Michelle was a name that brought a smile to Shawn Hunter's face. Why? Because that was his baby sister. Not wanting his sister to grow up and turn out the way he has, he tries his hardest to take care of the baby. His parents couldn't care less abou...
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CHET HUNTER WAS NEVER thebest father to either Shawn or Michelle.
He was almost never home, trying to keep a stable job in order to provide for the kids, and he knew that he didn't do that good of a job, because most nights, he could hear Shawn's stomach growling as when he would feed Michelle.
That was another thing. Chet knew he was throwing too much responsibility onto his son, but he knew that he was not capable of taking care of a baby. In all honesty, he and Virna hadn't even meant to have Michelle it just happened. That didn't mean they didn't love her any less. He really did care about both his kids.
But just like everyone else in his family, he struggles with addiction and alcohol, so he tended to stay away from the kids, not wanting to do anything that would harm them. He knew he had gotten into trouble like that with his ex-wife, and he would never forgive himself for any of it.
And, as much as he was ashamed to admit it, he took advantage of Shawn caring for his sister so much. He used that to have someone take care of his daughter, and he knew he shouldn't do that, but he also couldn't stop himself from continuing his drinking.
He really did want to be there for his daughter. He felt like an awful parent, and he knew that he was, because he could hear her babbling to Shawn and had seen her walking around. What kind of a father missed his baby's first word and first steps?
Which is why, the next morning when he had woken up, he had seen Michelle awake, and took her out to the park.
Both Chet and Michelle had a blast, and neither wanted that time to end. By the time they came back to the trailer, and had walked in, Shawn was awake, and his eyes were wide and panicked.
"Hey, Shawnie." Chet said, still holding Michelle. "Whatcha up to?"
"Where did you go?" He demanded, staring between Chet and Michelle.
"I just took Michelle to the park." Chet said, sitting down at the table, setting Michelle down, and the little girl walked over to Shawn, hugging his leg. "She had a great old time."
Shawn nodded stiffly, and picked her up. "Has she eaten?"
"Before we left." Chet said. "That's the reason I brought her back. I can feed her for you, and you can go out and play with that Matthews boy you're always hanging around."
"No, that's okay." Shawn said, and his voice shook ever so slightly. "You don't have to."
"None sense," Chet said, standing up. "She's my daughter, so I'll take care of her."
And Chet did. Shawn did end up leaving, and he spent the whole day with Michelle. He knew that he had to work again tomorrow, and then he would be thrown back into the schedule he didn't want to be in, but he couldn't get his life back on track, so he wanted to spend as much time with Michelle as he could.
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Shawn was shaking by the time he reached the Matthews backyard.
He couldn't believe his Dad, and he didn't even make it all the way inside, because Mr Feeny stopped him.
"Mr Hunter," he said. "Are you all right?"
"No, I'm not all right." He snapped. "I am the furthest thing from all right."
Mr Feeny stared at the boy, taken back, though he hid it well, and said, "Why don't you come and sit down, Mr Hunter."
Shawn hopped over the fence, and he could feel his blood pumping. He sat down next to Feeny, something he never thought he would do, and clenched his jaw angrily.
"I noticed that you don't have Ms Hunter with you." Mr Feeny observed.
"Yeah, because my Dad wanted to take care of her." He growled.
Mr Feeny stared at the boy in silence, waiting to see if he would tell him anything else. Finally, Shawn's angry look dropped, and was replaced by one that was a mix between sad and confusion.
"What...what's wrong with me, Mr Feeny?"
"Whatever do you mean?" He questioned, being genuinely confused by the boys question.
"Why doesn't my dad love me?" He asked, turning to look at him. "Why does he only care for me at times, and then every other day, he can't stand the sight of me? What did I do wrong? What's the matter with me?"
Mr Feeny, as stern as the man was, felt nothing but sadness as Shawn Hunter, Shawn Hunter, sat in front of him, near tears, brokenly asking what was wrong with him.
"There is never anything wrong with the person who feels unloved." Me Feeny started, trying to word this in a way the boy would understand. "But there is also never anything with who the person who can not love. At least, nothing they were born with."
Shawn looked up at the man in confusion. "What does that mean?"
"It means, Mr Hunter, that most people follow by example, and how they were treated, and then they project it onto other people." Mr Feeny explained.
Shawn nodded, and he stared at his feet. It was a struggle for him at that exact moment to comprehend what Feeny was saying. To him, it just felt like Mr Feeny was making excuses for his Dad. He felt like Mr Feeny was purposefully trying to avoid telling him how unloveable he was.
"Mr Hunter?" Mr Feeny asked.
"Hmm?"
"I asked if everything at home was going okay."
Shawn pauses for a moment, staring everywhere but Feeny. This could be his chance. He could tell someone, and then they could get his Dad help. Then, his Dad and Mom, and he and Michelle could be a happy family. Of they could get taken away and split up and never see each other again.
