It's my sixteenth birthday. I'm sitting with Dad in his office at Fort Benning. Why am I here? I want to be anywhere else than in this second circle of Hell. The first circle is Trenton, New Jersey, in an old-fashioned neighbourhood called Chambersburg. Everyone calls the community the Burg. Mom is angry at something I did. What? I have no clue. I'm attending school in Georgia for the semester. Pfft. Who am I kidding? Dad has me in a damn boot camp.
Saint Valerie, my perfect sister, never gets into trouble. Me? Trouble is my middle name. Not really, it's Michelle, but I'm too curious to remain idle. It drives Mom insane. Sometimes I get into trouble to intentionally piss her off. It's fun to see how long it takes to make her explode.
I met some interesting people while in my version of Hell. Dad smiles as I run the drills with the others. He wants me to join the Army when I'm eighteen. His commanding officer says I can join at seventeen with his permission, but I want to finish high school. Could I use boot camp as my physical education credit? I guess it's worth a shot to ask.
Dad is teaching me Spanish, French and Italian. Keeping them straight is challenging, but he's confident I can learn them. I already speak Italian, though I'm far from fluent. We only converse in Italian at home in Georgia. Mom wants me to come home, and Dad insists I complete the year in the high school here.
They don't think I know, but hiding anything from me is hard. Dad is divorcing Mom. I wonder if it's because Dad brought me to Georgia. The last time I was home, Mom and Dad fought for hours. I could hear their argument. It's the first time I heard them in a heated discussion regarding me.
Mom never calls to wish me a happy birthday. I'm not sad because I get to spend time with Dad. He takes me to a restaurant that serves my favourite foods. I happily eat as Dad smiles in amusement. His friends, Ted Rothbridge, his wife Samantha and their five-year-old daughter, Miley, join us for dinner. We are having fun as I tolerate the cheesy song from the restaurant staff to celebrate my birthday. Miley laughs and claps.
~~~~~~~
Two days after my birthday, I'm stuck running drills with the boot camp teens. I swear Ted makes me work harder than the others. Whatever, Uncle Ted. I accept your challenge. Bring it on!
"Again!" Sergeant Ted Rothbridge yells. I resist the urge to smart off. It will amuse Dad but earn me twenty push-ups from Rothbridge. The boy standing beside me conceals a snort when Rothbridge approaches me. "Is something amusing, soldier?"
"No, Sir," I reply. His dark blue eyes stare into mine, willing me to say something, anything sarcastic. I see the spark of amusement dancing in his eyes. He's baiting me.
"Why are you here, soldier?" he demands. Rothbridge is standing close enough to feel his breath on my forehead. I feel the sweat on my brow as I try to think of an answer which doesn't result in doing push-ups.
"My mom is a bitch, and Dad dragged me here, Sir," I reply honestly. The boys beside me snort as they try hard not to laugh.
"Plummeri, give me twenty," Rothbridge orders. I drop to the ground and do twenty sloppy push-ups. It's the best I can do. I'm not surprised when he orders me to do another ten. My arms strain as I force them to push my body up.
I stand at attention once I complete the set. The boy beside me whispers, "Nice," when my stomach rumbles. I'm always hungry.
Sergeant Rothbridge dismisses us for lunch. I watch the blond-haired boy run past me. He has to be the first in line. It's not like we're going to run out of food. The name on his shirt says Santos. His friend, Brown, chases after him. I roll my eyes before running. Feeling a sudden burst of energy, I slip into the line ahead of Santos.
"Hey," Santos whines. "How did you get here so fast?"
"I don't know. Maybe I had a burst of energy?" I reply, making Brown laugh—my brows furrow. A burst of energy is how I beat Santos.
"She's fast, Lester," Brown says.
"Shove it, Bobby," Lester snaps. Lester is irritated about not being the fastest runner in boot camp.
Lester grabs a tray and passes it to me. I thank him for his thoughtfulness and walk to the first station, where a woman serves the food. It isn't the same woman who usually works in the mess hall. She puts a small scoop on the tray. "Are you trying to starve me to death?" I ask, challenging her to add more. The woman raises a brow as she gives me another spoonful of potatoes. I move along the line until my tray overflows with food.
Spotting Dad across the room, I walk to his table and sit across from him. "Did you get enough to eat?" Dad teases.
"For now," I reply. Dad shakes his head as I eat.
Bobby and Lester sit at the table with the other teens in boot camp. They watched in awe as I ate everything on my tray and the food Dad couldn't finish from his. I notice them staring, and I shrug. It isn't my fault I can eat a lot.
"Dad, why am I here?" I ask.
"Protection," Dad replies.
"From whom?"
"Yourself. Pumpkin, things around you tend to explode. I'm not talking about your mother's temper. When you get mad, things catch fire," Dad explains.
"You've been watching too many science fiction shows, Dad. Are you accusing me of causing the fires?" I ask.
Dad laughs and shakes his head. He knows I'm teasing. Dad would never accuse me of breaking the law or destruction of property. "Pumpkin, you know I'm not," Dad says.
"But it's an odd thing to happen. I don't understand how the go-cart caught fire," I laugh. Mom says I was responsible for it catching on fire, but the owner of the ride at Point Pleasant says there was a short in the track ceiling. My car may have been the first to set ablaze, but others shorted out. I saw a spark and jumped from my car.
"I'm still trying to figure that one out," Dad chuckles. "I didn't have to pay for damages. The insurance company covered the repairs."
"Mom still grounded me," I laugh.
"That's why you're here," Dad says, surprising me.
"Are you serious? I'm here because Mom said I intentionally caught the go-cart on fire?" I'm shaking in fury. Dad gently touches my arm, and I immediately calm.
"Your ears were smoking," Dad jokes. I roll my eyes and get up from the table.
"Nice one, Dad," I mumble.
"Don't anger Ted," Dad warns. I giggle and leave the table. His eyes are watching as I return my tray to the dishes trolly. I wave over my shoulder as I leave the mess hall. Dad's chuckle follows me from the room.
I don't believe that it is my fault things spontaneously combust when I'm around. Mom makes it seem like I purposely ignited the items. I never carry a lighter or matches. How am I supposed to set something on fire without a way to start it? Mom's logic is faulty.
Dad thinks it's an ability like the unmentionables. He says I will meet the others when I come into power. I return to the grounds where Sergeant Rothbridge awaits our arrival. He winks at me when nobody else is watching. Most of the boys in the boot camp are afraid of him. I find it hilarious. However, when I'm in the group, Ted treats me the same as the others. It's refreshing.
I was exhausted when I returned to Dad's home—the afternoon seemed to fly past as Sergeant Rothbridge made us run the obstacle course. I loved that part of the training. Santos and I made a silent bet. He only won by a few seconds because I struggled on the rope wall. I can't believe I lost to Lester Santos. Knowing him, I'll have to do some menial or derogatory tasks.
"Going to bed?" Dad asks.
"Yup. I'm too tired to keep my eyes open," I confess. Dad side-hugs me and lets me go to bed. I'm asleep within minutes.
The routine continued until Christmas. Dad and I drove to Trenton for dinner with the family after spending Thanksgiving in Georgia. I'd rather be anywhere than in the first circle of Hell with the she-devil I call Mom.
My chest feels tight as Dad parks in the driveway of my childhood home. I sense impending doom or something equivalent. Mom smiles when she sees me, making me believe there's hope of us getting along for a change.
"Frank," Mom grumbles as Dad passes her in the doorway. He nods and goes to the kitchen to hug Valerie, who is helping Mom cook Christmas dinner. Grandma is setting the table. I notice there's enough for eight.
"Hi, Grandma," I greet. "Who's coming for dinner?"
Grandma rolls her eyes, making me smile, "Steve Sutton and Joseph Morelli. Steve insisted on inviting his best friend."
"Oh joy," I sarcastically sigh. I wonder if Daddy would let me attend school in Georgia next semester, too.
"He's only here for a few days," Grandma says, looking over her shoulder to ensure nobody is listening to our conversation. "If he tries anything funny, use those skills you learned in boot camp."
"Okay," I roll my eyes and help with the silverware. Once I place the glasses for drinks, there's hardly room available for the serving trays. "Wow. We're going all out this year."
Grandma giggles. I stare at the place settings. The entrée fork is to the left of the salad fork, which is to the immediate left of the plate. At the right of the plate sits a salad knife and the entrée knife. The dessert fork and dessert spoon are above the plate. A smaller plate with a butter knife is above the forks to the left of the dessert utensils, with wine and water glasses to the right. The cloth napkin sits to the left of the forks. I shake my head and enter the kitchen to help with the service platters.
Valerie and I carry the food to the table. I see Joe Morelli sitting beside Steve, leaving the empty seat between him and Dad. Grandma grimaces when Valerie slips into the seat across Steve, forcing me to sit beside Joe.
I take my seat and move closer to Dad, to my right. Joe grabs my napkin as I reach for it. "Your napkin is to your left," I calmly say, tugging mine from his hand. Our fingers brush, and I suppress the involuntary shiver of disgust.
"Sorry," he smoothly replies.
Mom slams the salad on the table, clearly upset about making it for dinner. Dad and I grin and dig in. We're the only ones to take any. I fill my plate with turkey, potatoes, stuffing and green beans before covering it all in turkey gravy. Valerie's mouth is open in surprise. She likely thought I wouldn't eat as much of the other foods after consuming a plate of salad.
"Where have you been?" Joe asks when I shove a forkful of meat and gravy into my mouth.
I chew and swallow before answering, "With Dad." Joe glances at Mom and raises a brow. Mom nods.
"When are you moving back home?" Joe wonders.
"Never," I reply. Mom slams her hands on the table. She's ready to scream when Dad pins her with a glare.
"That isn't true. You'll be living here soon enough," Mom claims.
"Over my dead body," I mumble in Spanish. Dad chuckles and continues eating dinner. I follow his lead.
After dinner, I help Grandma and Valerie with the dishes as Mom prepares the whipped cream for the pies. As much as I like pie, I don't want to stay longer. Valerie keeps talking about her plans with Steve for New Year's Eve. She invited Joe and me to attend their party. I excuse myself before I vomit.
Steve is talking to Dad when I enter the living room. Grandpa Mazur is taking an after-dinner nap. Joe Morelli is missing. I hear the toilet flush upstairs. It takes Joe several minutes to come downstairs. I hear the creak of the floorboards in my bedroom. My eyes narrow as I catch him shoving something into his pocket. He doesn't see me and goes to the dining room for dessert.
I slip upstairs to search my bedroom and find the dresser drawer, where I keep my underwear, messy. It's usually neat with everything folded. A pair of underwear is missing. I wore the panties once, got a horrible wedgie, and never wore them again. The g-string panties were black and lacy. I thump my hand against my forehead and groan when I suddenly recall the story of Carl Schaefer getting caught sniffing his sister's dirty underwear. Norah told everyone she saw. The neighbourhood mothers kept Carl away from their daughters, calling him a pervert.
Mom calls upstairs for me to join them for dessert. I quietly slip into the washroom to flush the toilet and wash my hands. As far as Mom knows, I had to use the bathroom.
Dad meets me at the bottom of the stairs with my coat. He helps me slip into it and says, "Sorry, Helen. I promised Mom that Stephanie and I would join them for dessert."
Anger flickers across Mom's face before she smiles sweetly, "Thank you for coming today, Frank. I know it must have been difficult sharing a meal with your soon-to-be ex-wife."
Lowering his voice, Dad says, "I came here to keep my daughter protected from you."
Mom gasps in shock. She doesn't say another word as Dad and I leave the house.