Birch and Lawrence **OLD**

The Aftermath & Birch's Idea

Deeply concerned for Birch's safety, Lawrence was tempted to hide near the Sherbourne residence and wait for Birch to come out. But what if someone found him and turned him in to the klan? He decided the best thing to do was get home.

After jogging about a mile, Lawrence headed up to his front door and tried to turn the knob. It was locked. He sighed and tried to tap on the window, and the front door opened. "Where the hell've you been!?" his mother screeched. "Look at 'chu! You're all wet!" Lawrence hung his head shamefully. "I, well-" Mrs Addams gave him a hard smack across the face, grabbed his ear and pulled him into the house, where she proceeded to beat the crap out of him. And as she beat him, she called him horrible names and told him that she wished he was never born and she hoped he died. Lawrence was screaming and crying, as pain both physical and emotional bombarded him. He cried out for his mother to stop over and over again, and when she finally did, she picked up a shard of glass from a broken jar and cut a deep slit into Lawrence's cheek. He cried out in pain. "Stupid lil' wretch," she muttered as she disappeared into her bedroom. 

Lawrence sat on the floor in silence for a few moments after she left. He'd looked like he'd just been through a world war. The knees of his pants were stained red from where he'd skinned them earlier. Blood dribbled down the side of his face and down his neck, and there was a yellowing bruise underneath one eye. He slowly stood up and went to the bathroom. After giving his wounds a thorough wash, he looked out the bathroom window - and gasped.

The rain had stopped, and there was a beautiful, vibrant rainbow in the sky. He had never seen a rainbow in person before. Residents were coming out of their houses to gaze up at it. Children laughed, and adults stared in awe. A big smile on his face, Lawrence opened the bathroom window and was mystified by the rainbow's vivid colors. That was when he realized that everything was going to be okay.

"Okay, Birch! That's enough!" Emma gasped. Birch stopped having sex with her and sat down on the bed. He was trembling. She lay panting for a few seconds before sitting up. She stared at him seductively. "There, now that felt good, didn't it?" she purred. Birch said nothing. It didn't feel good, it felt disgusting. He'd never felt so violated in all his life. Disappointed that he wasn't enjoying it as much as she was,  Emma reached between his legs and groped him. He grimaced, not because it hurt, but because it was so, wrong. "C-can I please go home now, Emma?" he sobbed. With an angry sigh, Emma pulled her hand out of his crotch. "Fine," she said. He immediatley got up and started putting on his clothes. "But first," she said. His heart sank as he turned around. 

"Gimme a kiss," she ordered. Birch really didn't want to kiss her, but for Lawrence,  he guessed it was worth it. It was the nastiest kiss he'd ever received. Emma kept slobbering all over Birch's mouth, and god almighty did she need to brush her teeth. After the kiss, Birch ran out of the house and ran home. It was going to be hard to forget this. 

When he got to his house, he saw a note on the kitchen table with two bills on it.

Birch,

I had to go deliver the deer's head to the customer. Mary came with me. We won't be back until tomorrow night. Here's two dollars if you want to go out to eat for dinner. Try not to destroy the house.

-Pa

After reading the note, Birch just put it back on the table. He could care less about it. All he wanted to do was wash the rape off of him. He hurried to the bathroom and filled the tub, where he sat for nearly an hour scrubbing himself and crying. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wash away the feeling of violation and disgust that had been cursed upon him. He wished his father or sister were home, so that he could run up to either one of them and cry on their shoulders. He felt all alone. Then he was hit with a brilliant idea. Because he was home alone, he could bring Lawrence over! He climbed out of the tub and got dressed, being sure to comb his hair and dress nice. Still carrying the feeling of violation and shame, he mounted his horse and headed for the colored part of town.

Birch had thankfully remembered the route since the night he and Lawrence went on their midnight ride, and once he arrived at Lawrence's house he dismounted Belle and knocked on the door.

Upon hearing the knock at the door, Lawrence immediatley figured it was the klansmen realizing he'd escaped, and he hid underneath his bed. "Don't answer the door, mama!" he called. 

"Shut up!" Mrs Addams screeched, as she opened it. She was presented with a young handsome white boy, who appeared quite nervous.

Birch took off his hat. Was he at the right house? Was this Lawrence's abusive mother that he was talking about? He swallowed nervously. "Uh, good afternoon m'am," he said. "Is Lawrence there?"

Mrs Addams' eyes narrowed. "Whaddaya want with my son?" Lawrence was listening carefully to the conversation, and recognized Birch's voice. He came out from under the bed and darted to the front door, ecstatically crying out Birch's name.

Birch was so happy to see Lawrence push his mother out of the way and fling himself into his arms. But the hug was short-lived as Virginia grabbed her son by the back of his shirt and punched him in the mouth. Birch was shocked, and then angry. "How DARE you put your hands on him!" he yelled at her, and tackled her to the ground. Although Birch was younger and stronger, she put up a good fight. "Don't you tell me how to take care 'a my son!" she shrieked as she scratched his chest.

"You ain't takin' care 'a him! You're makin' his life hell! You're treatin' him like shit!" Birch yelled as he repeatedly struck her. Before he could do anything else, Lawrence grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him away. "Stop it!" he begged. "Please, just stop hurtin' her!"

Birch was still boiling with anger. "She's always gettin' drunk and beatin' the hell outta you! She just punched you in the face! And you think I'm gonna stand here and let that happen to you?!"

"Quiet!" Lawrence screamed. Birch did just that. He had never seen Lawrence angry before.

"That woman is my mother," Lawrence sobbed. I know that she beats the hell outta me and cares more about liquor than my well being, but she's still my family, and I love her!"

Birch thought for a moment about his own father. Sure, Mr Kelton always pressured Birch to be a taxidermist and was a little harsh on him sometimes, but when he thought of it, he certainly did love him. He loved his sister, too. And even though he never got a chance to know her, he loved his mother just as much. Birch guiltily hung his head. "You're right, Lawrence." He turned to Mrs Addams. "M'am, I apologize for comin' at you like that. Would you like some help up?"

Mrs Addams spit at him. "Get outta my house," she snarled, nodding towards Lawrence. "And take that ugly wretched boy with you." 

Birch and Lawrence looked at each other. "It's best we leave her be," Birch whispered. "C'mon, let's go."

They left the house, and Birch gave his jacket to Lawrence to help disguise his dark brown skin. "Where are we going?" Lawrence asked as he climbed mounted Belle and grabbed around Birch's waist. "To my house," Birch replied. Lawrence was worried. "But, you gotta white family...."

"They ain't home," said Birch. "They won't be back until tomorrow night."

They headed across town, and when they arrived at the Kelton residence Birch ordered Lawrence to go inside as soon as possible, and he did just that as Birch put Belle back into her stable.

Lawrence had never been inside a white family's house before. He expected it to be so much fancier, but to his surprise it was just like a black family's house. Maybe whites and blacks were more similar than he'd expected. "Want to go to my bedroom?" Birch asked from behind. Lawrence jumped, not knowing he was there. Birch laughed. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

Lawrence nodded. "Uh, yeah, let's go to your room. That sounds nice."