Something inside of Shawn was bubbling with hope that everything with his dad would be different now. Morning broke on Sunday and Shawn woke to the sound of his trailer park neighbors screaming over some domestic dispute involving bacon. A spring was poking into his back from one of the couch cushions and he was exhausted from the presence of a mosquito that had been buzzing around his ear and landing on his nose all night. None of that bothered him too much because something about this particular morning was very very different. Every other morning in the trailer began the same...with Shawn being stirred awake to the sound of a beer can being tossed into the garbage and another being cracked open. Today was different. Chet was nowhere to be found and Shawn didn't know whether to be excited about the fact that he wasn't sitting there drinking or concerned about where he was... but at least he wasn't yelling at Shawn to wake up and fetch him another cold one.
Shawn got up, brushed his teeth, showered (in cold water) and checked in the fridge to see if there was anything in there that could be cooked up into something that resembled breakfast. No such luck. Some things never change, he thought. Just then, the trailer door opened and Chet emerged, carrying two plastic bags full of groceries. "I just walked down to that store on the corner to pick up some breakfast foods for the two of us. I thought, it's such a beautiful day, I should take a stroll." Shawn was flabbergasted. He watched as Chet unloaded eggs, sausage, bacon, pancake mix and orange juice. "Alright dad." Shawn whispered under his breath. Everything really is different now, he thought while he smiled to himself. I think he's really changed. Shawn and Chet whipped up some breakfast together and then decided to watch some TV.
Shawn wondered if Chet would go all day without a beer, he had never seen him sober since...well...maybe ever. He started to get really hopeful. People can change, he thought internally. He sat next to his dad and for an hour, he felt normal. Of course, he meant normal if he ignored the fact that he lived in a trailer park, didn't have a bed and had a mom that ran away. Even still, he felt normal. "He's a new man, I can feel it," he kept repeating inside his mind. After about an hour or so, Shawn remembered that he had a lot to get done before school tomorrow. "Hey dad, I know you just got back and all, but do you mind if I go stop by Cory's? I'm supposed to team up with him to write a paper that's due tomorrow. It should only take a couple hours." Shawn explained. "Sure thing boy," Chet answered. "Besides, I've got the rest of my life to spend time with ya," he finished. Shawn threw on his shoes and headed out the door smiling.
Cory was sitting at the kitchen table when he arrived. "Shawn! Are you ready? You'd be surprised, I've got this whole paper planned out. I found one of Eric's old papers on The Grapes of Wrath, so all we have to do is re-write the entire thing to make sure it actually sounds like we read the book and we'll be all set. "Actually," Shawn interjected, "I DID read the book, Turner made me. The downfall of living with a teacher...which I'm not doing anymore, by the way." Cory looked shocked. "Your dad is back?!" he shouted. "Yup," Shawn answered. "And the best part is..." he began to speak as Eric interrupted,"Hunterrr what a big surprise...NOT," Eric teased as he strolled into the kitchen. "Listen, I'd love to stay and chat but I've got a hot date tonight with a cheerleader. Not that you two insignificant squirts would know anything about that," he poked at Cory and Shawn. "See ya weasel," he turned and said to Morgan, who was sitting on the counter before he ran out the door. Shawn continued, "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, my dad is back and I'm back at the trailer. The best part is that I think he'll really stay this time. He seems happier." Shawn explained. He couldn't tell him that what he was really excited about was the fact that his dad seemed sober. Cory didn't know about the abuse so he had to make sure it stayed that way forever. "Shawn, that's amazing!" Cory responded.
The boys finished up their paper just before dinner and Mrs. Matthews invited Shawn to stay and eat with them. "No thanks," he said, "My dad's back and he's probably cooking dinner now, so I should get back." Shawn grabbed the boys' paper. "I'll bring it in with me tomorrow, Cor," he shouted over the family's chatter before he walked out the door and headed back to the trailer park. Shawn spent the whole walk home imagining what his evening with his dad would look like. He'll probably have dinner ready when I get back, just like he cooked food this morning. Maybe we'll play a board game or stay up talking afterwards about everything that happened while he was gone. Shawn was hopeful. He was so ready for this normal life. Hopeful, that was, until he approached the trailer and saw a couple beer cans littering the entryway to the trailer. "Maybe he has company," Shawn convinced himself. He pressed his ear to the side of the trailer. He didn't hear any voices and he didn't know who his dad would have over. What he did hear, however, was the sound of an empty can clinking another can as it was tossed into the garbage and the sound of a fresh beer being cracked open. Shawn hated that sound. It was burned into his brain. Nothing good ever followed that sound...at least not in the past. "He's different now," Shawn reminded himself. "A beer or two won't hurt anybody."He tried to soothe himself with the thought as he walked inside.
Upon entering, his worst fear was confirmed. How could he rationalize to himself that 15 empty cans strewn across the inside of the trailer was normal? His couch was covered with at least 5 of them and he couldn't walk through the space without wading through another 6 or 7 of them on the floor. He tossed his paper down on the table as he kicked them out of the way. He cleared his throat and approached the bedroom where he assumed he would find his father. Before he approached the door, Chet came bolting out of the room with such force that Shawn jumped back. "Boy where the hell have you been?! You know better than to stay out this long!" he came at Shawn. "Dad, I'm sorry. Please don't be mad. We were just working on our paper," He explained as he raised his hands up in a forfeiting motion. "Don't talk back to me boy!" Chet boomed. "You think you're better than me now that you lived the good life for a year in a fancy apartment? You think you can talk back to me now?" He quickly unbuckled his belt and slid it out of his pant loops. "Please dad! No! I love you dad! Please don't do anything to mess this up!" Shawn pleaded. "Shut your mouth or I'll wash it out with soap after I'm done beatin' your ass, boy!" Chet shouted. Shawn crouched down on the floor with his knees to his chest and his head tucked while Chet repeatedly struck his back with his belt. Shawn could feel every hope he had for his dad being a new man slip away with each lash of the belt. Each new welt that formed was another confirmation of how wrong he had been to believe that his dad was anything but what he had always been. After about 10 whips, Chet grabbed Shawn by the wrists and pulled him to his feet with force. "Now pick up the trailer and get to bed!" Chet shouted. "I didn't eat dinner yet," Shawn replied. He immediately regretted saying it, but he reasoned with himself that he must have forgot that it was an inappropriate reply because he had spent too much time with Mr. Turner. Saying something like that would have been ok with Jon. "Stupid, stupid Shawn. Just shut up!" he scolded himself internally. Chet grabbed him by the front of his shirt and threw him against the wall. His head hit a window frame and put a gash under his right eyebrow. Shawn put his hand to the gash and pulled it away as he watched blood trickle down his fingers. He looked into Chet's eyes and saw a shell of a human. Chet stumbled towards his room trying to regain balance and slammed the door. Shawn just stood there with all his hopes for his father quickly fading. He quickly tossed the cans into the trash, wiped down the counters and curled up in the fetal position on the couch. His only blanket was in his father's room and he wasn't about to go get it. He went without it and tossed and turned most of the night. Sleeping was pointless. His back and wrists hurt so bad and he was too upset and too busy thinking about how to explain the gash on his face at school the next day. Maybe he should just play hooky and not go. "No, Jon would get suspicious," he thought. Maybe nobody would notice the gash. It wasn't that bad after he washed the blood off. The rest of his body was another story.
He woke to the hiss of another can being cracked open early the next morning and he knew his dad was still drunk. He could smell the smoke of his dad's cigarette coming through the trailer window. It tickled his nose in the most disgusting way as though it was taunting him. "How could he?" Shawn thought. "How could he do this? I've only been back with him for less than two days. TWO DAYS! I must be more of a burden than I even thought." Shawn reasoned. He knew that it wasn't normal for his dad to be drinking that much, but he also thought that maybe the reason he drank was his fault. He turned his face toward the back of the couch and pressed his eyes closed so that Chet would think he was still sleeping. He listened while Chet came back into the trailer, distinguished his cigarette, grabbed another beer and went back into his room. Shawn quietly got dressed, grabbed his backpack and rushed out the door. It hadn't been a couple minutes when he realized he had forgotten the Grapes of Wrath paper on the table. "Shit!" He exclaimed. He turned around and ran back, stopping just short of the trailer door. "Please God let him be in his room still," he thought. He walked in quietly and spotted the paper...in Chet's hands. He was standing by the counter thumbing through it. "Looking for this, boy?" he asked. "Um, ya, I just forgot it." he said hesitantly. Chet tossed him the paper. Shawn looked down on it and saw that there was a cigarette hole burnt through the title. He swallowed hard while he searched for what to say. "Is there a problem?" Chet instigated. "No. No problem, dad," Shawn answered. "Good, now get to school and don't let me see you coming home late again!" he said. Shawn turned towards the door and began walking once again. "Shit." he thought. "I don't have time to re-copy this. How am I going to explain this one?"
