My Life & How It Has Changed Me Book 8

Chapter 5-2

A Mothers Castle

Part 3

It was nearly 3 pm when we all pulled into my mother's driveway. Jennie joined us, afraid that charges of murder for killing Paul would be brought against her. No one said anything about what happened at the Cranny's house, for the moment anyway.

Tony quickly did a walk-through, making sure every dark corner had been searched and making sure we had everything before he left us on our own. He failed to mention what I had found in my room. It was a little surprising to find Susan home, considering she was told she could spend the entire break at her friend's house. My mother knew the bad blood between us. She wanted this to be a pleasant week, not one that would be fought tooth and nail.

Susan stated she had no intention of leaving … not trusting my friends to rifle through her closet or her room when she wasn't home. Mom reminded her that my friends were nudists. Susan shrugged her shoulders and said. "Aren't they all?" which was mostly true. Considering the friends I had brought with me during this trip lived in a nudist community, everyone else just lived the lifestyle in their own way.

Becky told Michael and Robert they could sleep in her room with her. They looked at me and I said. "Sorry, but I promised the boys they could sleep in my room." I saw the hurt in her eyes.

Mom whispered in her ear and her eyes lit up and said, "I think I like that even better;" telling my three girls that they could use her room instead and have it all to themselves.

Susan growled. "Well, no one is going to be using my room but me! I won't allow it!"

Mom quickly asked if I had told them regarding her house rules and said. "Sort of." Mom quickly went over the basics as she gave them a quick tour of the house, as Susan and Becky followed them.

My mother asked where my brother was, hearing him yelling that he was in his room doing homework. Again, that surprised me, one; Aaron always avoided doing homework and two; he was home with Susan. I cringed at the idea of thinking the worst, but was relieved to find him completely dressed. The mere idea of Susan having an Aaron snack turned my stomach, but then again, I knew that would never happen because like me he couldn't stand her, and rather cut off his penis rather than have it in her mouth.

The moment he saw me he ran up to hug me, then stopped short when he noticed I wasn't alone and most of all I had my mermaid friends with me. He said. "Bro, you are two days early."

I said. "If you want, I can leave and come back."

He rolled his eyes and said. "I still think your haircut sucks, but I rather have you here where I know I will get a decent meal that isn't burnt." I had dyed my hair back to the original brown color from the dishwater blond, for my mother's sake and so she would stop complaining. It wasn't as short as it was when spending those days in Texas. Back then my hair grew quickly, now I am lucky if I need a haircut more than once a year. What I would give to have all that hair back, not to mention my well-muscle-toned body and the youth I had back then.

Susan growled. "Fine! It's not like I don't have other things to do than cook for someone that has no taste buds!"

Aaron said. "I have eaten rocks that have tasted better than the crap you dare call food." Susan stomped off back downstairs and slammed the bedroom door. I remained upstairs and carried our things to my room. I wasn't surprised that my door lock was broken. Mom said my father was inside my room and said he was looking for drugs, thinking that I must have been on some type of heroin trip by getting married to a boy and worse not only one girl but two. I knew it was a lie, seeing the new bedding on my bed, including brand-new pillows. The room smelled a little like old urine and freshly cleaned carpets to mask the smell, which said my father was doing more than searching my room for drugs and money and the smell said it was quite recent, so recent my mother didn't know about it.

Eli came up behind me with the rest of our stuff, he said. "So, this is your room?" 

I nodded and corrected him. "It's "our room." While we are visiting my mother."

He said. "Well, at least it has a gigantic bed for all of us. But damn bro, this room is no bigger than your walk-in closet at home."

I nodded and said. "I know, but as I have said … me and my brother are way below the pay grade. My so-called sisters get the biggest rooms in the house. It's always been this way. But if you saw my last room when we lived in the trailer you would think this room is quite large in comparison and I had to share it with my brother with a bunk bed and little, tiny space to turn around in. No bigger than the hallway, we just came down."

Eli said. "Still, this is inhumane and very sparse compared to your Rothwell home."

I said. "It is what it is." Opening the closet finding nothing but bare hangers; I mumbled just great and yelled, "Mom!" Having her pop into my room. She gasped, seeing all my clothes on the floor stinking with sewage which explained the smell of urine I was smelling.

Mom growled. "Damn it to hell! I am sorry, son. I didn't think he would do something like this."

I growled back. "Yes, you did! You knew he was more than capable of doing this and knowing he'd get away with it!" Mom quickly went into the kitchen and grabbed a garbage bag and a pair of kitchen gloves and cleaned up the mess, cursing my father's name.

Susan smiled seeing it and said. "Welcome home," and laughed.

Mom said. "You knew about this?"

Susan said. "Of course I did. In fact, I helped and so did my friends. Maybe you and he would finally get the message we don't want him here or his nudist immoral friends."

Mom growled. "Susan! You're grounded! I'd make you pay for them! But I know for a fact that you don't have any money or an allowance."

Susan said. "Ground me all you want too, Mom. You know Dad will un-ground me the moment he comes home and finds out that he and his friends are here. When he told you, he didn't want them in his house. Besides, it is not like he can't afford to buy new clothes, and we all know it."

Mom said. "Tough shit, because if I recall this is my house and not his. My name is on the deed and on the mortgage, not your father's. In fact, when he comes home, I will remind him of that. Now go to your room and stay there until your father comes home. This is my house and my rules. This will not happen again. I don't care if he or his adoptive parents can afford it. It was not for you and your fathers to take advantage of it."

Susan screamed. "Go to hell, Mom! You don't have the right to tell me what to do! Dad told me I don't have to listen to you! I am staying long enough until Dad comes home so he can install a lock on my bedroom door! And then, I am getting the hell out of here!"

Susan winced as my Mom's hand made contact with her cheek, leaving a stinging sensation behind. "I am your mother! I have every right to tell you what to do while you are living under my roof!" She winced when she looked back, realizing she had let the monster out of its cage, and apologized to me and my friends. Everyone shrugged their shoulders. It wasn't the worst thing for me anymore to watch my mother lose her temper. Not after what I had been through over the last few months.

She said calmly, "Before I forget, you need to call your grandmother and your adoptive parents so they know where you are, son. I promised them you would the moment we arrived." I nodded and picked up the phone in my room and then growled, seeing the line cut. Normally, I would have called Stringham to send David over to replace the lock on the door and repair the phone line. David was on his Honeymoon with Jody.

Mom asked me not to mention what had happened at the Cranny's. I said I wouldn't, knowing exactly what would happen. After all, it wasn't her fault … mostly? And besides, I had suffered worse than a little slap and tickle. I wasn't harmed; I was beyond that, several times over. Not even my grandmother needed to know, knowing exactly what would happen.

I quickly made the phone calls and only told my adoptive parents that my father and my sister and her friends had destroyed every stitch of clothing I had here, and my mother had already replaced the bedding that they had ruined; Dad told me from now on that I would be packing a suitcase every time I visited my mother and leave nothing behind when I leave, Stringham said he would tell Tony to replace the lock on the door, but he wanted me to learn how to do it. Mom and Dad agreed. Clothing was nothing. Susan was right. I could easily replace what I had lost, besides I had outgrown most of it since the last time I had been home here.

I wasn't worried about it; it just made me mad that nothing I left here that belonged to me would ever be safe without me being here. The thing was, I hated shopping; I hated spending money on clothes I would seldom wear. I didn't like asking for favors or having someone take me places because I didn't have a license, but I didn't have a choice. The rule stated that until I was eighteen; I had to have a guardian. Being married meant nothing and because I didn't have a driver's license, I couldn't just hop into a car and go.

I growled in frustration at my watch that said we had thirty minutes to pick up my mother's new car. What was worse was my father Jim had to come with us, and he was late as usual. The mere idea of having him near me made my skin crawl, but my adoptive parents wanted them both to know that the car I was buying was mine and I was just loaning it to them.

We waited fifteen minutes before we left. Tony and Jenny picked us up, and we picked up my father on the way. As usual, he was his mean and angry self. Tony said he had two choices: either get into the car voluntarily or he could ride in the trunk. My father asked about his bike, Tony said. "Leave it; this is Santaquin where nothing ever happens." Which wasn't quite true, but close enough; but my father was being his normal self, so Tony placed the bike into the trunk and quickly dropped it off at home, then said. "Satisfied?"

My father growled. "No!"

Tony said. "Tough shit! It's not my fault you couldn't be on time! Remember, you declined the ride I offered. By the way, I am sending you the bill for the damaged lock, and the cost of buying the clothes you destroyed."

My father growled. "Go Fuck yourself! Like I am going to pay for that, besides you have no proof that I did it."

Tony said, pulling up to the house where the car I was buying. "Oh, I have the proof and it's all on tape, and you just admitted to it. Plus, your daughter Susan told us it was, and she and her friends helped you do it."

My father gasped and growled. "You fucking little prick! Who gave you the right to invade my privacy?"

Tony said. "Your wife did, to ensure her son's safety." My father turned and gave her a hateful stare. He was about to get his pound of flesh when the man who was selling me the car came out to greet us.

Tony quickly made the introduction. I didn't know the guy. I was going off the information Stringham had given me, telling me he was honest. He quickly walked us around the side of the house, said. "She doesn't look like much, but she does run and has always been reliable." My father growled, kicking the tires of the 1970 Chevy Nova four-door that was a faded gray except for two front side panels that were brown; showing that it had been in a wreck and had been restored.

He said. "Oh God no! This is the best you can do?"

Tony said. "No, but the car is only a loaner until you can buy a new one. The car will belong to your son. When he graduates from high school, next year; until then his mother and you will be responsible for keeping it running and insured, but once he has his license, he can drive it anytime he wants to when he is visiting his mother. I know for a fact, not even you, Mr. Shepherd, had a brand-new car for your first one. Like the rest of us, even though we have money, we earn it the hard way to get the things we want."

As I pulled the money out of my wallet, close to 2,000 dollars in one-hundred-dollar bills, Mom gasped. The sight of all that cash seemed to take her by surprise. Meanwhile, my father Jim's eyes lit up with a mix of anger and astonishment. He was angry because he had no choice but to accept the fact that I was doing them a favor, yet he was also surprised to see such a significant amount of money all at once. It was important for him to understand that none of it came the easy way. Every cent of that money had been earned through hard work. After paying, I carefully placed the receipt inside my wallet. At the same time, the guy quickly handed my mother the keys and reminded her that the title, plates, and inspection would be taken care of by a local mechanic in Santaquin the following morning.

Mom handed me the keys and told me she would prefer that I drive it while I was here even if I didn't have my license. She knew I could drive anything as long as it was an automatic. It was, later on, that I learned how to drive a stick shift, making it so I could drive anything that had wheels. Plus, my mother suffered from night blindness, which was one of the main reasons she seldom drove at night. My father was silent all the way home as he rode in the back seat. I wasn't sure if it was because he was too angry to speak, or because he had nothing to say because I just bailed them out of a tight spot.

My mother kissed me on the cheek and hugged me the moment we got out of the car as I pulled it into the driveway. My father grumbled about seeing an entire house full of people. I politely introduced them, starting with Eli and the girls, causing him to growl. With a rude shove, he bypassed the group, barking at them to clear his path as he stormed into his house, the sound of his shoes heavy on the floor. Susan came bouncing out of the house, with Becky right behind them. The moment Susan saw the car she screamed. "Oh, please tell me that's not what it looks like!"

Mom said. "It's a car, and it runs, and it belongs to your brother. He was kind enough to buy it for our families' use, considering we couldn't afford one."

Susan said. "Mom, it looks like it came from a junkyard."

Mom said. "No, it's just used and will get us where we need to go. So be thankful that he was willing to give it to us."

Susan said. "Mom, he is rich. He could buy me and you a brand-new one if he wanted to."

Mom said. "Correction, his adoptive parents are rich. He earned every cent of that money he used to pay for that car. Every damn red cent, and because of you and your father, he now has to go out and spend money on clothes that you and your father ruined."

Susan growled. "It's still a worthless piece a junk!"

Tony said. "If you would like Susan, how about you go out and buy yourself a brand new one? Oh, wait you can't. That would mean you would have to get a job and earn the money?"

Susan gasped. "For your information Tony, I am only fifteen; no one would hire me because of that."

Tony said. "Not true. Eric has been working odd jobs most of his life, from paper routes, mowing people's lawns and shoveling snow. He even babysits from time to time. He worked two summers on a sheep ranch with his brother Shane before he went on a mission and when he was here, he worked at Stringham's in the stores stocking shelves and running the register, and worked as an accountant doing his books on the side, to keep a steady income.

"Age is not an excuse; in fact, I have done the same and earned every penny myself. However, the fact that his adoptive family makes a lot more money than your father does doesn't hold much significance. Each of their kids has to work to contribute towards their own expenses, just like everyone else. Nothing comes for free, so it's important to be grateful that he was kind enough to assist his mother with her transportation problems. In addition to that, he is even covering the cost of the food on the table while he and his friends are here, along with other living expenses. Now, he has to spend even more money to repair the damage caused by you and your father. Consider yourself fortunate that you don't have a job, as his adoptive parents would have held you and your father responsible for the expenses. Therefore, I've requested your mother to assign you household chores to compensate for what you have done."

Susan said. "Yeah, right, like that's going to happen. If you haven't noticed, that is what we have brothers for."

Mom said. "Oh, that's funny. I thought I told you that you were grounded, which means extra chores. I'd ground your father, but I can't. Thanks, Tony, I think that's a wonderful idea. Let's see. I'll make a list, and Susan can start tonight by doing up the dishes."

Susan looked at my father. He said. "No, goddamn it! I think that he and his friends can clean up their own God damn mess." Susan glowed as she walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. Mom gave a heavy sigh that said my father had just overruled her again. Just to keep the peace, she let it go for now.

My father said. "Why were on the subject of regarding rules? There will be no sex, no nudity of any kind. I don't care if you have a piece of paper saying you are married. It means nothing to me. You have two choices. One: go back to hell to where you came from! I don't want you here! I never asked you to come here! Two: Go somewhere else as long as you leave and never come back! This is my house, not yours! So, it gives me the right to kick you out if I want to! Now, get the fuck out before I call the cops and have you all arrested for indecent exposure!"

Mom said, "Correction, Jim dear, this is my house, not yours, and I invited them here. So, I am giving you the same choice. Get out or shut the hell up! I would prefer … that you go so my guests can be comfortable without you insulting them. I have been to both of their weddings. And I have a copy of their marriage certificate stating that they are married, and it is legit.

"In fact, Bishop Earl and the Rothwells Bishop, Bishop Sakes, signed it. This coming Sunday, they will announce the baptisms and confirmations in church and inform the ward. You may not accept it, but that is just tough because the rest of us do. So, stick that where the sun doesn't shine."

My father said. "Hell, no Linda! I am not about to leave this God damn house with a bunch of immoral freaks! Just so they can rape my daughters!"

Mom said. "Trust me, dear, your daughters are far from innocent. I know for a fact that neither of them is a virgin."

Susan gasp. "Dad, it's not true. I have never had sex with anybody."

My father kissed her on the head and said. "I know, and I am going to make sure you remain one until you're married "legally" and in the temple. The one place that it really matters, not in some high fluent barn with a bunch of rich pigs that have more money than they know what to do with."

Susan gave all of us an evil grin; I rolled my eyes and said. "That's a load of crap. I know for a fact that Susan is not a virgin. I can list every boy she has had sex with."

My father said. "Yeah, right? If I were you, I'd keep that damn mouth shut or I will shut it for you!" He stepped up close to me and poked me with his finger against my chest, said. "Come on, sissy boy let's tangle!"

Tony pulled us apart and said. "No, I am afraid if I let him beat the crap out of you. His adoptive parents would ground his sorry ass. So instead, I'll take the boy and put him to work, but I warn you, Mr. Shepherd … if you even think about harming him. I will let him kill you. And I will dispose of the body where nobody will find you." Tony handed me the toolbox and prodded me along down the hallway. He grumbled. "What an asshole. Maybe I should have let you kill him."