Where the River Runs

The Old Wood House

Collin's heart is about to pound out of his chest with every long stride towards home. The old, run down, fading blue house appears in his view as he sprints down the drive way. In his peripheral view, he can see the mound in the ground with some grass growing on it now where mama lays. Memories of the day they buried her threaten to push their way to the front of his thoughts but he pushes them back as tears threaten to fall. Daddy was gonna be mad enough as it is, last thing he needs to do is cry n' make it worse. His stride slows to a jog, then a walk as he begins to walk up the small flight of breaking stairs. 

He opens the old squeaky wood door and enters the small house to see Daddy's passed out on the couch with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. Usually Collin would've hated to come home to this; however, on a day like today he was grateful cuz that meant he had some peace and quiet before he woke up and started yelling again. A sigh escapes Collin's lips as he lays down on the squeaky cot in his small bedroom. His mind wandered to the girl on the bridge as he closed his eyes and let the peaceful waves of sleep overtake him.

It didn't last long when a loud crash was heard from the living room, followed by the sound of glass shattering. Daddy was up. Collin jumps out of his bed when he hears his father's booming voice, "Where the hell are ye boy!"

Fear strikes through Collin as he wills his body to move toward the doorway and towards the living room.

"I'm here, daddy." he speaks carefully, fearful that one wrong word or one wrong move would send is father on a rampage.

"You were late." a buckle clinks and Collin looks down to see his father's belt in his hand.

"I stopped to say hello to Mama."

"You lyin'?"

Collin wasn't one to pray but boy he was in this moment. Prayin' that his father wouldn't beat him for once, prayin' that he may one day escape from this god forsaken house, but most of all he was prayin' that his voice wouldn't crack when he spoke, "No sir."

His father nods and drops the belt, "Very well. Pick this mess up, I'm going to bed,"

Relief floods through Collin as his daddy walks past him and back towards the bedrooms. It's when his footsteps stop that the relief is quickly replaced with fear as he turns to face his father.

"So when the mailman told me you were with a girl on the bridge; he was the one that was lyin' to me?"

Collin's blood runs cold as he realizes he's been caught, "Daddy. I can explain."

"No. The only explainin' you're going to do is to god when I kill your ass." he raises his hand and Collin jumps back in fear.

"Please don't do this. I'll be good I swear."

"Get over here and take it like a man."

"Please, daddy."

"Quit begging and get over here." he points to the ground in front of him as he continues to bore holes into Collin with his sharp glare.

"Please."

In a swift motion, his daddy's hand is around his throat and he is being pulled up so he is directly in front of the older man's face, his toes barely scraping the ground, "No son of mine will lie. Do you understand me?"

Collin's nose scrunches at the stench of alcohol on his daddy's breath and he nods his head the best he can.

"Good."

A small sigh of relief leaves his lips as his feet are placed back on the ground and the hand disappears from around his throat; however, the small, blissful moment doesn't last long when a large hand collides with his left jaw, sending him falling down to the ground. Tears well up in his eyes as his daddy shouts down at him.

"You think you can lie to me and not get punished?"

Collin struggles to regain his breath and speak, but all hope is lost when the toe of daddy's boot connects with the exposed skin on his arm, makin' him yelp out in pain. He squeezes his eyes shut, beggin', prayin' for it to stop, and hopin' it won't last as long as it usually does. At last his daddy is done. Collin winces as his father kicks the belt and the buckle stops just a few mere centimeters from Collin's face. His daddy mutters something about him cleaning up the mess that was made before the sound of boots hitting the hard wood floor sounded and then faded as his daddy went into the bedroom.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed as he laid on the floor, too scared to move. He stares at the belt buckle by his head; yet another reminder that the man he once knew is completely gone.