Amen!” She finished her prayer with a giggle, feeling better about things, the way she always did when she lifted her requests to the Lord. She bounced down the stairs, stepped outside, & climbed into the Jeep. “On we go!” she teased with her mother, who was already in the driver’s seat, fiddling with her cell phone. They backed out of the driveway, & zoomed towards the Turner household, where a playful toddler was awaiting her arrival so they could have yet another fun-filled night.
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Sunlight poured through David’s window and spilled onto the walls, softly illuminating his bedroom. His alarm clock only read 7:37pm, but he was already fast asleep. Between doing tough yard work and dealing with his parents, he was exhausted, mentally & physically. Suddenly, a heavy crash came from the kitchen down the hall, startling David. He sat straight up and inhaled sharply. “Mom…mom! What happened, oh my gosh…” he whispered to himself. He quickly got out of bed & tip-toed towards the noise. Making sure to be silent as possible, he leaned his ear against the wall to eavesdrop.
“Hannah, whadda mean you can’t go in tomorrow? How are we supposed to get any money coming into this place? You’re lazy, you’re worthless…” David’s father, Jason, yelled to Hannah, David’s mother. She was a meek woman, in speech & appearance, only measuring 5’2, & barely tipping 100 pounds on the scale. She knew better than to argue back with Jason. That would have consequences she had suffered too many times over the years of their marriage. David quickly came into the room.
“What is your problem?! Don’t you have any respect for her at all? She goes to work day in and day out just so we can afford your beer & yourcigarettes. Why can’t you go do something yourself for once? Leave her alone!” he screamed at his father, furious for all the wrong things he’d done to his mother. David’s father quickly pinned him up against the wall with his right arm. “Boy, you best mind your own business. I ain’t laid a finger on your momma, but if you keep it up, I will. You hear me?” he demanded. He slowly let David down. “Well…if you haven’t hurt her, then what was that crash a minute ago?” David questioned, not wholly believing his father’s previous explanation. “Oh David, he-he just got upset & threw a bottle over there, baby. It’s fine, really. I’m-I’m okay,” his mother said nervously, pointing to other side of the room. Yes, there was shattered glass in that area, but David believed his father was simply too drunk to get a good aim at his mother. The thought made him shudder. David’s father turned to him once more. “David…you been cuttin’ again? You got blood on my shirt, you moron. Go on, ya emo. Nobody needs you ‘round here,” his father muttered as he pulled another beer out of the refrigerator. He laughed under his breath. “Can’t man up & take care of his problems…gotta go waste razor blades & feel bad for himself…hmph. Wimp.” David held both of wrists up to where he could see them. He’d completely forgotten he’d cut before he fell asleep earlier. He barely remembered anything when he got that angry. The smeared bloodstains, along with scars from previous incidents, reminded him of too many troubles. He quickly dropped his arms & headed back upstairs to his room. After lying back down, he finally dozed back off. That night, he dreamed of happier days from the past & having a beautiful body without scars.
