Chapter 37

A Hard Rain Is Gonna Fall

I now understand what my friends always gripe about. Mothers can be a pain in the butt. My room had to stay clean, my clothes folded and put away, I had to take care of the dog, take out the trash and sometimes vacuum. I didn't have to vacuum at Uncle Jimmy's even though I used to have chores when I stayed there (I hadn't stayed over for a long time.) But, since Auri moved in, I had to vacuum once a week along the upstairs hall and my bedroom. I didn't understand why it had to be done every week since we have wood floors, but that didn't seem to matter to Auri.

I was in my room, playing Grand Theft Auto, minding my own business, when the door flew open and Auri, her face tight and angry, started to yell, "What were you thinking? What in the world were you thinking?"

I said nothing, because I was thinking nothing, I was playing. It was then that I tried to read her mind and got blasted.

Furey, get out of my mind! Now!

The thoughts were so powerful, so loud, that I immediately withdrew and looked down. "Auri, I don't know what you're talking about. I was just trying to figure out what I did wrong." It was a lie, I knew what I had done wrong. I was just surprised that it took her long to discover it. I was trying to figure out how much trouble I was in.

"Didn't you think I'd miss the $20?"

I couldn't look at her, "But, my Dad always tells me to take money from his wallet for what I need."

I could tell that she was having a hard time controlling her anger. She took a deep breath, walked away for a minute and came back. Her voice was mean, deep, "You know that you have to ask first before your Dad let's you take the money from his wallet. What made you think you could go into my purse, my wallet, without my permission and get the money?"

"You were in the shower and I was leaving for school. I needed it for school." I knew immediately that she would think I needed it for a school project and if she found out that wasn't true, I'd be in even more trouble, so I tried to make it clear, "I mean that I needed to give it to someone at school…not for school."

Her eyes flared up again, "What did you buy with it?"

I didn't mean to, but my eyes darted to the television and back.

She realized right away that I had bought the game I was playing. "What is this?' She said walking over to look at the TV. "A new game?"

"I got it for $20 from a kid at school. His Mom made him sell it. It's a real deal, this is the latest version, $60 in the stores. Please Auri? I'm sorry, I'll never do it again."

She looked at the screen, I had paused it. The scene was frozen with people being splattered on the sidewalk. "Is that blood?" She turned and looked at me, "Answer me. Is that supposed to be blood?"

I knew what was coming, "Yeah."

She started looking around my room, "Where's the jacket for the game…the cover?"

I reluctantly handed it to her, the large M clearly displayed in the corner.

She shook her head and took a deep breath, "Take it out of the console."

"Ah, Auri, Dad let's me watch R rated movies. He doesn't mind."

She looked in my eyes to call my bluff, "I'll talk to your Dad."

I was so angry. I had been the big guy on campus walking around with the game in my backpack. All my friends were scheduled to come over on the weekend to play it. Now I was going to look like a loser with Auri and Dad taking it away from me. I took the game out of the console and exploded, "I hate you! I hate you, I hate your baby. Dad and I were doing just fine before you started living with us!" I put the game in the cover and tossed it at her. I threw myself on my bed, face down, "I wish you'd go away, go back to California." I lifted my head and looked at her, she looked sad, "I wish we'd never met you."

We were both silent and then Auri gave me a nod, "You're Dad will talk to you and decide what your punishment should be when he gets home." Auri shut the door and I banged my fist against my pillow.

Around 6 pm Auri opened my door without knocking.

I snapped, "Don't you knock?"

I could feel a wave of anger from her, but then it was gone, "Your Dad is going to be late. Do you have any homework this weekend?"

I shook my head.

"I have dinner ready, come down and eat. You can come back up and pout after you eat."

In my best pissed off voice, I mumbled, "I'm not hungry."

"Fine." She closed the door and went downstairs.

I waited another hour, hoping Dad would get home. I could get him to see it my way and then I'd get to eat, I was starving. Another hour passed and I realized I was going to have to swallow my words, go downstairs and get something to eat. But then I heard the front door open. I took off down the stairs in the hopes that I could get to Dad first. He was hanging up his motorcycle jacket and she had just walked out of the kitchen to greet him.

"Dad!" I smiled, looking furtively at Auri. "Dad…"

Dad looked at me, then at Auri, realizing something was wrong, "Whoa, whoa…just a second dude."

"But, Dad, Dad! I need to tell you something!"

Auri looked really mad, "Greg, Furey and I have a problem. I need to talk to you."

He nodded at Auri, "Okay, as soon as I talk to him, he asked first." My Dad turned to me, but we both looked back at Auri.

The blast of anger she was sending our way was overwhelming. "Greg! This isn't first come, first serve! I'm the adult and if I say I need to talk to you, you talk to me!"

I was actually afraid. This was a deal breaker. If my Dad talked to me first, Auri was so angry, I had a feeling she'd leave, just walk out. I was going to tell Dad to talk to Auri, as much as I hated Auri, I really wanted her to marry Dad. Dad looked at me and then back at Auri.

"Sorry Dude, pissed off fiancé outranks naughty son. I better find out what you did and get back to you."

I was actually relieved, but I still gave them both dirty looks and went up the stairs. I tried to figure out why Auri had turned into Attila the Hun. Lately, she'd been yelling a lot at me, especially as we got closer to the wedding, which was going to be the Saturday after next.

I heard a little yelling downstairs so I crept to the top of the landing and listened. I could only make out some of it.

"You can't protect him! He stole from my wallet!"

"Like the kid says, I always tell him to get the money from my wallet."

"Yeah, but after he asks! He didn't ask!"

"Calm down! You're making a mountain out of a molehill."

"What? You can't really mean that? Your son took $20 from my wallet to buy a game that he knows he's not allowed to have!"

"What game?"

"Great Auto Thefts!"

"Uh…Grand Theft Auto? How ironic that he would steal the money to buy that."

"Greg!"

"Okay, I'll talk to him."

"Talk?" she yelled.

"Well, what do you suggest?"

There was quiet and then they walked into the kitchen where their voices became muffled. I couldn't take it; I listened to Auri's thoughts.

He's not taking me seriously. He's poo-pooing this as if it's nothing! How are we ever going to agree on how to raise the baby if his idea of discipline is to say, "Naughty, naughty!" I can't do this. The wedding plans are falling apart, the baby hasn't kicked yet, I feel tired all the time and now Furey hates me! I just want to go away, hide my head in the sand. I feel like running away from these two as fast as I can. I was a fool to think I could be a good parent to a ten year old. He's never going to listen to me.

I heard something break in the kitchen, a glass and then some mumbling. I ran up the stairs just in time to hear my Dad climbing the steps. My door opened and there was my Dad, shaking his head. He came over, grabbed a couple of tennis balls and started juggling them. Standing in front of me, the lime green tennis balls were being tossed in rapid succession. I often wondered what my Dad was like before his bad leg. He's so coordinated and really energetic at times; I bet he was fun. I know he played sports because I see old equipment in the closets and photos of him playing tennis, golf, LaCross and I think, soccer.

He didn't even pause the juggling, "Well Dude, you screwed up. You took money without permission and you spent it on a game you know is rated M."

I jumped to my defense, "But you let me watch R rated movies!"

"Yeah, well, you can kiss that goodbye. Your new stepmother is probably going to put an end to that."

My mouth opened in disappointment, "Dad, you have to be the man, tell her she can't tell us what to do."

"Yeah, right. Not, if I want to get lucky in this lifetime. I'm afraid she can tell us what to do; at least, she has to think she can. Dude, the reality is that there's a new Sheriff in town and she's pissed."

"Daaaad! But, I always get money out of your wallet."

"But, only after I tell you to." He put the balls on the ground, "You knew this was a bad idea. The fact that you didn't even talk to Auri or me about buying the game is pre-teen sign language for, "I'm gonna try and get this one past my folks.""

I clenched my teeth, "She's not my folk…she's nobody to me."

He snickered, "Look, if she doesn't piss you off at least once a day, then she's not being a very good mother. You're traveling through the hormonal rollercoaster of pre-adolescence and you're gonna do a lot of things that are going to piss us both off. It's a good thing she's here; I forget that you're a kid sometimes. She doesn't. And she may be nobody to you, but she loves you. You're lucky that you have two parental units that love you."

"She's not my parent!"

"She is and she isn't. I expect you to treat her with respect and do what she says." He sighed, "She says I have to dole out the discipline because you're my kid, but believe me, if she tells you to do something, you better do it. Shit rolls downhill and if she gives me a bawling out like I just got, you're going to get the other end of it."

"I hate her. I hate the baby. I hate this wedding."

"You're entitled. Lucky for us, I think she's hot. The fact that she saved my son, not once, but twice and is here to make us dinner, run you to soccer games and plan for us to go out on the weekends, is a big plus in her favor. You know you'd never have gone to half the places we went this summer if Auri hadn't been here. So, go ahead and hate her, hate your brother, hate the wedding, but remember that she loves you and that's not going to change."

He got up to leave, "Oh, I'm keeping the game at work and you can get it back when you turn 14. In the meantime, you have to do chores to pay Auri back, starting tomorrow. And, if I were you, I wouldn't be messing around at the wedding. Behave at the wedding and I bet a lot of your sins will be forgiven. Now, come down and get some food, Auri's worried because you haven't eaten."

I was angry at him for giving in to her, for punishing me, "I'm not hungry."

"Bullshit. Now get downstairs or I'll start getting pissed and, remember, you just got a new computer…don't push it."

I remembered him throwing my old one out the window when he got mad, so I made my way downstairs and walked into the kitchen behind him. Auri said nothing to me, but I could feel her. It was an odd mixture of annoyance and affection. I wasn't sure if she wanted to swat me or hug me. She put a plate in front of me with something made of chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes. It was really good or maybe I was really hungry, but I finished it quickly and then, without a word, Auri put a bowl of ice cream in front of me and a small glass of milk. I watched her as she cleared the counter and then went over by Dad. He was reading a journal, but without even looking up, he put his arm around her and gave her a quick hug. She put her arm around him and kissed his cheek then walked out to the living room. I didn't know what I should do. Normally, on a Friday night, if no one was spending the night, my family would watch a DVD or TV together. I rinsed my dishes and stood in the middle of the kitchen. Dad pushed his plate towards me.

"Rinse that for me dude."

I rinsed it for him and then I stood with my hands in my pocket.

"Let me give you a clue, if you're ready to forgive and forget, Auri's feeling pretty sad, thinking you don't love her, she might like a hug or something like that."

I nodded, I was feeling bad. Auri took good care of Dad and me. She made Dad take us out each weekend if I wasn't off doing something. She helped me with my homework and she always made sure I had lunch or lunch money. I liked it when she played games with me, sometimes playing Wii sports. So I went out to the living room. Approaching the couch, I could feel her; she was curious. I sat down less than a foot from her and then crawled over and leaned on her. I put my head on her shoulder. She put her arm around me and we watched television until ten when they finally sent me to bed.