Love Thy Hellhound

‘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.