Johnny Gets His Wings

Chapter 15

I woke up the next day at 10 a.m. Mom was in the kitchen making all kinds of noises with the pots and pans. Don't get me wrong. She wasn't cooking me breakfast. That would've gone against her code of being a first-rate bitch. She was simply making a racket in order to rouse me from sleep.

"Do you know what time it is?"

I looked at the clock and pointed. "It's up on the wall."

"Don't be a wise ass. Why are you and your father still here? You should be at school."

Dad walked out of the bedroom still in his boxer shorts. "Here's the thing, honey. Me and Johnny are no longer appreciated at that institution. So we won't be going back any longer."

An evil smirk passed over her face. Mom simply loved bad news. It gave her an excuse to insult her enemies. Then she giggled like a demon. "I knew it."

I said, "What did you know?"

Dad said, "Leave it alone, Son. It's still early, and Mom hasn't had her coffee."

But I refused to comply. "What did you know? Tell me."

"That you and your father would never make it at Saint Mary's. It's not your fault, Johnny. You just don't have success written into your DNA. You're nothing but a product of poor breeding. Sadly, you were doomed from the moment I had you."

Dad quickly scolded her. "Mary Jane! He's your son, so treat him with the proper respect. There's no need to be hurtful."

"Hurtful? How am I being hurtful. I'm only telling him the truth. Like father, like son. As the saying goes, the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree."

And that was when I punched a hole in the wall. You heard me right. I'm not shitting you. My fist went right through the plaster.

I turned toward her with angry eyes. I decided at that moment to stop calling her Mom. I hated the cunt that much.

I said, "Mary Jane, you need to back off before you get hurt."

"That's wonderful. Threatening your own mother. You're no better than your father. Dear Lord, why did you attach me to these losers? They've ruined my life. Utterly and completely. I might as well go lie down in my grave."

Dad said, "Son, I know you're feeling terrible. I get it. But I'm the motherfucker who is going to have to repair that fucking wall. Give your poor old father a break. I mean, isn't it bad enough that I no longer have a job? What? You gotta throw gasoline on the fire, too? Not to mention that you just threatened to hurt your own mother. I'm really starting to wonder about you. Maybe you need to see a psychiatrist."

"She's just lucky that I punched the wall instead of her face."

Mary Jane walked up to me with that evil smirk still on her face. "You think I'm afraid of you? Go ahead and do it. Hit me, you little punk. Hit me!"

I cocked my fist and was ready to send her to hell when I heard a voice in my head. This is what it commanded: Get out of the house! Take in some nice morning air. Your life's too short for this nonsense.

And that was exactly what I did. It's not like I was going to argue. So I threw on some clothes as quickly as possible and walked out the door.