Tell it now
Punish me later
"I remember when I was your age. Stretching the truth always got me either out of trouble or in it even more." I said to my now nine year old daughter, Crystal. "Daddy I can't help it if I lie to people. When I don't want to get in trouble I lie before I even think of lying." Crystal said getting under her comforter, while I tucked her in nice and tight and sat down next to her. "Crystal" I said. "The only time I want to hear you say I can't is when you are saying I can't be as smart as you daddy. OK? Other than that you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it." I noticed that my wife, Alice, came into the room and was looking for a comfortable place to sit in where it was not cold. "You know," I said. "The floor may not be warm, but it has enough room to swallow up all the ugly from that Christmas sweater that my brother bought for you." I laughed. "Mitchell, that's why you'll be the one sleeping on the not so warm couch with a very pretty blanket." Alice said walking over to the other side of Crystal's bed motioning for her to move over, but instead of moving over Crystal climbed into my lap. When she got comfortable, she leaned her small head on my chest. Maybe Crystal still thinks that her mom is mad at her for the lie she told to her earlier. Well, she is only 9. But for her sake, I'll tell her why lying is not such a good idea even if it was over food being thrown away. "Crystal I'm going to tell you a story about me when I was your age, and how much trouble lying got me into. I was eight when I told my first lie and I was on my way to school to catch the little yellow school bus…"
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"Man!" I said pacing back and forth in my bedroom, something most kids would do when coming up with a scheme. "I need money to buy candy, but my mom wont give me any." I really wanted candy, and wanting candy gave me a idea of how to get candy without getting caught. I walked down the stairs and to my surprise, nobody was there. I saw my mom's purse hanging from the back of the chair. I walked over to the chair and stuck my eight year old finger down her purse till I got what I was looking for. "Bingo!" I said to myself pulling a twenty dollar bill out of my mom's purse. I took the money and left out of the house to get on the bus, without any regret or remorse for what I just did. I came back home a quarter after 2 o'clock and headed off into my room not even taking notice that my mom was talking to my grandmother about the money that was missing. It had been two hours before on of my friends came to my house and asked to speak to me. I walked outside and watched max dig into his pocket and pull out money that I had given him earlier, and handing it back to me. I'll never forget what he said to me that day, and I'll never forget thatt as long as I live. "She's going to call your mom." He said. I walked back inside of the house and saw my mom sitting on the couch, looking at me. "Max's mom just called about some money that you gave him and she told him to give it back to you. So where did you get the money Mitchell?" My mom asked sternly.
I did not want to get in trouble. Nor did I want to lie. In order to save my butt, lying is just what I'll have to do. "I've been collecting money." I said. She knew that I was lying. She has that motherly kind of thing that goes like, "I know when you're lying." But I decided to keep hold to my lie. My mom yelled at me until I told the truth, but lie after lie I told to save my butt, which was not helping.
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Crystal interrupted me with a question. "So is she really mad at you?" Crystal asked looking up at me with those clear blue eyes of hers. "Funny face, (the pet name I give her) If somebody stole my money, I would be mad too. I stole her damn twenty and lied about it." Alice looked at me with that look again. I don't even know why she's looking at me like that. "What?" I asked. "Watch your mouth Mitchell!" She said. "Alice," I said turning my body around to face her. "It is New Year's Eve very close to 2009, lighten up a bit. Now everyone hush so that I can finish my story. Oh, wait I have nothing else to say. I kept lying until the truth was finally out of me but I was already in some deep shi—I mean stuff. It didn't matter if I kept lying or not." Crystal sat up and looked at me. She looked a little confused. "Daddy, I don't understand what you're trying to say to me." She laid back on my chest and stared at the wall. She looks more confused than I was when I finally found out, just last year, what the 9/11 attack was. I decided to explain it a little more to her. "Baby, Once a liar, keep on lying, is always a liar." I rubbed her head to see how long it would take for her to go to sleep, but she popped another question at me. "What do you mean?" She asked. I adjusted my self to find the right answer for her question. "It's like I kept on lying and taking things that were not mine, until I was 15. The last problem I ever had was over money again. This time it wasn't my fault and it was only two dollars.
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My mom had been re-married for four years now and her new husbands name was Pierre. I loved him as a father and even more than that, but now that I had turned 15, fed up with the way he tries to be nice me off and on, could only love him as a father and nothing more. I was only his 'baby' when he needed or wanted something from me. I believe and still do believe that Vincent has and always will have the upper right hand of our padrastro (step father). I was on my way to School District 206, A.K.A Bloom Township. I has showered, dressed and got my belongings ready to go and catch the bus. The bathroom was right across from my parent's room and my room was the room you would see first when walking down that hall.
My mom had already gone to work, Vincent was already at school, he's a school nerd, so that just left me, and my padrastro. My ipod was low, in case he called my name or 'needed' something. I heard him go to the bathroom, and me not paying attention to the time, also remembering boys such as myself got to the washroom fast. In and out, as quick as possible. I heard the toilet flush and I was a little late. I went to one of the four mirrors hanging just outside of my parent's room to see if my hair was a mess since the bathroom was occupied at the momnet. When I turned around, he was coming out of the bathroom and he went into his room. I grabbed my coat and bag then headed out of the door. Now during school, I was taking my chemistry pre-mid term exam. I got called to the main office because my padrastro called so I had to call him back. "Hello?" I said. It took a few seconds before he answer but this is what he said. "I know what you did." In my head I was thinking is this the same scary summertime movie, I know what you did last summer, or did I actually do something wrong that I had no clue of doing. "What did I do?" I asked trying to think about what it could be that I did that was wrong. "Your mother left me three dollars to get to school." He said. "And you took it" I was completely shocked that he would think that or accuse me. Actually, I lied about money before, no, I wasn't shocked that he accused me of taking his money. "I didn't take your money!" I said. "Yeah right" Was his response. " I saw you run from out of my room when I came from the bathroom, pretending like you was using the mirror." In my head, I was thinking the following, from all this time that I've known my padrastro, if he ever saw anyone run out of his room because someone was coming, he would approach them right then and there and ask, "what were you doing in my room?" But this day he didn't. Something was definitely wrong with this picture. I came home around 3:30 and my mom was home. I went up to her to tell her what happened. Before I could even finish my first word, she told me, "Not right now" If not now than when? I really wanted to talk to her before that man came back home. I needed to get my point across before he tells her a bold face lie. I guess I'll just have to wait. Pierre had came back in about 2 hours after we were all home. I was in my room and Vincent was in the dining room playing his PSP. Pierre came into my room and said, "Until that money come up, don't dot this room." I looked at him. If he wasn't el esposo de mi madre, (The husband of my mother) I would have told him right then and there, "Dude you're not my father." I love my mother deeply, and disrespecting my padrastro is like disrespecting my mom and I would never do that. He told me to stay in my room, and I had no other choice except to listen, but I also had a problem with that. In my days of taking money, I would never take it all. It would have been to obvious that money was missing.
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"Daddy were you upset with your daddy?" Crystal asked, taking me away from the past and on with the present. "Baby, I'm trying to tell you to stop with that one lie and start being honest.
You don't want to end up like I did. You really don't want to get blamed for everything that happens even if you were not there. You don't want to get blamed for every little thing that happens like I was do you?" I asked. "No, daddy. But I still don't get something" Crystal said sitting up. "And what could that be?" I asked rubbing my face. "I heard you say that it was ok to lie sometimes." Alice snapped at me. Mitchell, why would you tell her that?" I stood up. "Because I am not a liar anymore, baby! I speak the truth and nothing but the holy truth. Crystal, I mean like, a guy can lie to girl and tell her how pretty she is just so she can sleep with him. Now that's a good reason to lie." I sat back down and looked at Alice to see what kind of smart remark she had to make. "That old trick doesn't even work." She said. Little did she know she left herself wide open for my remark. "Oh, really?" I asked with my charmed look. "last time I checked, you fell for that trick that doesn't work anymore." I laughed at my wife's embarrassing look she had on her face. Crystal was looking at us like she'd just heard that the earth ends today. "Whoa! Way to much information people. I'm only nine, I don't want to know how I was born yet" Crystal laid her head back on my chest. "Daddy, you just don't want me to lie anymore, no matter the cost?" I looked at Crystal's sweet innocent nine year old face. "I want you to lie if you need to" I said. "Mitchell!" Alice snapped. "Yes! Don't ever lie in your life. Do you hear me? EVER!" Crystal yawned. "Yes daddy." I stood up, placed Crystal in the bed, and kissed her on the head. "Now what should you say to your mom?" Crystal looked over to her mom. "I'm sorry for lying to you earlier mommy. And I'm also sorry that daddy was such a big fat liar!" I looked at Alice while she was laughing. "Hey, you know I'm standing right here!" I crossed my arms. "I think she know's that Mitchell." Alice said walking down the stairs with me to our room. "Alice, you are so pretty like the night time sky, lit up on the fourth of July." Alice smiled and looked at me. "That is so sweet, Mitchell, but you're still going to sleep on the couch, love bear." Alice said throwing a pillow, and a blanket at me. She went to get something else and she threw it at me too. "what are these for?" I asked looking at my black checkered pajamas. "I sleep in my boxer's remember?" Alice came and stood in her doorway. "I know babe, but you also don't want Crystal waking up in the morning and coming down the stairs just to see her daddy in his underwear." Alice walked back in her room and closed the door. Then I heard a click. Yes, she locked the door. Man she knows me so well. I sat on the couch and thought that what it was that I did to get in this situation. I don't know. Maybe she is just a drama queen. I laid on the couch and pulled the blanket over myself and fell fast asleep.
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I woke in the morning to the smell of Rice, eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Alice always makes a good breakfast every morning. I stood up, collected my belongings, and went into my bedroom to toke a quick shower and do the usual morning things. Like shower and all of that good stuff. After I was done, I realized that I didn't use the toilet yet. I went back into the bathroom to finish my business, only for the door to open back up to reveal Crystal. "Hey, daddy" Crystal said. "Mommy fixed you some breakfast!" Crystal held the plate in front of me with a big goofy grin on her face.
"Crystal I'm in the bathroom, do you mind?" I shouted. "Daddy" She said. "What?" I asked but more like demanded. "Ask me if I care? no." was her response. I wanted to grab her by her neck and pour tea down her throat until she chokes on it. I finished my business, washed my hands, and went into the kitchen and sat down at the table. I got back up and walked to the stove and when I grabbed the tea kettle, I remembered Just last year when I poured hot tea down Crystal's back and she was screaming her head off. Those were some good-times. I grabbed my blue cup and sat back down at the table to eat with my family, like any normal person would do. "Daddy" I looked up to see Crystal looking at me, waiting for me to answer her with a simple yes. "What?" I asked. "You look like a hot mess this morning. What happened? You got in a fight with the shower?" Crystal said while laughing. "What do you mean?" I asked. "I look the same as I would any other day." I said while putting my hand on top of my head to make sure nothing was wrong with my hair or if anything was sticking up or out. "Oh, I'm sorry daddy. It's just your face that looks a mess." She said still laughing. I couldn't decide what to do, either throw my plate in her face, or tell her mom that she's making fun of me, but there was one thing that I was not going to do and that my friend was to sit here while my 9 year old daughter makes fun of the way I look. "Crystal, remember when I told you that your hamster ran away and we tried to find him and then we gave up?" I asked. "Yes" She said. "Well," I said, "That sandwich I had for lunch that day was your hamster, and she was delicious!" Crystal started crying and ran up the stairs. I continued eating my breakfast satisfied at my achievement. Alice was looking at me, again. "Why did you say that to her Mitchell? You know that she is only 9 and that she really loved that hamster." I stood up and looked at Alice. "I didn't really eat her hamster. I was using the vacuum in her room, and I saw that thing looking at me. I walked up to the cage and saw those pitch, black eyeballs, terrified. I was a little curious so I put the hose to the vacuum inside of the cage. I sucked her up and she was squealing while I was laughing." Alice looked at me with a weird expression. "You are sick aren't you?" She asked, going up the stairs. "You better apologize to her." I stood up, dumped my plate, and walked up the stairs to Crystal's room. I walked inside of Crystal's room and sat in a chair on the side of her bed.. "Crystal, I'm sorry for your hamster, and no, I did not eat it in my sandwich." I said folding my legs. "Are you sure?" She asked me. "Yes, and besides, I sucked her up with the vacuum hose when I was cleaning your room." Crystal started crying again, and Alice gave me an evil look. "I'm sorry Crystal. I don't know what came over me. At least it's not as bad as what my dad did to your uncle's hamster." I watched Crystal as she started to sit up. I was glad that I made her feel better. I don't like seeing my little girl upset over something that I caused. "Daddy how did you meet mommy?" Crystal asked. I looked around trying to think of something to tell her since I know that Alice would not approve if I told her the basic details. "I thought that we were talking about your dead hamster?" I asked seeing if that would change the subject. Or at least make her cry again. But it didn't. "I know" She said. "But I always see you and mommy sitting next to each other no matter where she is and I was just thinking of how the two of you met." I laughed.
Who would have thought my own daughter at the age of nine would be asking me where I met her mom? I wouldn't even tell her where babies come from. Oh! Wait let me be quite before she learns how to read my mind. "Well, it's kind of a complicated situation baby. And plus it's a very long story." Maybe now she won't listen because it's a long story. "Well uncomplicated it and tell me!" She shouted "If you don't I'll hold my breath and die and it will be all of your fault because all you had to do was tell me a story about you and mommy but your so selfish." I rubbed my face. I hate when she does things like that. But maybe if she holds her breath she won't ask anymore questions. But then that's called suicide. "Fine, I met your mom when I was 18. Actually that's when I knew her name and age. I attended Bloom Township high school, and it was prom week so people were looking for best friends to go with. At first I didn't think that I had a chance with your mom. She was the head of the cheerleading squad and my brother captain of the Chess team, and I was the quarter back of the varsity football team." I scratched my nose. "Crystal, I really don't like discussing this topic, but for your life I'll tell you in a short version." I got up and sat on her dresser. "I asked your mom to go to prom with me, and she turned me down" Crystal looked at me, then Alice with her mouth open. "But," I held my hand out to stop her from asking the one question I knew she was going to ask. Anytime I tell someone how Alice and I met, they always ask that question. So I knew what was coming up, which is why I refused to talk about this. "You didn't let me finish" I said looking at her. "She went out with you uncle, but when she found out that he was lying to her and that he only dated her because I like her, she dumped him and realized who was the one who really had feeling s for her." I put my hands in my pocket and leaned back on the dresser. The feeling was coming back to me like the day when I turned the corner down the school hallway to my next period class and I saw them kissing. I was so crushed. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. And Vincent didn't even like her. He just wanted her because I did. Alice must have known what I was thinking about. "Yeah" Alice said getting up and walking over to me. "Ever since I found out that your daddy had a crush on me I loved him ever since and I still do." Alice kissed me and left out of the room. I got off of the dresser and looked at Crystal. "Lying is not something to be proud of. Sure, you might get away with it 87% of the time, but then you'll have to ask yourself, "Am I happy with my lies? I gave Crystal a kiss and walked toward the door, but then stopped when I thought of something from a book that I read. "What's the matter daddy?" Crystal asked. I took a deep breath and said "My quote of the day is, all because you can, doesn't mean you should."