Craig got home from hanging over Max’s house. Sabrina, Craig’s little sister was home and was watching TV. “Where’s dad?” Craig asked his little sister.
“He isn’t home.” Sabrina answers. “I was hanging with Doreen, Jalicia, and Paige today and when I got home, I didn’t see him.”
“Dad shouldn’t let you be here home alone.” Craig said and sits down by Sabrina.
“Did you hang out with Max again today?” Sabrina asks.
“Yes, but I also hung out with some other friends.”
“You have other friends other than Max?” Sabrina asked curiously and surprised. She always knew her older brother hanging with Max.
“Yes. I just met them not too long ago. Their names are Robert, Ronnie, Lacy, and Bryan. I didn’t hang with Ronnie today because he wasn’t feeling too good.” Craig explains. Sabrina was surprised that her brother knew more people and had more friends.
“Brother, is daddy going to be okay? Is he going to therapy today?” Sabrina asked.
“He should be.” Craig answered. The front door opened.
“Hi daddy.” Sabrina smiles as she turned and looked at her dad. He had bags in his hands. He went to the kitchen. Craig felt like something just wasn’t right. He went to the front door and shuts it and then went to check on his dad. When he got into the kitchen he saw his dad sitting down at the table. Drinking beer.
“Dad, I thought you promised you wouldn’t do this anymore.”
“Shut up!” Huntley, Craig’s father rudely yelled at his son.
“Dad, stop drinking. Please. You said you will stop.” Craig said feeling worried about his father.
“Shut up. It’s useless going to those therapy classes. Your mother isn’t here. I feel like I can’t take care of you and your sister.” Huntley said and down the rest of his beer. He opened another and started drinking it. “Ever since I let your damn uncle stay with us in the past, life was just never the same."
“D-Dad… uncle is in jail now.” Craig said nervously.
“Doesn’t change the fact of what I did to your mother!”
“Mom?” Craig was confused. “What did you do to her?”
“Your mom was innocent. And when she tried to tell me the truth about my brother, your uncle, I wouldn’t believe her. Instead I was a fool and believed him. It got bad that I separated from your mom because of it!”
“Dad, why don’t you apologize to my mom and work things out?” Craig asked. He haven’t seen his mother in a long time and was actually hoping to see her.
“I can’t. Don’t you think I already would’ve tried by now? I haven’t seen her in years and I sure in the hell don’t know where she lives!” Huntley was starting to get drunk. Craig quickly left the kitchen and went into the living room.
“Sabrina, go upstairs into your bedroom and lock the door!”
“Why?” Sabrina was confused.
“Just do it!” Sabrina listened to what her brother told her to do. She turned the TV off and quickly ran upstairs to her bedroom and locked the door. Huntley threw his empty beer bottle and it broke. Glass was on the floor. Craig came into the kitchen.
“Dad! Drinking beer isn’t going to solve anything!” Craig says and was trying to take the third beer bottle from his dad who was drinking it.
“What do you know?! You’re just a fucking child!” Huntley rudely yelled and pushes Craig. Craig fell and hit his head on the refrigerator. Craig sits up and held his head. He felt like crying. “I feel like I can’t take this shit anymore!” Huntley threw his beer bottle. It hits Craig and made him bleed. Craig cries.
“Dad… why do you hurt me?!” Craig asked and gets up. He was about to run out of the kitchen and his father got up and grabbed him.
“Don’t you dare call the police or go run to neighbors!” Huntley said yanking onto Craig. Holding onto him tight.
“Let me go! I want to go get the first aid kit!” Craig cries. He was hurting already. Huntley lets him go and Craig ran off to the bathroom. “I need the first aid kit!” Craig went and found and was trying to help stop the bleeding on his arm where he got cut.
Sabrina was sitting on the floor in her bedroom. “Daddy must be at it again.” Sabrina thought feeling scared. She made sure her door was locked. She gets up from the floor and went over to her bed and sits down. She held her stuff animal rabbit near her for comfort.
Craig finished getting his arm bandaged up. When he left the bathroom, he saw his father in the living room. “I haven’t paid the damn rent here!”
“You haven’t?” Craig asked.
“No! I don’t know what to do! You and your sister might be being taken from me!” Huntley admits.
“Dad, what are you talking about?” Craig was confused.
“Without your mother here, I failed as a father.” Huntley started to cry. Craig felt bad for his dad. The doorbell began to ring.
“Who’s at the door?” Craig asked.
“Probably my damn parents, your grandparents to take you!” Huntley answers. Craig went to answer the door. It was his grandparents.
“Grandpa? Grandma?” Craig was confused.
“Is your dad drunk again?” Craig’s grandpa asked. Craig nods slowly.
“He’s hurt.” The grandma noticed about Craig’s arm. “Where’s Sabrina?”
“She’s upstairs.” Craig tells his grandma.
“Alright, let’s get you two packed and going.” The grandma took Craig upstairs with her. The grandpa stared at Huntley.
“You need to lay off that beer.”
“Shut the hell up. I’m an adult. I can do whatever the hell I want.” Huntley said and went sitting back down on the sofa.
“I don’t like what you have been doing. I am taking you to get better no matter what. Your mother and I are going to take Craig and Sabrina and make sure they are safe.”
“I haven’t been paying the damn bills here. Lost my job.” Huntley laughed.
“You’re losing this house then. I’m packing your things too because when you get better, you’ll be staying with us. You got serious problems and Craig and Sabrina doesn’t need to be in this.” The grandpa went upstairs to help pack Huntley’s things. The grandpa and grandma left taking Craig and Sabrina with them. They took them to their house. The grandpa left again to get Huntley and was going to try to help him. The grandma stayed home and was watching Craig and Sabrina.
“Is everything okay?” Sabrina asked her grandmother.
“It will be. Now go take a bath.” The grandmother replies. Sabrina ran off.
“I’ll go help unpack the things in the guest bedroom.” Craig says and left the doorway.
“I just hope everything will get better.” The grandmother thought to herself.
Robert was taking a bath at his house. “So far, I really like Lacy staying here. I don’t have to worry about her getting hurt anymore.” Robert thinks to himself. Lacy was sitting in the attic on the floor. She was staring out the window in the attic. Ronnie came into the attic.
“Are you okay?” Ronnie asks her. Lacy didn’t respond. Ronnie walks over to her. “Lacy, when you didn’t quickly respond about those nightmares.” Ronnie sits down by her. “I think you have been having nightmares. Am I right or wrong?” Ronnie asked her. Lacy looked at him and then looked away.
“You can’t stop them.” Lacy says.
“Lacy, Steven won’t hurt you. He’s in prison.” Ronnie reassures her.
“I know that. You think I don’t know that? I do. It’s just I still will have nightmares. The pain that happen to me that night will never go away!” Lacy starts to cry. “Every night I have a nightmare of that night! That night that he violated me! When he touched me! When he took my virginity!” Lacy was crying even more.
Ronnie pulled Lacy over to him and hugged her. She was crying on him. “It’s okay, Lacy. It’s alright.”
“No guy would want me now! I was raped by some sick psychopath old man!” Lacy cries. “I feel so bad! Every time I take a bath, I feel like I would never be clean again from what he had done to me!” Lacy put her arms around Ronnie as she hugs him back. They both were hugging each other. Just hugging him made Lacy felt a little better even though she was crying.
Craig was sitting in the guest room on his bed. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Max’s number. “Hey Max.” Craig said as soon as Max answered the phone.
“What’s up? I just got done doing my homework.” Max says as he was lying on his own bed.
“Its nice being alone right now.”
“My sister and I are at our grandparents’ house.”
“You are? Why?” Max asked curiously.
“Well, my dad was at it again. You know with his whole getting drunk and all. My grandpa is trying to get my dad some help. And well, while my dad is getting help, my sister and I are going to stay with our grandparents. That house we used to live in isn’t going to be our home anymore.” Craig explains to Max.
“That’s crazy. I can’t believe all that happened. You know, tomorrow you can ask your grandparents if you can spend the night with me. We’ll have fun. Watch porn.” Max laughed.
“To get your mind off things.”
“I guess I can ask.” Craig thought the idea of spending the night with Max might be a lot of fun instead of staying with his grandparents.
Robert got out of the tub. He was getting dressed. “I wonder if Lacy is okay? I know she lied when she said that she wasn’t having nightmares.” Robert thinks to himself. “What happened to her… That was just wrong.” Robert felt bad thinking about what had happened to Lacy.
In the attic, Lacy was still crying on Ronnie. “Lacy, I would never let anything bad happen to you anymore. Anything like that.” Ronnie says and was using one hand to rub the back of Lacy’s head. “You’re going to be safe. Nothing anymore bad will happen to you.”
“Ronnie… I miss my daddy! I feel like if my daddy didn’t leave my mom this would have never happened!”
“Lacy, if that never happened, you wouldn’t have never met me. And honestly, I wouldn’t feel the same if I never met you.” Ronnie says. Lacy stopped crying. Her heart starts to beat fast. She was blushing red.
“Ronnie?” She looked up at him. Ronnie was looking down at her.