Love Will Keep Us - Book 5

No Respect

STEF POV

"Stef, I told him no such thing! Come on, you know me better than that! I'd never tell him such a thing!" He says to me as we are in the kitchen arguing. "I told him to talk calmly to you, to listen which I know he doesn't do. You know I'm trying to help you with him."

"Ok..I'm sorry alright. I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions." I say sitting now  as he takes a seat across from me. "His mouth is atrocious, Mike, and he's turning into a fucking jerk. He tests me like crazy different then Frankie and Stefanie. He challenges me. Like he's  trying to assert his fucking power over me!"

"It's puberty. It's not like girls, and it's hard because he is the only guy in the house. The guy hormones are different, Stef. They just are and you know how to stand your ground. He knows you're not one to fuck around with. All these kids know that."

"Yeah I know.  And you would think I would considering I grew up with so many brothers."

"Yeah..well you were the only girl.  That had to be hard at times too. But it's a little different for boys. Different hormones and he is going to continue to challenge you and Lena."

"I remember my brothers doing that to my mother. Especially Frank Jr, and my father would, he would smack his ass around so much, Mike. He beat him down literally and...and sometimes I wonder if that's what caused him to go in the direction he did."

"I don't think so Stef. Frank struggled a lot. He always did and I remember he had his own mind about things. He was into the hard stuff, Stef. I mean I smoked a few blunts, you know, and drank. Everyone did but he was into that heroin and LSD. And I think he did it to cover up he was gay."

"He didn't want to be gay, Mike. He hated himself for it. Because he wasn't the son my father wanted."

"Ahh yeah I know. I mean he never spoke to me about it, being gay. Which you know what at the time I understood. Because we used to make fun of gays. I'm ashamed of it now but back then we were stupid."

"It was the times, Mike. Don't beat yourself up over it. I get it. We, all get it, and we're better now than back then, and that's all that really matter, you know?" I run my fingers  through my hair as I sigh. "Well, I'm not sure what I'm going to do other than I'm about to strip his room. All he'll have is his mattress and a pair of pj's.   When he needs fresh clothing, Lena or I will give it to him. He wants to act like he's the boss, he'll learn very quickly that he's not. Those games are going in the trash that's for damm ass sure and I might even take his damm door off."

"Hey I'm sure Lena is with you on that Stef. You do what you have to do. He's a stubborn one, that boy. And don't worry about me taking him like we discussed. He should stay here because giving in to him would't be good at this point and he needs to understand respect and respect for his mothers which I'll remind him of too. But I'll take Callie and Stefanie and even Frankie if she wants to come. I'm off this weekend, and I'll take them down to the pier for some seafood or something."

"Okay, Mike. Thanks for stopping by," I smile as Mike heads out for he had really been a lifesaver in all this. He really was and I was done with the foolishness of these kids...finished, yet I wouldn't back down for anything. And never would in life which was reminiscent of my father. Maybe he was how he was for a reason but did it make Frank Jr. rebel? I just wasn't sure but what I was sure of was that I was damm in charge and Corey was not. One one bit.

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LENA POV

"Are you sure this is what we should do Stef? I mean take his door off?" I follow my wife to Corey's room as she has her tool box with her. This goes against how I would have handled this but I am at my wit's end with my son and so was Stef. Do I think this is rather extreme? Yes. But did I have another solution? No.