Overall, I was a happy boy. Sure, it was a really sad time when my Dad died two years ago, when I was eleven, but Mom met a guy that turned out to be OK—or so I thought. This is my story—as best as I can piece together the entirety of the events…

Let me catch up to the important part really quickly:

Two weeks after my eleventh birthday, my Dad passed away. It was not unexpected; he had been sick with cancer for quite some time. Mom told me that it was actually a blessing for him—even though it was a curse for us. She assured me that he was better off; no longer in pain. Somehow her tears, the ones she tried to hide from me, made the story less believable.

My Dad was an important man—he owned a large company and up until the cancer wouldn’t allow him to work, he spent long hours at his office. When he couldn’t handle that pace anymore, he spent more time working from home and Mom took over some of the burden of running the business. My Dad taught her a lot in that last year.

After Dad died, Mom started spending more and more time at the office keeping the business running. While we never lacked for money, I felt like I had lost both parents after my Dad died, I saw Mom so little. She never really had time to take me to practice anymore.

I was really good in sports and there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t try—the rougher and tougher, the better. The dirtier I got, the happier I would be. Luckily, I had a couple of best friends, George and Rupe, that I could always get a ride with—so, it still worked out and I was as happy as I could be.

Then, Mom met Allen. At first, I was bummed—I didn’t want anyone to replace my Dad. It was irrational, I know. I rarely saw him when he was alive, so how could this be any worse? I guess I have never really been good with change and I was finally settling into my new ‘normal’—and this disrupted things again.

Oh, and then there was Albert. Albert is Allen’s son. He is two years younger than me and a real pain—especially when Allen and he moved in with us a year to the day after my Dad died.

o~O~o

OK, consider yourself caught up, because then things started getting weird. This is the part of the story that will likely interest you most, so let’s slow down a bit:

I look at the clock and curse—then look around to make sure no one heard me. Mom would kill me. Assured that no one is around, I grab my stuff and hurry out since I am almost late. I nearly run into Albert who has a shit-eating grin on his face.

He rushes down the stairs yelling, “Aunt Dawn, Aunt Dawn! Vick was saying bad words.”

I try and stop him, of course, but there is no way. I hear my Mother’s voice calling to me as I come down the steps, “Vick! Come here, right now! You’re late and now I hear you’re being naughty, too?”

I come into the kitchen and Mom gives me a harsh look and I shrug as I take a Pop Tart. I say with a mouthful, “Sorry…it just slipped out.”

Mom shakes her head and says, “I swear those boys you run with are ruining you! I may have to rethink that sports camp this summer and send you somewhere to learn some manners. Maybe Allen is right—I mean look at Albert going off to math camp and being a little angel.”

I want to puke. And, of course, ‘Uncle’ Allen comes in right then and chimes in, “And if he does well, he gets a scholarship to attend the year-long onsite program!”

Mom just smiles and says, “Allen, you know money is not an issue.”

Allen just shakes his head and says, “No, Love. He needs to earn it to appreciate it! So, are you ready to let me start earning MY way at the office?”

Mom shakes her head and says, “We have talked about this, Hon. Until we get married, I can’t bring you in—even then, it will have to be slow. It is a close-knit group there, and even though you have being a man going for you, they will not accept you from the outside. Lord knows it was hard enough for ME—but then, I am a woman…”

He grumbles something unintelligible and ushers Albert and me to the car to drive us to school. He is quiet the whole ride—not even really talking to Albert who is his usual intolerable self.

We get out at school and I immediately hook up with my friends and quickly forget the two ‘A’s. I am already looking forward to football practice after school—I am turning into a pretty good wide-receiver.

The days progress slowly towards summer in much the same manner. Allen keeps needling Mom about going to work ‘at the office’ and even starts in on how he can help run the business—and eventually Albert, too. Mom stays resolute (there, I used my ‘word-of-the-day’ in a sentence!) and just keeps telling him that he will have to wait, and, that, of course, the business would be mine when I was old enough to run it—and thank goodness I am a boy, since that will make it so much easier.

I shrug all of this off—I am not interested in some moldy old business; especially not one that drove my Dad to death (of course it is stupid to blame the cancer on the business, but…). I just smile at Mom and nod my head. Neither of us see the dark looks that Allen is giving me behind our backs.

On the last day of school, he gives it another shot, “Look Dawn, the boys are going to be gone for the summer in a week and I will be completely free to help you out. You know I have the perfect resume for it. If it helps, we can get married this week!”

Mom gives him an exasperated look and says, “Allen! I am not going to hurry up my wedding for something like that—and, of course, the boys will need to be there. No, we will keep our plans for our September wedding! I don’t know what your problem is. You make plenty in your current job and it is perfect that your hours are so flexible!”

She has a sad look on her face when she continues, “It lets the boys grow up to be boys—they will both have to work hard soon enough; especially poor Vick when he takes over the business, which the board fully expects him to do as soon as possible. We just have to make it work until then…”

He grumbles again and herds Albert and me to the car and drives us to school in another huff. Little did I know that this would be the day that starts one of those epic ‘series of unfortunate events’…