Christian pulled into the driveway of his
home a few days later having collected his daughter from day care.
“Cops? Why?”
The
pretty woman shrugged her slender shoulders as she took Jessica from him.
“Hello”
he said on entering his lounge room, both men stood up
“Christian
Ingebrigtsen?” the grey haired stout man spoke
“Yeah?”
“I’m
officer King and this is my partner Tom Lloyd Would you mind if we ask you few
questions?” the grey haired stout man continued
“No
go right ahead”
“It’s
about Larry Andersen,” said Officer Lloyd
Christian
grew slightly hostile.
“What
about him?”
“When
was the last time you saw him?”
“God
I don’t know…a few days ago when he came to my home”
“Did
anything happen?”
“What?”
“Were
words exchanged?” King interrupted
“No! Well no more than usual…it’s no secret how I
feel about my step father”
“Did
you threaten him?” Christian eyed the younger cop
“No!”
“Are
you sure?”
“Yes…look
what’s this about?”
“Mr
Andersen has been reported missing”
“What? What’s that got to do with me?”
The
two men simpered “Nothing Mr Ingebrigtsen absolutely nothing” said the slender
man
“Nothing Yet!” King interrupted once again
Christian
stared at King “What’s that suppose to mean?”
The
man moved closer and looked him right in the eye “Oh I think you know” he
sniped
Christian
slowly shook his head “No no
I don’t know”
“You
listen to me you little punk…I know exactly what’s going on it’s only a matter
of time before I haul your ass downtown!”
Christian
recoiled backward “I’d like for you to go now!” he ordered them from his home
“Oh
don’t worry we’re going but you mark my words…I’ll find out what happened to
Larry and when I do rest assured I’ll be back!”
“Jesus
I can’t wait!”
“Why
you…” Christian moved backward dodging the raised arm
“Jim…come on!” instructed the slender cop
As soon as they’d gone
Christian rushed to close the door “Are you okay honey?” Shelby inquired
he turned round then smiled “Sure” he said as he lifted his daughter into his
arms and held her next to him “Daddy” she said then pointed through the large
window “Beach” he grinned then kissed the top of her head “You wanna go
outside?” she nodded joyfully as he set her down.
While Jessica played in the garden
Christian helped
As he glanced through the window
he was taken back in thought to a time where he just didn’t want to be, three
years old and living a life, which could only be described as hell on
earth. He spent his days playing in the
yard while his mother worked and his step father slept off the booze from the
night before he was expert at being quiet but sometimes he couldn’t keep quiet,
sometimes Muffin would bark too loud and waken him it was at these time
Christian would know to hide and he chose a different place everytime
but mostly he’d get caught “I’m gonna kill you…I swear when I get you I’ll kill
you you little son of a bitch!” Christian could still
feel the fear well up inside as the sneakered feet
neared it was always the shoes he noticed then the jean clad legs and then the
rounded waste his eyes stopping on seeing the thick leather belt “Please don’t
let him find me” he prayed “Please” but his prayers often went unanswered
“Gotcha you little son of a bitch…get over here”
“No no please I didn’t mean it please” he cried as two large hands gripped the skinny little arms fingers digging into them, his eyes locked in fear “You know what you’re gonna get don’t you?” the child stared then swallowed nervously as he felt himself being shaken “Please!” he pleaded but this just seemed to incense the man even more “Shut up you know you’re gonna get a thrashing!”
“No
please no!” he sobbed, as he was frog matched inside
“Chris!”
he shook the thoughts from his mind
“Sorry
I was miles away”
“I’ll
say…Jesus I called you five times already…here I’ll finish up…you go and see to
Jessie” he nodded gratefully as he put down the knife then went to play with
his daughter.
That evening after dinner he bathed his
daughter then put her to bed before settling down to watch television “I gotta
go out” Shelby said suddenly as she came into the room. He glanced over the back of the couch then
sighed “Out where babe?” she stared down on him “Err just out…I have a few
errands to run” Christian thought nothing of it Shelby was always popping out
“Don’t wait up I may be a little late back” he looked up at her then smiled as
she bent down to kiss him “Okay…have you got your key?” she checked her purse
then nodded before kissing him again.
He focussed on the television once more watching some far out game show until tiring of it and flicked over to see what else was on “Damn all these channels and there’s still nothing to watch” he cursed as he threw down the remote then went to make himself coffee.
The phone begun to ring just as he made
his way back to the lounge but he decided to let the answer machine get it Hey this is Chris I ain’t in right now but leave a
message after the tone and I’ll get back to you...beep “Chris it’s Mom if you’re
there hon please pick up?” Christian rolled his eyes but knew his mother
wouldn’t go away until he’d spoken to her “Yo!” he
said in a happy tone “Chris” he narrowed his eyes on hearing his mother’s
emotional tone
“Mom
what’s up?” he asked as he sat down on the armchair
“Have
you heard?”
“Heard
what mom?”
“About your dad?”
He
drew in a deep breath “If you’re talking about that bastard Larry he ain’t my
father!”
“He’s
disappeared”
“I
know!”
“You
know?”
“Yeah”
“How
do you know he’s disappeared?”
“Coz
I got a visit from the Gestapo”
“The police? Why?”
“They
wanted to know when was the last time I’d seen him?”
“And
when was that?”
“What?”
“When
you seen him?”
Christian
took a sip of coffee “I don’t know my birthday party…I just turned 21 you know”
he reminded her
“I
know I’m sorry I couldn’t make it for your party”
“It’s
okay…it ain’t as if you made any of rest of them”
“Okay
Chris…enough with the guilt trips…I wonder where Larry is?”
“Why
are you worried Mom…it ain’t as if you’re with him”
“Yeah
I know but…”
“But what?”
“Well
I was with him for a long time”
“Yeah
too long in my book mom”
“Yeah…I
know he gave you a hard time but…
“He
gave me a hard time…is that what you call it mom?”
“Chris
please I didn’t call for you to have a go at me”
“No! You called outa concerned for that bastard!”
“No
Chris you’re wrong”
“Am
I? I doubt it”
“I’m
just worried for you”
“Me? Why?”
“It’s
just the last time you two met…”
“What?”
“Chris
you threatened to kill him…now he’s missing”
“Oh
puleese…don’t tell me you think I’ve killed the
bastard? And how do you know we argued?”
“Your
uncle Frank called”
“Uncle
Frank! Christ news travels fast…no
wonder I had the cops at my door”
“He’s
just concerned for his brother…he called me to ask if Larry had been in touch
and just happen to mention the argument Oh hell I just don’t know what to
think”
“Jesus
Christ well that’s just swell mom…right enough you never did take my side of
things did you?” he yelled then slammed down the receiver.
His thoughts now raced around his head she had never taken his side in anything had always averted her gaze when Larry lifted his hand shut off in her own little world while her child was being beaten in the next room, it all came flooding back now the endless taunts the thrashings all the times he’d been kicked out of the house when Larry was entertaining ladies of the night while his mother worked nightshift in the local hospital just to keep them. Taking a deep breath Christian reached for the black journal and proceeded to write his thoughts down in it just as his therapist had said he should. He always felt better when he did this all negative thoughts seemed to just vanish.
Today has been a
good day!!! That Bastard is finally out
of my life…gone and good riddance!!! This is the happiest day of my life!!!
Once finished he closed the book with a
snap then placed it down the side of the couch between the cushion as he
couldn’t be bothered to take it upstairs and lock it in a drawer, his eyes
focussed once again on the television, Jessica stirred upstairs but drifted off
back to sleep almost immediately and so to did Christian not waking until the
early hours of the morning. A chill in
the air and the room in darkness “Chris” he opened his eyes then blinked a few
times before his eyes adjusted to the moon light which shone through the window
“Come to bed honey it’s late” whispered Shelby as she took hold of his hand
“What time’s it?” he tiredly replied allowing himself to be led upstairs to bed
“After two” whispered Shelby as they passed Jessica’s room.
The journal lay glinting in the
moonlight…