My Ex-Bestfriend

Friendship

When my dad swiftly returned from Michael's house that night he wore a grim expression. He dissipated his anger by stomping the mud violently from his boots before entering the house. 

My dad was not typically overzealous with affection but after a storm he always beckoned me in for a big burly hug. It is also possible that maybe thunderstorms made him sad too. I wrapped my arms around him as my face smushed into his belly. 

I looked up to him with big pleading eyes and asked the one question that had been swirling in my mind all day, "What's white trash?"

My first sentence spoken to my dad in a long time. His face was a mixture of shock at hearing my voice after so many months silent but then puckered in disgust at the question asked. 

His jaw clenched but through gritted teeth when he asked, "Where did you hear that darlin?"

I hung my head low cause I knew he knew. He patted my back and said, " It's nothing that concerns YOU sweetheart."

That was the beginning of the silent war that raged between my dad and Michael's mom. The next day my dad enrolled me in Michael's private school. Granted I was there on a partial scholarship and my dad worked hard to afford the rest. I'm not sure if he wanted to solidify that I was not white trash or if he wanted my fierce protector to accompany me to class. Either way it was one of the best decisions he ever made, at least at the time I had thought that.

When I told Michael I would be at his school next year he was so excited he swung me around til we were so dizzy we fell into his perfectly green manicured grass. Michael's mom responded with the news by having rose bushes planted along the fence. When Michael grew distressed over the thorns she pleaded it being an honest mistake that she just wanted her yard to look beautiful.

Since climbing the fence was now over the question my dad instead built a hobbit door in the fence that Michael and I could crawl through. One night I heard my dad cursing outside my window. I peered over and from my vantage point I saw him spraying something over the fence on the rose bushes. Maybe its coincidence but later that week her rose bushes shrivelled up creating the biggest eyes sore in their whole neighborhood which obviously wouldn't do for Mrs. James.

After a few thunderstorms where my dad caught Michael consoling me in our home that led to more run-ins with Mrs. James, more groundings for Michael each time my dad got creative . He built two rope ladders.  One that he installed outside of my window and the other he gave to Michael with strict instructions on how to install it in his home. Michael then had the means to sneak out whenever he needed to be with me. 

My dad was a rule breaker which I loved him more for it. What he lacked in his words he made up for in his actions and he knew I needed Michael. He knew it wasn't a coincidence that I started to speak when Michael showed up in our life. Keeping the one thing or in this case person that was the cure to my mental health struggles present in my life was his top priority.

I was never a welcomed guest in the James household but I was invited to EVERY one of his birthday parties. His mother wouldn't deny her one and only sweet boy his best friend for his birthday but don't let that be confused with her wanting me over after school.

Most days would be spent at school or playing basketball til the street lights came on. Then every night Michael would creep up the ladder to meet me in my room. If it was basketball season we would watch basketball games to cheer on our favorite team the Wizards. Other times we settled on being scared out of our minds with classic horror flicks. I always laughed when Michael claimed he didn't want me to be scared at night so he would stay over when he was the one too afraid to climb out the window in the dark.