Smeagol's father wasn't around much. He was gone most of the time working for the dwarves in the mines. When he did come home he mostly took long baths and drank too much. Sometimes there would be fights between his father and mother in the middle of the night. This terrified Smeagol and he would shiver in fear underneath his covers as they screamed at each other. Sometimes his father would even hit his mother and had been seen cavorting with other women down at the roadhouse and all this left a dark shadow over the house.

One day Smeagol was helping his mother down at the market. They had just gotten their baskets filled with food and were ready to come home when who did they see but Smeagol's father, riding home. He was completely drunk and was barely able to sit on his horse. He had a bottle in his hand and would take drinks from it as he loudly sang a song to himself.

People in the market square were looking at him and laughing. He didn't take kindly to this and started cursing at them in the most foul language. At one point he got so angry that he lost his balance and fell off the horse right into the muddy road. As his horse continued on he just lay there, searching for his bottle.

Smeagol was incredibly ashamed. His mother put down her basket and ran ahead to catch the horse. Smeagol wished he could somehow be invisible but people were looking at him too.

His father couldn't reach his bottle and looking around for it, spied Smeagol.

"Oh hello, my dear boy," he said is a woozy tone of voice. "How about getting your poor old dad's bottle over there." He pointed at it.

Smeagol picked up all the baskets and walked as fast as he could towards his mother and the horse.

"Where are you going, you little brat? I said come here and get my lousy bottle!"

Smeagol pretended not to hear and kept going.

"When I get home I'm going to thrash you within an inch of your life! I'll teach you to run away from your dad!"

He rolled over in the mud, spreading it to cover all of his clothing.

"Why does this always happen to me?" he began to sob.