Chapter Five: Broken Hearts: Smashed Dreams
Hey guys! So silly me updated the wrong chapter. I am terribly sorry about any confusion caused by this. Deepest thanks to SEM1001 who brought this issue to my attention. Kudos for you for letting me know so that I could fix it. I apologise again for any confusion I caused. Oh well. I'm only human right? Enjoy the right chapter this time!
Mac remembered the first time his father had hit him well. It had been a few days after his mother's funeral. He'd woken up crying and went to his father's room for comfort. He'd been pushed harshly off the bed before his father had struck him across the face. Mac remembered his father scolding him for crying like a baby and told him that it would not bring his mother back again. He'd even gone as far as to blame him for her death.
It had only gotten worse since that night. His father became more violent more frequently. Soon the treatment became normal and he just accepted it. He forgot what his father was like before. Mac hissed as he got into his car. The last time he'd got the belt was the day before his father disappeared. His 12th birthday was a week later, and no one had ever hit him again. Not as a child.
Since his father had got back it was like he was a little kid again. It was like he forgot all the kindness that his grandfather and the Bozers had shown him. All of a sudden he forgot what it was like to be loved. Jack had healed the wounds from his father but whenever his father has there those heals were popped open again.
6th October 2001, Mission City… Mac was a cute kid…
Nine-year-old Wilt Bozer was sat under the large oak tree waiting for his best friend to turn up. Mac sometimes had a little difficulty leaving the house because his father was quite strict. Mr MacGyver reminded Bozer of their school principal. Mac's father always seemed to be angry. Any room Mr MacGyver was in was not a room Bozer wanted to be in. Bozer didn't understand why Mac's dad was always so hard on him. Maybe it was because Mac was a genius and could no doubt do great things. Mrs Wilson, their teacher had always said that Mac had great potential but that he needed to be pushed. In Bozer's opinion, Mac's dad pushed him too hard and would probably do better without his dad's pushiness.
Finally, Mac opened the gate that led to Bozer's backyard. Bozer stood up to greet his friend and noticed that held an air of solemness about him which he usually did after talking with his father. When he spotted his friend though, it changed, and he smiled with warm eagerness.
The two had met when Bozer had beaten up a bully who had been picking on Mac. The two had got detention and they had become fast friends over that. They had bonded over a shared disdain for their first names. Bozer's Wilt was a family name and Mac's Angus seemed just as old. So, Mac became Mac and Bozer became Bozer. Since then they had become inseparable.
"You all right Mac?" Bozer anxiously asked.
"Yeah, I'm all right Boze. Dad just wanted to talk to me about my homework. He was checking it over and making sure that my other work was done."
That was another thing, Mac always seemed to have lots of work to do. His father gave him extra assignments. Bozer didn't understand why. His parents never made him do extra work and his grades weren't as good as Mac's.
"Hey, do you want to make a film? I got a camcorder for my birthday."
It was a second-hand camcorder. One of Mr Bozer's friends had sold it to them for a good price. One a detective's salary there was no way they could afford a brand new one but Bozer was very pleased with the device.
"Sure, I do!" Mac agreed eagerly. Bozer was very creative and came up with the best ideas for movies. He never ceased to amaze Mac with the imagination he had. He had written lots of scripts too and was a very enthusiastic member of the school's drama and movie club.
Over the next few hours, Mac forgot all the troubles he had. Bozer's film was very fun to make. It was about an alien who wanted to learn about earth and so become an exchange student at a local middle school. Halfway through making it Bozer's mum interrupted them with glasses of cool lemonade and cookies. She listened to them explain what the movie was about and promised that when they were done they would all sit and watch it: with popcorn and everything!
"I will let you two make your movie. I will look forward to seeing what my little Steven Spielberg can come up with." Mrs Bozer promised. She knew how much fun her son had made those films of his. As a parent, it was their job to encourage her son's interest and both she and her husband her only too happy to do so.
Just as they were getting towards the end of the film, James MacGyver pushed the gate open with more force than was strictly necessary. The boys jumped, the loud and sudden noise settling them. They turned in the direction of the noise. When he saw who it was Mac paled.
"Angus Dean MacGyver! I ordered you home half an hour ago! What do you think you are doing disobeying me boy?" His father fumed.
"I err I erm. I lost t-t-track of t-t-time." Mac stuttered out an explanation. He sometimes got like this when his father was yelling at him. He always hated it because it only made his father angrier at him.
"Speak clearly boy! I do not tolerate tardiness. Is that clear?" His father growled. His arm twitched and Mac realised that his father was trying not to hit him. Instead, his eyes flickered to Bozer before he turned his glare to his son.
"Yes," Mac answered. When he saw his father's eyes flash with anger he realised his mistake.
"Yes, what?"
"Yes sir." Mac amended respectfully. Suddenly the floor became remarkably interesting. His father seemed to be pleased by the show of submission because rather than strike him like had expected he had simply grabbed his arm and pushed him toward the gate.
"Get yourself home Angus. I shall deal with you later." He ordered once he let go of Mac's arm. The grip while not rough was by no means gentle.
"I'm sorry sir."
"I am not interested in sorry Angus. I am interested in obedience and you will regret not showing that."
"Yes sir."
"Dismissed Angus."
Mac mouthed an apology at Bozer. His friend shook his head, silently asserting that the apology wasn't needed. Mac nodded back to Bozer to tell him that he was all right. His father let out an angry snarl. Mac had obviously been taking too long for his father's liking.
"Now Angus." James bellowed. He advanced towards Mac, quickly closing the distance between them.
Mac flinched and started walking towards the gate. He knew that he had better get home quickly. The sooner he obeyed the better. His father was probably going to speak to Mr and Mrs Bozer before he came home. If he got home before Mac did there would be hell to pay. Well more hell to pay at any rate. Mac knew it would be a while before he could sit comfortably again.
8th October 2001 Mission City Middle School… The football field's still here…
"Mac!" Bozer sat down next to his best friend on the school bus.
"Hey, Boze."
Mac flashed a sad smile at his friend. He knew that Bozer would be eager to find out how he was after his father had cornered him. Today was Monday, the first day of school since the incident that weekend.
"Is everything ok? I haven't seen you since Saturday. I wanted to come around, but mom and dad said that if you were in trouble then I couldn't come round."
"You were right about that. If you had come round dad would have sent you home."
"I could have snuck in." Bozer reasoned. There was a tree outside of Mac's bedroom window and he was good at climbing. He should have checked that Mac was all right. He was always upset after his father yelled at him.
"Have you met my dad? He's like a ninja and can spot other ninjas. He would be able to tell the minute you stepped foot in our house, and it would just make everything worse." Mac reminded him. It was true. No one could ever sneak past Mac's dad. He had a knack for that kind of thing.
"How much trouble were you in?" Bozer asked hesitantly. He knew Mac's father was hard on him. His parents told him that Mr MacGyver was just overprotective after what happened with Mac's mum. They told him grief could do strange things to people especially when you loved someone like Mr MacGyver loved Mac's mum.
"Lots. I'm grounded for two weeks so I can't meet you outside of school." Mac answered.
Bozer gave him a sympathetic look. If he were the one that was half an hour late he would have been lectured about the importance of communication. He might have been grounded but for no more than a couple of days.
"I'm sorry." Bozer apologised guiltily. He was the one that suggested that they should make a film and Mac had just carried away doing that. Furthermore, he wouldn't put it past Mac to stay just so that Bozer could finish his film.
"It's all right. I should have kept an eye on the time. I'm sorry we didn't get to finish your movie." Mac muttered sadly. He couldn't bear the thought of letting Bozer down. His friend had been counting on him and now he couldn't help for two whole weeks.
"We can finish it when you're allowed to play out again. It will give me chance to edit the script." Bozer forgave.
Mac chuckled. Bozer liked to edit his scripts and add random scenes that he thought made it better. Sometimes the end product was nothing like his original idea. Other people would find it annoying, but Mac just enjoyed it.
25th December 2001 Snow is falling all around (just kidding it's California)
"Merry Christmas dad!" Mac thundered into the kitchen where his father was drinking a cup of coffee.
His dad did not smile. In fact, he did just the opposite and scowled at his son.
"Angus what did I tell you about disturbing me in the morning?" His father demanded.
Mac hesitated. One of his dad's rules was that he wasn't allowed to talk to his father this early unless his father spoke to him first. But surely it didn't matter because this was a special day.
"But dad, it's Christmas!" Mac protested. He loved Christmas. At school, everyone had talked about their holiday traditions. Bozer had said he'd run into his parents' room and wake them up. He'd open his presents and eat cookies with milk for breakfast.
"Oh, and that means you can disregard my rules?" His father questioned icily.
His father's tone brought him back to reality. Mac was not supposed to argue. He was not supposed to disobey. Just because it was Christmas did not mean he could be disrespectful. He should have known that.
"No sir," Mac answered.
SLAP! Mac's cheek burned and he winced as he touched it. It could have been a lot worse considering. Maybe his father had a little Christmas cheer after all.
"No, it does not," James agreed. "Besides do you really think that you deserve to celebrate Christmas?"
The question hit harder than any slap his father could give him. Mac didn't understand why the question had been asked. His teachers had reminded them that Santa had a naughty and nice list, but he had never heard anyone of actually being put on the naughty list. Surely he wasn't on it?
"Sir?" He asked uncertainly. The cruel smile that appeared on his father's face was not a good sign.
"Only good boys deserve to celebrate Christmas. You have not been a good boy. Do you know how many discussions we have had this year?"
Well no. He didn't. It wasn't like he kept a count of them. He might be able to make an educated guess but if he was wrong then his father would be angry at him. Then again if he told his father he didn't know he would be angry too. It was a lose-lose situation.
"No sir." He admitted. It was a risk. His father never liked it when he didn't know something. It was next to the rule about not asking questions. Thankfully his father did not seem angry rather pleased at his answer. Had he made his father proud of him? Mac hoped so.
"Well, I do. We have had fifteen discussions. Fifteen. Do you really think that good boys have to be punished that much?"
"No sir."
His father nodded. The corners of his mouth turned downwards into a glower.
"With that information do you think you are a good boy?" His father's voice was deadly calm and quiet. Mac felt his heart rate speed up and he found it hard to meet his dad's eye line. He didn't want to see the disappointed anger he knew that he would.
"No sir."
"Exactly. You are a bad boy Angus and so you will not be celebrating Christmas."
Mac felt his heart stab at that. He knew that he angered his father a lot, but he hoped that he had made him proud at some point during the year. He'd got straight As in his last report card and the school hadn't called once. At his parent-teacher conference, the teachers had said Mac had been a pleasure to teach and was a very bright boy. He thought he had been good that year, but his dad was still disappointed in him. His mum would be ashamed of him too – wouldn't she?
James put his mug in the sink. He advanced towards him and Mac flinched thinking that his dad was about to hit him. He didn't though, just grabbed his chin and pushed it upwards forcing Mac to look at him.
"Now get your ass back in your room and stay there for the rest of the day. If you leave your room for any other reason than because I tell you, there will be severe consequences. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes sir."
"Dismissed Angus. Get out of my sight."
Mac went back down the hallway. All the excitement he'd felt a few short minutes ago was gone. He felt warm tears fall down his cheek, still smarting from the slap he had got earlier. Of course, he wasn't allowed to celebrate Christmas. The fact that there was no tree should have told him that. Mac was just glad that he hadn't shown his dad's Bozer's gift. That was it! Mac knew how to stop his father from being disappointed him. All he had to was wait until dinner.
A few hours later his father called him to the dinner table. Mac smiled and picked the object up before he took off down the hallway towards the diner. He hid it under the table as they ate in silence. It was only once they had finished eating that his father spoke.
"After you've done the washing up you can go to bed Angus."
"Please sir, can I have a minute?" Mac asked politely.
"This had better be good Angus." His dad threatened.
Mac reached under her chair and reached for the Macaroni pencil pot and Christmas card he had made in art class.
"Merry Christmas Dad! I made this for you." Mac wished. He smiled as he passed his gift to his father.
The card had a picture of him, and his father stood next to it. Inside, written in Mac's tell-tale scrawl read 'Dear Dad Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year'. He waited to be thanked by his dad, but it never happened. Instead, his father rose it in the air, only to throw it against the wall. It smashed into a million pieces. Then his dad crumpled the card and threw it into the embers of the fire.
"No!" Mac yelled running forward in the hopeless endeavour of saving it from destruction. He fell to his knees by the broken pile of macaroni and dried glue. His father grabbed his arm and pulled him upwards and pressed a broom into his hands.
"Tidy your mess up Angus. I thought I was clear about this Christmas business. Any more of that nonsense and you will regret it."
"Yes sir, I'm sorry sir," Mac replied and obediently began sweeping up his smashed present. He felt like was sweeping up his shattered heart and broken too.
"Don't forget to do the washing up Angus." His dad reminded him as he sat down and began to watch TV.
"Yes sir," Mac confirmed. He continued to form a large pile with his brush as he wondered why his father hated him so much.