Part 4
Hyde and I stepped outside the kitchen door to be greeted by my father, who was wearing old clothes, a hat on his bald, evil head, and holding a paintbrush menacingly. "It's about time you screwheads got out here. We've got a lot of work to do!"
"Yeah, Red, I can't today." Hyde was already halfway down the driveway to the curb where his car was parked. "I'm supposed to meet my dad."
It was a clever way out. There was no way Red could challenge him on that one. God, he was good. He didn't even flinch when Red's steely glare hit his back. I envied him for that.
"Well, that's just great." Dad shook his head.
"Hey, you've still got me, Daddy." I smirked.
"That's right, I've still got the Wisenheimer." He rolled his eyes and stalked back to the dining room window, where his painting paraphernalia was set up. "Get over here."
Oh, this was going to be the most horrible day ever.
By the time afternoon rolled around, I had yellow paint in my hair, my right shoulder and arm were about to fall off from wielding a paintbrush for the last four hours, and I was wondering if I could fake heatstroke or exhaustion well enough to convince my father. Probably not.
"Hello, Mr. Forman; Eric." A perky, girlish voice greeted us from the driveway.
I ignored it, hoping it would just go away on its own. It didn't.
"So... what are you doing?" The voice asked. When you think about it, how stupid of a question was that? It was pretty obvious what we were doing.
"It's the loud one, isn't it?" Dad grunted at me, still not turning around. He got some kind of twisted kick out of never referring to any of my so called friends by their names, only by the titles he had awarded them. 'The loud one' was actually Jackie Burkhardt, Hyde's whiny, bossy, motor mouthed cheerleader of a girlfriend. They're completely wrong for each other, but they've got this damsel in distress, knight in shining armor routine, which seems to work for them. It's kind of like Han and Leia in Star Wars, which just proves my point. Like that would ever happen.
"Is Steven home?" Jackie rocked back and forth in her assumedly expensive boots.
"With his parents... at the hovel." I knew answering her meant I was about to be drawn into an actual conversation, but at least it meant I could stop painting. I wasn't sure which was the worst evil.
"Wow, he's spending a lot of time over there." Jackie commented, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
"Really?" I was caught off guard, and showed interest before I remembered it would only encourage her. Hyde hadn't let on he was spending time with Bud and Edna.
"Yeah. I've barely seen him all week." She wrinkled her nose. "You know, I don't even really mind he's not paying that much attention to me. Wow, I must really be maturing, huh?" She flashed a bright smile at both of us.
How did Hyde put up with the constant perkiness and narcissism? I glanced over at Dad, who looked as if he was about to choke on his own tongue.
"Wow, so he's spending time with his parents?" I repeated. "I thought he was... mad at them and stuff." God, now she had me talking like her! How did that happen?
"Yeah, you know, me too!" Jackie's face lit up. Now she was gossiping with me like I was her new best friend. "I mean, he was pretty mad at them about the last time, but you know, if you wait long enough, Steven always caves."
Dad had turned around and started painting again, but I knew he was still listening. I wasn't sure what to say in response to that. What she had said was true. Hyde always caved. It didn't seem like he did, but... he did. Every time.
"Maybe I'll go see if Donna wants to go to the mall." Jackie decided. "You guys look pretty busy. Tell Mrs. Forman I really like the yellow, okay?" And with that, she literally skipped back across the driveway to Donna's house.
"Oh my God, Dad, she's right!" I turned to him, just this side of horrified. "We have to do something!"
Dad stared at me, shaking his head slightly, like he always did when I became hysterical. "Do what?" He set his brush down on the rim of the paint can. "Eric, you can't do anything, it's his choice. He knows what he's getting into."
"No, Dad." I objected, jabbing my paintbrush at him before I realized what I was doing. "We have to do something!" Maybe he hadn't heard me correctly the first time.
He reached up and wiped the yellow paint speckles off his face, rolling his eyes at me. "Look, I don't like this any more than you do, but what am I supposed to do about it? When he moved in with Bud, I flat out told him I thought Bud was a dumbass, and Steven agreed with me."
"But, he moved in with him anyway." I pointed out.
"Exactly." He turned around and started painting again.
Exactly? Exactly what? Sometimes I'm convinced Dad's completely crazy. "No, why would he do that?" I move my arms a lot when I talk, and when there's a paintbrush in my hand, it just doesn't go well. This time yellow paint flew over the grass.
"Put that brush down before you take out someone's eye." Dad snapped. Since he was the only other person around, I assumed by someone, he really meant himself. "Think about it, Eric. Why do you put up with me? The fact that you're a pansy aside?"
"You're my dad." I responded automatically.
"There you go."
I shut up after that. We were right at that line where if things got any more affectionate, Dad would threaten to hit me. I understood what he was getting at, but that didn't mean I agreed with the idea. There was a huge difference between the way Dad treated me, and the way Bud treated Hyde. Hyde was my best friend - I couldn't just stand there and let him get hurt again.
~*~
Hyde settled himself on the front steps, making sure he had a clear view of the street in both directions. It was still early and the street and sidewalk were deserted, but he was going to be ready. It was his tenth birthday. As usual, his mother had warned him they couldn't afford a party. He didn't care about that. The only people that would have come would have been Eric and Kelso, and he saw them all the time anyway.
But, this birthday was special. His father had said he was coming back this time. Hyde's mother had laughed when he told her, but she was wrong. He knew his dad was coming back - he hadn't even said goodbye when he left, so of course he was coming back and Hyde was going to be ready when he arrived.
He sat on the front porch all morning, and no one went up or down the street. Hyde wasn't worried, it was stilly early. Around lunchtime, Kelso and Eric wandered down the sidewalk, Kelso walking with one foot on the curb and one in the street. Eric tagged along behind, as usual. Mrs. Forman wouldn't let Eric wander around town by himself, he always had to be with someone.
"Hi, Hyde!" Eric piped as he carefully skirted the lawn and walked up the driveway.
"You were supposed to come over today, remember?" Kelso ignored the cement and cut across the dead grass. "We've got to dig that swimming pool for this summer!"
"I still can't believe your parents are going to let us dig an eight foot hole in your backyard." Eric said skeptically.
"They don't care!" Kelso rolled his eyes. "Anything I do, Casey'll do something worse! He blew up the garage last week!"
"Yeah, we heard about it, like, four million times already." Eric sighed.
"Come on, Hyde!" Kelso prompted.
"Yeah guys, I can't today." Hyde shrugged as they joined him on the steps. "My Dad's coming today."
Eric and Kelso glanced at each other. "Are you sure about that?" Kelso asked finally.
"I'm sure!" Hyde snapped. "He told me he was."
"I don't think he is." Kelso squinted at the road. "Besides, it's a really dumb way to spend a Saturday. Come on, let's go dig a hole! Your dad'll wait until you get home."
"Shut up!" Hyde smacked Kelso on the arm. "I'm not going!"
"Fine!" Kelso jumped back to his feet. "I'm out of here, I've got a pool to dig!" He started back the way he came.
"Wait, Michael!" Eric shrieked from the steps, before turning to Hyde. "I'd stay and wait with you, except then I wouldn't have anyone to walk home with." He stood, then remembered. "Oh, and my Mom says she wants to know what kind of cake you want, since it's your birthday."
"Chocolate, I guess." Hyde shrugged, not really paying attention. There was a car turning down the street. It didn't stop, just kept right on down the street.
"Okay." Eric glanced at Kelso, who was picking through the neighbor's trash can, and then back to Hyde, obviously conflicted on what he wanted to do. "Bye." He said finally, running after Kelso.
Hyde returned his full attention to the empty street. Nothing happened that afternoon either. He went inside for a few minutes to make himself a sandwich, but then it was back out to the front porch. By the time the sun set that evening, But still hadn't appeared. Hyde's mother came home from work shortly after dark, dressed in her powder blue and white waitress uniform, bracelets jangling on her wrist.
"What're you doing?" She scowled at him from behind her cigarette.
"Nothin'." He shrugged. She didn't need to know.
Edna shook her head as she pushed her way into the house. Hyde pulled his knees up to his chest and watched for headlights, still waiting. He ignored the voice in the back of his head saying his father wasn't coming, and kept telling himself it was still his birthday for a few more hours. But, nothing happened.
It didn't seem like much time had passed before Edna opened the front door. "Look, Steven, I'm locking the door now. Either you come inside, or I'm locking you out." It wasn't an idle threat, she was serious about locking him out of the house. He stood, taking one last look up and down the street before he went inside. She had been right after all; his father wasn't coming back.
~*~
"There's my little man!" Mom threw both arms around me when I wandered into the kitchen late Saturday morning, whapping me in the ear with a green and orange oven mitt. "This is the very last morning you'll be in high school!"
"Thank god." I sat down across from Dad at the kitchen table.
"Kitty, why do we have to go to this stupid thing anyway?" Dad complained, setting his newspaper down.
"Because your only son is graduating today." Mom narrowed her eyes at him. "You've been waiting for this day for the last ten years, Red Forman. And now you don't want to go?"
"Kitty, it's ruining my entire Saturday. I only get two days off, and now I have to spend one of them watching a bunch of kettle-heads parade across a stage. I just don't see the point."
"Well, I feel loved now." I stood up to grab the box of Alpha-Bits.
"The dumbass made it through high school, he's moving out, really Kitty, what more do we need?"
"We need pictures of him in his cap and gown!" Mom pounded her fist on the table. "Lots of pictures! Because after he moves out, that's all I have to remember him by, and I want all three of us in the picture, Red!"
"I'll try to graduate on a weekday next time, okay Dad?" I sat back down with my cereal.
"Where is Steven?" Mom stood up and went to yell down the basement stairs. She came back looking confused. "Sweetie, why is Fez already in the basement?"
I pressed my lips together, thinking. "Yeah, I'm not sure if he actually goes home at night."
"Oh, there you are!" Mom greeted Hyde as he came in the sliding glass door. "I've been yelling at poor sweet Fez to get you out of bed for the last hour and a half!"
Hyde glanced over at me as he sat down. The same thought was running through both our minds. Being awakened by Fez was possibly the most horrible idea ever. Fez was just... weird. It sounded worse than junior high, when Dad would pick up my mattress and literally toss me onto the floor to wake me up.
"Eric, I still have to iron your shirt." Mom was so excited she couldn't stop talking. "Steven, your good clothes for today are upstairs, okay?"
"Actually, Mrs. Forman, I'm not going." Hyde threw this tidbit of information out there casually, like he'd decided not to have orange juice.
"You're not going?" Mom repeated slowly, the tone of her voice dropping dangerously low. "Why?"
"See, he doesn't want to go either!" Dad saw a window of opportunity.
"Can it, Red! Steven, you're going to graduation!"
Oh, that wasn't good. She'd just given Hyde an ultimatum, and there was an essential part of Hyde's personality that insisted on challenging all ultimatums, no matter what they may be, or who they came from.
"No, I'm not going." Hyde repeated, standing up. "Graduation is just one of many conformist rituals in an oppressive system, and I refuse to be part of their little game!"
"Oh my God, Hyde!" I couldn't keep my mouth shut any longer. "This isn't the time for a whacko conspiracy theory! It's graduation! Your parents are coming!"
He was halfway across the kitchen by this point, but he stopped and turned around. "Yeah, actually, they're not. So, there's not really any point to me going, is there?"
"What do you mean, they're not coming?" Dad managed to spit the words out first.
"I mean they skipped town." Hyde disappeared downstairs after this matter of fact statement, leaving the rest of us to sit and stare at each other in shocked silence.
TBC...