Rip - Becoming Whole

Trouble

"Handcuffs, Donie? Really?" Mr Dutton asked as the deputy helped Rip out of the back of his car. "Don't argue with me, John! It's been a long night, and I had a hell of a job with your boy. He's bloody feral. Had it been anyone else I'd tasered him," he told him. He sounded exhausted.

Mr Dutton had been sitting on his porch. He had been worried sick all evening. A feeling that climaxed and made him get up out of his seat, when at two o'clock, he first caught site of Donie's car rolling towards their gate. It was well past his bedtime at this stage, and he knew he had to be up again in only three hours. He knew he should be glad that the boy was safe, and he was, but the feeling of relief didn't last long. His worry had swiftly turned into fear, before turning into intense anger that was there to stay when he saw the boy stand beside Donie, as still as a statue, hands tied behind his back and head bowed.

"What did he do?" he asked, his deep and raspy voice, seething with anger.

"Joyriding, John. They took a car and totalled it. Wrapped it around a tree. They were lucky no one got hurt," the officer replied.

"They?" Mr Dutton asked.

"There were three others. I recognised one of them and will pay him a visit tomorrow," Donie told him. "Your one was too drunk to run, I reckon, but he sobered up quick enough!"

Mr Dutton walked down the thee steps of his porch and slowly walked over to where Rip was standing in front of the car. He didn't move, he knew better. He knew what to expect as well. His uncle would lift his face by his chin and make him look straight at him, his eyes filled with the all too familiar burning sense of disappointment. He hated it when his uncle, the only person who ever had been something like a father to him was disappointed in him, but lately he had been nothing but. As predicted Mr Dutton placed his hand under his chin to lift it up, but Rip did not manage to contain his feelings and meet his uncle's eyes, so he jerked away from him forcefully. He was so sick of how his uncle constantly made him feel, as if he was the only one who ever got into trouble.

The man stood silently in front of him for a few short moments. Breathing deeply, his chest rising dangerously communicating his inner rage to the boy. He swiftly spun his teenager around with both his hands on his shoulders, then bend him over onto the bonnet of Donie's car. Donie gasped and the boy let out a faint yelp, but it happened so fast that neither boy nor deputy had time to react, not that they would have, had they known it was about to happen.

With one hand on the boy's back holding him in place he moved the cuffed hands upwards towards his neck with his other hand, just far enough to cause the boy some slight discomfort and alarm, making him quietly call out and whimper "Papa, please, don't!" which was all he wanted to hear.

He had not spanked the boy for almost two years, and with good reason. He wasn't going to start again now, but he wanted to remind him that he could if he wanted to. Despite having promised him never to hurt him again, there always had been moments where it was his physical power over him and the occasional threat that made Rip cooperate with his uncle.

He held his hand out to Donie, who placed the keys to the handcuffs into his palm and then he undid them.

He grabbed the boy roughly by the hair with one hand and his upper arm with the other and pulled him upright before spinning him around again. He had no choice now but to look into his uncle's eyes.

Rip had been wrong, it was not disappointment, it was disgust that he could see in his uncle's eyes, which made his heart sink. He couldn't hold his uncle's gaze and therefore closed his eyes.

"Go to bed, Rip. We talk tomorrow", he hissed at him angrily and pushed him forward towards the house, so that he nearly lost balance and fell.

When Rip had disappeared into the house, Mr Dutton thanked Donie for bringing his boy home safely and enquired about the owner of the car. "Do you know whose car it is? Do you think they press charges?" he asked. "I don't think so, John. I talked to him already and I told him you'd be good for the damages. He's expecting your call. Here is his name and number!" Mr Dutton thanked him.

"John, don't be too hard on him. He's still only a kid!" Donie reminded him before they said their goodbyes.