Love Thy Neighbor

'Ok, its almost 6. Food is on the table. Children are clean and our oldest is doing good in 3rd grade I'm so proud of him and our daughter is doing well in kindergarten as well. The mail and his slippers are next to his favorite chair. All the labels in the cabinet are front facing and in alphabetical order. The living room is spotless. Ok, Madeline just relax for a few minutes,' Madeline thought out to herself.

She paced back and forward in the living room. Her children, nine year old Cody and five year old Lekki were playing loudly outside in their small backyard. When their father wasn't home it was their chance to be little kids. The children were playing an epic game of hiding seek with their next door neighbor friends Luke and his younger sister Lucy Callaghan. Madeline kept the backyard screen door open so that she could yell for the children to come back inside and bid their friends goodbye.

'Ten minutes late. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing? He hasn't called and I dare not call him. He might feel that I am rushing him or something,' Madeline thought to herself.

She went back to the small kitchen and made sure that the fried chicken, mash potatoes, green beans, rolls and the sugar and chocolate chip cookies were still warm.

Click Clank Slam Clunk Click

She heard the front door unlock, open, close, and lock.

Thud Scrap

The keys thrown on the side table that was where her husband, Lester Davidson, placed his keys every evening.

Creak Creak Creak Creak Creak Creak

Lester was walking to the living and sitting in his favorite chair. Madeline panicked because the children were still loudly playing outside and not inside ready to eat dinner. She quietly tiptoed to the kitchen window and waved for Cody to come inside with his sister. Madeline was relieved that her son saw her and nodded his head. He grabbed Lekki's hand and bid the neighbors a good night.

::: :::

"Hey, Cody. Did you ask your mom about coming to my birthday party next week? We are going to Discovery Pizza and spending the night at my house. My dad is paying for everything. You just need to bring clothes to change into. I really want my best friend to come. Please ask your mom," Luke told Cody.

"I'll a-ask at dinner. We gotta go in. I'll see you on the bus in the morning! Oh, hey did you finish that project we suppose to turn in next Monday," Cody asked grabbing his sister's hand again after she hugged Lucy.

"Oh yeah. Nope, are you finished with the project?" Luke asked.

"Almost. I have some things I need to finish," Cody said blushing because he was actually finished with it and ready to turn his poster in.

"You've finished haven't you. I bet you get all A's on your report card don't ya?" Luke asked with a playful smirk.

"I have to or else," Cody said hiding his eyes behind his black bangs, trying to turn away from Luke.

"What does that suppose to mean?" Luke asked stopping his friend he's known forever.

"I gotta go before I get in trouble. My dad might-," Cody was interrupted when he heard the screen door open.

"Cody! What the fuck is taking you so long? Dinner is done. Say goodbye to your friend and get in here now. Don't let me repeat myself,"Lester yelled at his son.

"Ye-yes Daddy. Luke I gotta go. I'll see you at school tomorrow," Cody said grabbing his sister's hand tighter and running to the screen door.

'He has a scary dad,' Luke thought while grabbing his sister 's hand to leave.

::: :::

"What have I said about having me wait for you to come inside. Hurry and wash up before I beat your ass. Take your sister to wash up too. You have two minutes and after that I am coming with my belt," his dad said unbuckling his black leather belt from around his waist.

"Ye-yes sir," Cody said and picked up his sister to head to the one bathroom in the house they were allowed to use.

Madeline heard the entire exchange.

'He was the one that was late. Why is he taking his anger out on his only son? I'm sorry Cody, you deserve better baby,' Madeline thought to herself as she dished out the food onto the plates.

She placed the largest portion of food on her husband's plate and smaller portions on the three other plates. She poured water in three cups and placed a beer can next to her husband's plate of food. Her husband walked into the dining room section that was to the left of the kitchen. He sat down and began to eat without the rest of his family. Cody walked into the dining room and sat in his spot after he helped his sister into her chair that was across from himself.

"Daddy! Can I show you what I drew today after dinner?" his five year old asked excitedly.

Her father stopped eating and looked at Madeline to answer for him. Lester was eating and trying to unwind from a stressful and tiring day. He had to come back to this shitty house with a nagging wife and disobedient kids. He was trying to eat his food and his latest oops opened her mouth.

"Lekki, baby. Let your dad eat in peace. He has had a long day and is tired. You can show him later," Madeline told her disappointed daughter while she sat down to begin eating her meager portion of food.

"But Mommy. Lucy shows her dad her drawings and he puts them on the fridge. She says that he loves her drawings because her daddy says he loves her everyday," Lekki said pouting and pushing her potatoes around in her plate.

Sometimes the black haired, blue eyed child never understood why she wasn't allowed to talk to her dad or show him any of her pictures. She remembered she showed Lucy's dad one of her drawings and he gave her a hug and told her that she could be a famous artist or draw pictures for books when she got older. She even let Lucy's dad have some of her pictures she drew and colored. She wanted her dad to tell her and do that, be interested in her. Basically be more like Lucy's dad.

'I wish Lucy's dad was my dad,' Lekki thought to herself.

"Lekki, shh. You can show me when we are done eating dinner. Sorry Dad for Lekki bothering you," Cody whispered while shoveling the rest of his potatoes and green beans in his mouth.

The man of the house looked at his children and his wife. He shook his head, he knew that the time was near for his decision.

"Um, Momma, I have a question," Cody began speaking meekly.

"What is it hun," Madeline stopped eating and looked at her son.

"Luke is having a birthday party next week and he is having it at Discovery Pizza. Then afterwards is going to have a sleep over. He said that his dad is paying for everything. He-he really wants me to go. Can I go please?" Cody asked his mom trying to pull the puppy eyes.

"No."

Cody turned his head towards his dad and tried not to cry. He really wanted to go. He knew that his family wasn't well off like his friend Luke and that this was more than likely the only time he could go. Then his dad up'd and said no.

'Life is so unfair. Mom is definitely not going to let me go now. Another birthday party I will miss,' Cody thought gulping down his silent sobs.

Madeline saw the disappointment in her son's eyes. She didn't see the problem with him going. They have known their next door neighbors for years. She got along with the wife before she left her family and the husband she believed she met him like twice in the 7 years of living in their house. She didn't say anything and just shook her head.

Dinner continued on with forks scraping the plates, silent chewing, and breathing.

No one was allowed to hold long conversations of unnecessary chit chat during dinner. Life in the Davidsons' house was...straining.

::: :::

Callaghan Household

"Luke, Lucy wash up and come eat dinner!" their dad yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

"Ok Daddy!" Luke yelled down and got his sister from her room.

Luke and Lucy walked down the stairs and stopped. They stuck their tongue out and scrunched up their nose. They weren't sure if what they were smelling was food or something was dying like a moose.

The smell was horrific it made their stomach churn.

"Lucky, what is that smell?" Lucy asked while covering her nose and mouth trying to turn to go back up stairs.

"Gym socks, spoiled raw chicken, boiled slowly in brussel sprouts and liver with five day old roadkill simmering heavily in cinnamon. Also known as dinner.

"Come on Lucy. I-it's going to fine. I bet Dad worked really uhm hard at making dinner for us. Just try and eat it. If he ask how it taste don't throw up. Just say it was good ok," Luke said and looked in his sister's amber colored eyes.

"Isn't that lying? Daddy told us to never lie to him," Lucy pointed out to her older brother.

'She got me there,' Luke thought while scratching his black haired head.

"Do you want to make Daddy cry?" Luke asked his sister.

She shook her head no.

"Come on you two! You don't want the food to fly away," their dad said and chuckled at his joke.

"So we are going to eat something that is still alive Lucky?" Lucy asked with her amber eyes growing big and her tan skin turning slightly green.

"Just eat it, ok," Luke said and grabbed his reluctant sister's hand and continued down the steps.

Unfortunately, the smell got worse and the kitchen looked like a battle was waged and the victor was still unclear.

"Come on, I made something really special. I made spaghetti and meatballs in green onion soup. For dessert we will be having key lime and watermelon custard pie. So dig in," their dad said smiling.

The children just shook their heads and sat in their respective spots. Lucy got her fork and could have sworn her meatball rolled on it's own. She looked at Luke and shook her head that she couldn't eat this. She was afraid. The black haired, amber eyed five year old girl wished that she had a mommy like her best friend Lekki's mom. Lekki's mom cooked the most amazing food in Lucy's book. Her food didn't sound, smell or look weird like when her dad cooks. She loved him but not his cooking.

'Lekki is so lucky to have a mom. I wish Lekki's mom was my mom,' Lucy thought.

Luke looked at his food and there was a lot of burnt noodles. He picked up his fork to eat the noodles that swam, soaked, and settled in the slightly green soup. Luke internally wondered how can you mess up noodles...right?! His dad can. There were five different stages of the noodles on his plate. Uncooked, perfect, soggy, mushy, and burnt. He tried to swallow the food down his throat but it wouldn't go down. His gag reflexes refused for the noodles and soup to travel down his throat to his stomach. His stomach even gurgled in protest of him trying to put the noodles in his stomach.

"Luke, how is school," his dad asked while drinking his beer.

Luke forced his throat to open and swallowed his food. He drunk some of his watered down and unsweetened Kool Aid that was slightly warm still.

"School is school I suppose. Why you ask, Dad?" Luke turned back to his meat ball and saw grey fuzz on one side of the meatball.

He wouldn't even eat that.

"Your teacher Mrs. Meddlesome called and said that you are falling behind in your lessons. That you are acting out when it's time to read or anything that is remotely academic. Your only classes that you do well in is during lunch and P.E.," his dad said trying to remember his phone conversation with the teacher.

"It's hard. I don't get some of the work. The letters keep moving and then the numbers are always backwards. It hurts my head and when I finally figure out what is going on it's time to go on to the next thing," Luke said frowning at what happened today at school.

He was trying to read and he was the only one that still had to sound out words in his book. He knew that he was still reading the baby books while everyone else was two levels above him. Other kids picked on him but not his best friend Cody. Cody sticked up for him and helped him with the work. Luke knows he is holding Cody back and try to tell him not to wait on him. Yet Cody refuses and tell him they are in it together.

"Your teacher also says that you are talkative in class as well. Care to explain," his dad said putting more of the roadkill cuisine on his own plate.

Luke looked at his plate and noticed it was piled higher than before he started to talk to his dad. He looked at Lucy's empty plate.

'I can't believe she put her food on my plate too!' Luke groaned in his head.

"I'm not talking to talk if that's what she is saying. Cody helps me and I ask him questions when I'm stuck. I try not to always ask but he helps me. He even gave up his recess to help me finish my math work so I wouldn't have homework tonight," Luke said trying not to beat himself up internally.

He knew he was dumb and he knew that Cody's patience was bound to wear out sooner or later but he was hoping it was later.

"Speaking of Cody, did you see if he could come to your birthday? No other parent has called or anything," his dad said eating the rest of his food on his plate.

"I didn't invite anyone else. Just Cody, he is my only friend. All the others,are,nevermind. Uhm can I be excused. My stomach hurts," Luke said looking down at his plate.

"You may not be excused. What are the other kids doing, Luke and be truthful," his dad told him in his authoritative voice.

"They call me Unlucky Dumbo, because I'm not that smart in class," Luke whispered.

"What? I'll talk to your teacher about that. So Cody is the only one that doesn't make fun of you?" his dad asked.

"Yeah. But I asked him to ask his mom if she will allow him to come. Maybe Lucy could go over to Lekki's house in exchange and possible live there while Cody lives with us. Wouldn't that be- hey Lu why did you throw that ball of meat at me?" Luke asked when the glob of brown stuff hit his head almost knocking him out of his chair.

"I'm not moving!" Lucy said and folded her arms in defiance.

"No you are not Angel. I will go and talk with his mom about the birthday party. I will even cook-,"their dad began to say.

"NO!" the children shouted at their father.

They didn't want him to accidently make her teeth fall out, cause her to be poisoned or kill her. They have been eating his cooking for years and their stomachs are somewhat use to it. A new victim might not make it to dessert.

"Nothing is wrong with my cooking. You two eat it just fine," their father pointed out.

Lucy was about to tell him the brutal truth because that's Lucy. Luke kicked her and turned his head.

"Cody told me that she is on a no sweet, no carb, no meat, only raw vegetable diet. So you could bring her some carrots or lettuce to her. Nothing, please, nothing else," Luke pleaded with his dad.

"I think I have some carrots in the pantry. They have some roots coming out, I could shave them off. Ok, ready for dessert?" their dad asked and left to go get the pies.

The kids looked at each other and rubbed their slightly bloated and gurgling stomachs. Lucy looked like she wanted to cry. Luke shook his head not to. He remembered that he had switched sandwiches at lunch with his best bud with his dad's rendition of a BLT. Burnt lettuce and tomato with no meat or sandwich spread sandwich. He left half of his chicken salad sandwich in his lunch box and the extra homemade sugar cookie there too from Cody.

He was going to share with his sister because he didn't know if Lekki was as kind to his sister as her brother was to him.

"I have half a chicken salad sandwich in my lunch box. Lekki switched with me, we can share," Lucy whispered.

"Cody did the same thing. Come to my room and we can eat together," Luke whispered back and Lucy shook her head.

"Bon appetit!" their dad said placing two dessert plates and forks in front of them.

The pie was slowly leaking and black little dots was popping out of the slightly brown crust.

Luke looked up at Lucy and her eyes clearly asked if it was safe to eat. Their dad left the room. He shrugged his shoulders and took a small bite. He regretted that decision. It was sour and sweet with a bitter after taste. How did that even happen he didn't know. Luke was positive that the crust wasn't done either. Lucy made a gagging noise.

Their dad came back with some milk and Lucy drunk her whole glass down her mouth to wash out the taste. She wasn't sure if her dad was secretly trying to kill them slowly by starving them.

'I think I would move in with Lekki. She likes me. We could be sisters and I can eat real people food,' Lucy thought as she pushed her 'dessert' away.

::: :::