The Blessing

“Get the hell out of here! You tramps bang this door next time and I’ll skin y’all!” I could not hold back my tears. I was trying hard to make friends and dad had just given them a very warm welcome.

We’re a family of three, I’m the only child. Mom is a devout Christian and we’re a regular duo at the church. I don’t include my dad in the word “we” because I loathe him. He’s a drunkard and we never know

when he returns home from his drinking sprees. Thankfully, I have to go to school and it is mom who wakes dad for office and faces all sorts of curses and obscenities. Seldom have I seen him climbing the stairs with firm steps and the only people that speak well of him are his drinking buddies. 

My mom is what keeps me going. She’s a surprisingly positive person who accepts every glimmer of light as if it were a full beam. She’s my inspiration and hers is the Bible, I think. She even thinks of dad’s drinking as a blessing in disguise. “Thank God, drinking spares him of no money to gamble with. I’d hate to have a loan shark banging at my door”, she’d say chuckling. I wouldn’t even smile, I simply hated him. “Hate the drink, not the drinker”, she’d say. I don’t care, I hate him.

The Blessed Hand
Courtesy Growing and Growing

He had done it yet again. We had changed towns thrice in two months. I didn’t make any friends in the first two, dad had scared them off too. His drinking never spares us any money and mom’s a chef in an Italian restaurant. She cooks great! Her food makes me forget about dad and I’m very grateful to have her. In fact, I had invited my new-found friends for a pizza when dad had done what he does best, he had insulted them. I went to my room, locked the door behind me and cried. Crying always helped, I couldn’t kill my dad even if I wanted to, and so crying felt like letting all the hatred out. 

Mom woke me up the next morning. I always slept soundly when I cried and the alarm did no good to such a nice slumber. I quickly got myself ready for school and went downstairs for breakfast. Mom and I always ate together, dad ate whatever he could salvage from the fridge. I boarded the school bus, aware of the looks affixed on me. I bent my head low and found an empty seat. I wanted to apologize but I couldn’t, I’d have to talk and I was so ashamed that I couldn’t even match eyes with Jennifer. Jennifer was a friend, my first friend. Her dad was a gambler and the two of us had found refuge in one another. She had trusted me with her secrets and I knew her life was even worse than me.

I somehow survived school and was in my bed, reading as usual. I heard something hit the window softly and was quick enough to see it hit again. Someone was throwing paper balls at my window! I sprinted to the window and opened it up. Jennifer was there, she was waving at me. I ran downstairs and met up with her. The meetings got more regular and not a single day passed without us having chatted for hours. She was fun, I was actually enjoying life for the first time. But I was afraid, what if dad got kicked from his job again? We’d have to change towns and I never wanted to stay so desperately.

The Glimmer Of Hope

God thought I had had enough. Days flew by and Christmas was soon upon us. I returned home from my last day at school and was shell-shocked to see mom weeping. She rarely cried, she was a strong soul. Dad had been caught shoplifting. He apparently had run out of cash and thought he could sneak a few goodies. He was no novice at this and the authorities decided they had had enough, he’d be in jail for three months. Great I thought, now I can stick with Jennifer! Mom was still crying. “Come on, mom. Jail’s not that bad, you know. He’ll have no alcohol for three months. It’s like a free rehab!” Mom would get over it eventually, we live all by ourselves after all. 

Time to deliver the good news to Jennifer!

Read more of my short stories here.

Hope you liked what you read. Don't forget to leave a comment and do share, like, tweet, pin etc. All the tools are underneath and at your left. Thanks :)