54 Outtake: Howard Hunt 7 (1/2)

[I took Henry with me. Dad is crazy.]

The television was on in the living room, Henry sat on the couch watching his favourite show and laughing at the comedic scene on the screen. Howard was in the kitchen, preparing supper like every other day before he left for another shift at work. Their father had yet to come home and Howard felt like his times were getting later as the days passed. He watched the clock in anticipation and waited for his father to finish his shift and come home.

He knew what state he would be in. Drunk out of his mind, a blubbering mess that was blaming his children for how his life turned out. It happened every other day.

His illusions that his father was a good man had broken when he started to realize how they lived a comfortable life. His father's pay was not exorbitant, but the bribes he got was enough to keep their family fed. But since he had grown older and his reputation growing bleaker, people had stopped revering him. That brought less money to the house and therefore Howard had to go out and make sure that they had enough to keep their stomach's full.

It didn't help that his father spent his time gambling away the little money he had saved and the college fund he had spoken of when they were young, blackmailed him with to keep his son by his side had vanished over time. The debts mounted.

”You little shits,” he heard from the distance. The door to their house had been opened and closed. Howard could hear the television being switched off. He could imagine his brother's panicked state as he awaited his father's abuse.

Howard sighed as he wiped his hand on the apron and went out of the kitchen.

”Noise pollution,” he shouted, making Howard cringe. The sound was loud and in the dead of the night, he was pretty sure the whole neighbourhood could hear this one-sided conversation. ”You switch on the TV and make so much noise that the neighbours complain!” he said.

The little boy of thirteen looked peeved. He was at the age where he wanted to be rebellious, where he wanted to show how superior he was to everyone else.

”We don't make noise. You do.” There was silence for a minute. Howard moved forward wanting to keep his father at bay but was shoved aside by the man. He flew at the teenager in a rage, his fist flying.

”Father,” he screamed. Though his words were formal, nothing about his stance said so.

The younger boy kept babbling as he took punch after punch.

”They say you are an asshole. They're right,” he choked.