I dreamt about the woman all night. She was the first woman I had seen other than Ma and I was curious of where she came from and where she was going. I thought about her face, smoother than Ma's and much more beautiful. Her hair which seemed to be soft, unlike the matted mess my Ma called hair.
I wondered what her life was like. Was it like mine? No. She was too beautiful for that. She looked warmed, loved. At least, I think that's what it looked like.
"Where are ya boy?" my thoughts of my dreams were cut short by Pa's hollering.
Quickly I was thrown from my thoughts and safety and returned to the cold hard ground I had passed out on. The raining had stopped, I could see the rays of the sun come shinning through the cracks and holes in the roof. I slept pretty well. The ground was damp, but not soaked with puddles. The fresh air had woken me up feeling good. That is, until the pain on the back of my head returned.
I slowly pushed myself up and sat looking straight in front of me. I took my hand and brushed it on the back of my skull. I could feel the dry blood and the sensitive wound, but it didn't hurt too much. I wasn't sure if it would leave any effects on me though.
"Yu 'n 'ere boy?" the door of the shed creaked open as Pa walked in.
For a split second I could feel the warmth of the sun on my skin as it tried to soothe my cold body. Pa covered it though as he walked closer to me.
"Skunk, git up boy, yu got werk tu du," I put my hands on my knees and pushed myself up.
Pa had me work in the basement all day. Just moving things from one side of the room to the other, but organizing them and throwing away things that he saw was garbage. He just sat there for most of the time. It used to make me uncomfortable but I am used to his constant staring.
After a quick lunch of some bread and watered down soup, I was back to work inside the basement. Pa was gone but he trusted that I would know what was garbage and what was to be kept and stored.
Before I knew it, yet another day was over and the sun had already long set. I didn't know because I was in a dark basement, that only had one broken down lamp to illuminate it. I had finished pretty much all the work, just had to sweep up and clean out all the junk.
As I was reaching over for the broom I heard the door close and someone walk down the steps. At first it was to dark to notice who was walking down the stairs but after a few steps I could see Pa's face. As his body was brought into the light I could see that he no longer had his clothes on.
"Ma's asleep and I dun't want tu bother 'er, but I'm horny," he brought out from behind him, Old Lucky, "Take off yer clothes boy."
I didn't know what to think, but I didn't want to get hurt, so I followed what he wanted and removed my shirt and ripped pants. My naked body showed itself off to his and he began to become excited. He began to whip me, not hard but still enough to hurt and received great pleasure from it.
After about a few minutes he told me to gently grab him and rub it softly. I was scared now. I didn't want to do it. Why was Pa acting this way? He held up Old Lucky and I knew there was no way I was going to get out of this alive unless I please Pa the way he wanted.
I came up to him and put my hand on him and could feel the veins under my palm. It pulsated with his heart and began to move. He groaned loudly and began to rub my scared body. I could feel the tears rushing from my eyes, but they just excited him further and he began to spank me.
The smell of sour milk rushed through my nose and I felt myself begin to cough over the horrid smell, but I kept the coughing inside of me. Just as he was stroking the front of my body, there was a knock from the door upstairs and Pa jumped. He finished himself off on the ground and grabbed his clothes he left on the stairs and closed the door behind him, leaving me naked in the cold basement.
I wiped my eyes, brushing the warm tears onto my arm. Still, even through this I was curious as to who had knocked on the door. It was very rare for guests to come over. The only one I can actually remember is my Aunt Meg. I had almost removed the images I remember from when she came over. When they locked me up in the closet for a few days; nothing around but their feces and Pa's urine. It was all because I said something Aunt Meg didn't like. I never spoke after that.
When I was fully dressed I walked up the stairs and looked out the door to listen for Pa and the stranger. I could hear two people whispering but I couldn't understand what they were saying so I carefully crept up. I hid behind a little table with a vase on the top of it.
"Whet cin I du ya fer?" I could hear Pa's voice.
"Is there a young boy that lives at this house?" It was another man's voice but I had no idea what he looked like.
I slowly crept my eye out from the table that kept me safe. When my left eye was far enough around the corner I could see that it was a black man. He was very tall, at least a foot taller than Pa. He was wearing very fancy dress pants and dress shoes that sparkled when my eyes caught them. His shirt was dark blue and a black tie with the tip curled backwards, making it look like it was cut it in half. That was the first time I ever saw a tie. Over his shirt and tie he had a well pressed black jacket. On top of his head he wore a black dress hat that he removed in front of Pa before he spoke next.
"Mind if I come in," he smiled showing his ivory teeth.
They were so beautiful. I've never seen such white teeth. They made me feel like ripping mine eyes out in shame. Well, at least mine weren't decaying yet like Ma's and Pa's. I looked past him and could see that it was raining. I didn't even hear it.
"Sure yu cin come 'n. Wut's t'is yu want tu know about a kid?"
He walked in and brushed himself off on the dirty doormat.
"I'll answer that," I hear a woman's voice.
Out of no where a woman just stepped inside. She had a red raincoat on and her soft brown hair, which looked like it didn't get wet at all, covered her face. She wasn't too tall, I think a little taller than Ma and a little shorter than Pa. The parts of her face that were showing were smooth. Her lips were fiery red like her raincoat. It felt as though I had seen her before. However, I didn't do anything I just kept staring.
"My name is Ms. Sarah Johnson and this is my close friend Mr. Robert Bois," she pointed over to him and he did a little bow with his hat next to his chest while saying sir.
Before the woman continued she brushed the hair out of her eyes. I could see her glasses and her blue eyes. My heart stopped and flew down deep inside my stomach. It was the woman from the car that drove by yesterday.
She continued, "Yesterday, I saw a child playing in the rain during the night. I've never seen his face before and since this is such a small town I was wondering if he lived here?"
Pa didn't want to lie because he knew he could get in trouble, "Yea, there is a boy 'ere. 'e was outside just being a crazy kid. Ma and me told 'im tu run back 'n after we noticed he was gone."
"We'll, Robert and I are teachers at the school closest to here, Jackson Junior High School. We were wondering why your song isn't attending school?"
Before Pa could make up some lie to save his skin another voice was emerged, "We can't send him to school, because we have no way of getting him there," it was Ma and she was right behind me!
I backed up against the wall and Ma didn't even seem to care that I was sitting there. She was all dressed up in pants and a shirt and walked over to the door where the two strangers and Pa stood. She smiled at the two strangers with a big innocent grin.
"Hello Mrs.?" Ms. Johnson stopped speaking.
"Please, let's not get formal. You can call me Ma, everyone does," I had never heard Ma speak with such good pronunciation.
"Well Mrs., I mean Ma, what we came here to do, is to tell you that your son needs to attend school. It is against the law and with this town being as small as it is we can't just over look it."
I looked at Pa, he's gotten really quiet. He knows that Ma is thinking of a lot of things to say and that him speaking would just mess it all up.
Ma responded with a sad, innocent, sincere response, "Of course I would, but we really have no way of getting him to school. My car is broken and neither of us work It is just too much of a hassle to travel those miles each day."
There was silence…everyone exchanged glances and the rain continued to drop on the roof.
Ma's eyes shot up and she gave out a giant smile, "I got it! Why don't you come by in the morning and take him then?"
The woman thought for a moment, "I can't do that. My own car isn't working at the moment, and no one I know lives out in this remote area. You are the last house in the area so anyone would have to go out of their way to reach here."
Again silence. I see myself constantly looking into her eyes so I turned away and continue to listen.
"How about this then?" she asks, "What if you take him from us for a while, just until we can get our own means of transportation?"
My eyes widen, Ma's given me away?
"I couldn't possible do that, I live in a small house and I have no kids or anyone else living there. Besides, won't you miss your son?"
Ma tells close to the truth, "The thing is," she pauses for a moment, "That boy ain't really ours. We are his guardians while his real parents are off goofing around in Paris. They told us that they wouldn't be back for a year or so. We weren't expecting him to be living here with us either. That's why this house seems so bad and unfit for a child. My husband and I are retired and we would rather just relax on our final years."
"Nonsense Ma, you don't look past forty-five," the woman wasn't to far off from Ma's real age.
"Bless you child, I do what I can."
The woman thinks for a moment, I keep staring at her, "If that is the only way, then I guess we have no choice. I'll look after him for a while until you can provide your own means of transportation. Are you sure you want to part from him?"
"It's fine. The boy needs to go out and experience the world anyway," Ma turns to me with a smile, and something inside me breaks and I feel a great pain in my chest, I want to run away.
"All right," she responds, "I'll go get things ready, and I'll come by tomorrow at noon to get him. School starts Monday."
"All right child," Ma waves at him and at the man.
Both the woman and man bow and take their leave.
As soon as they walk out the door and to their car, Ma shuts the door and bangs her fist on the wall, "That bitch and that nigger trying to tell me what to do? I've nev'r been so god fucking damned insulted in my life," she pauses for a moment, "You!" she screams at me and my eyes widen, "Come here boy!"
Like an obedient dog I move closer. Pa is still silent and stares at me.
"You tell them about anything you've done or seen in this house, and the factory will be the last thing on your mind to worry about. You got that boy?" Ma was yelling so close to my face I could feel her spit landing on my cheeks, "This is all your fault boy! Go get in the closet!"
My heart is pounding so fast I feel like its going to jump right out of my throat. I slowly move to the closet and Ma ties me up. Ma doesn't beat me with Old Lucky, she doesn't want any marks for the woman to see. She just kicks me in the stomach, my eyes go dark and next I can feel Pa urinating in my hair as I dangle from left to right.