Midnight snack

As Johnny crawled out of the bunk bed, one that he shared with his two younger cousins, he glanced over at the small, rectangular shaped alarm clock that sat on a small, square shaped night stand, standing next to the bunk bed tucked away in a small corner of the room. The large red letters read: 12:02AM. Tonight, like many nights before this one, was another sleepless, agonizing night. Johnny could sense that there defiantly was something wrong in the household, but he did not understand exactly what that problem was.

The air was thick with humidity. It was middle of summer, in a small town in the heart of Texas, and even night fall offered little, if any, relief to the extreme heat. Johnny could feel the moisture in the air as he breathed in and out. It was near impossible for him to get any sleep what so ever, for the sheets would cling to his sweaty body.

As Johnny silently made his way closer to the door, he began to recall a dream that he was beginning to have, in a sleep that was not really a sleep at all, but more of a light slumber. He saw his two cousins sitting on the edge of the bottom bed, with faces blank and empty as porcelain dolls. A thick fog seeped in from the doors, and filled the room. His aunt entered into the room wearing a slinky knee-high red dress. She wore black fishnet stockings, and black high heel shoes. (Like the women on the T.V. that mommy told me about. She says that they sell there bodies for money. I wanted to ask how they got them back, but mommy didn’t want to talk about it any more. She told me it was inappropriate.)

“Mommy’s gotta go do some work,” She said in a raspy, low pitch voice. (Mommy says that’s what happens when people smoke too much.)

“No mommy,” The younger of the two of them said in a nonchalant voice. A tear crawled from his eye down to his little red cheek. He stood up, and slowly, lifelessly, approached her. He loosely warped an arm around her left leg, and gently rested his head on her thigh.

“Get off of me you little shit!” she screamed in a loud roar. Her voice barley sounded human, more like some kind of evil demon.

“But mom,” The kid said without effort.

“But nothing. Mommy has a date with a very important man. A king. And he could make mommy a very rich woman.” The kid proceeded to hold onto her leg. She got aggravated, and kicked him aside. His brother sat there, unobservant of what was going on, almost as if he were trying not to see.

At that moment, Johnny's mother and father entered the room. Something was off about there appearance. They were not real people, but puppets. Giant strings were connected on there hands, and feet. A large man, with a cigar hanging from his mouth, was controlling the two of them. He wore large, gold, and diamond rings on all ten of his fingers.

“You shouldn’t do that to your kids.” Johnny's father said in a robotic voice.

“Oh pleas! Just what do you plan on doing about it?”

“You should know better, you slut.” Johnny's mother said. “You know we disapprove of you being a whore.” Her voice was very plain, and emotionless.

“This is our house, and you will abide by our rules. I didn’t want to have to go this far, but hold out your hand.” The woman smirked, and did as ordered. Both Johnny's mother and father lightly slapped the woman’s hand.

“We hope you learned your lesson.” The father said.

“I did,” the woman said in a sarcastic tone.

The mother and father both gave a pleased grin, and walked away. Johnny stood in amazement at how they could let her off so easily.

How bizarre, Johnny thought to him self. What a wired dream. I wonder what it means. Probably nothing important.

Just before he opened the door, he turned over and looked down at his two cousins. They both shared the bottom bed of the bunk beds, and they were both sleeping soundly. Johnny thought it odd how they could sleep so soundly with all of the problems surrounding them and there mother. They seemed to be completely oblivious that there whole lives were crashing down all around them. There mother had just filed bankruptcy a month ago, and was forced to move out of there small, one bed room apartment. With no where for to turn, Johnny's parents offered them free room and board with them until they got back on their feet.

Johnny pulled open the door, and left the room. The carpet that lay just out side the room was a light blue color, and to Johnny, it resembled a river. The blue carpet extended down the stair case, and stopped at the kitchen. Johnny had planed on going down stairs for a midnight snack. He found that this offered some kind of momentary alleviation for his ailments.

As he proceeded to the stair case that sat just out side of his door, he noticed that the light in his aunt’s room was still on. He could here her shouting to some one on the phone. He, being a very nosey 13 year old, leaned in closer to the door, and put his ear next to it.

“God damn it, I told you that you can’t be seen here no more. The little shit-hole 13 year old kid almost got me busted. Can you believe that the little fucker got child services called on me?” It was almost two weeks ago that this entire ordeal took place. While sitting down at the dinner table with his parents, the first time that they had a dinner all to them selves in a long while, Johnny brought up a few concerns he had with his aunt, and his two little cousins.

“Mom, I’m worried about my cousins.” He looked down at his roast beef with a side of corn, and moved, and stirred it around with his fork. “I don’t think that she pays enough attention to them. And she yells an awful lot.” He raised his head from his plate, and looked desperately at his parents. “Don’t you think that we should do something about it?”

His mother gave him a very perplex look, one that Johnny did not understand. “Well, you see, she may not be the best mother in the world, but she dose try her hardest to do her best.”

Johnny's father cut in and added: “And she’s going through a hard time right now. She’s still trying to get things together.”

Johnny, not grasping what his parents were saying, said in a mater of fact tone: “Yes, but we still should do something about the way she’s treating them. She’s not a fit mother. My teacher at school said-”

Johnny's father, in a furry, interrupted his son. “What did you tell your teacher son?”

“Just that I think that my aunt may be mistreating her kids, that’s all.” Johnny looked up as if he were a hero who deserved a meddle of honor for what he did.

“Johnny, do understand the severity of what you have done? She could lose her kids. And if so, she would never see them again.”

“Well, maybe she deserves it. She doesn't pay any attention to them.” Johnny felt that he was very much on the defensive.

“Damn it, Johnny, do you have any idea what this is going to do to the whole family? You should have come to us first. You should have said something to us. We are the people who take care of you, and what you have done could destroy us. If your teacher doses call child services, which I’m sure she will, they won’t just investigate her, they will investigate us as well. I understand that she may not be the best person in the world, and the things she dose may be unjust, but following that unjust act, with another act that is just as unjust, will only help to destroy that witch is helping to protect her, and her children; and you. She is with us, and believe it or not, we do step in, when necessary, but we also have to keep within our boundaries. This is where the children are most safe. What if now, she blames us, and moves? Then what? What would that mean for her children? At least they have us now. If you think that they are bad off now, then how much worse will they be with out us?”

“I just didn’t think…” And that was the all that he had to say. That was all he could say.

“I think it’s all his parents fault.” His eyes widened at this. He held his breath, and put his fingers over his nose, to keep himself from sneezing. “And those damn kids of mine, they whine too much, as it is. I don’t think that they need some little punk kid putting ideas into there heads. I think Johnny is a bad influence on them. They should be happy with what I do give them; three meals a day, and a roof over there heads. It’s not like I beat them or anything.”

“Ahhchoo!” Johnny could not hold in his sneeze any longer.

His aunt slammed down the phone, and swung open her door. “And just what do you think you’re doing? It’s bad enough what you’ve already done! Now you’re listening in on my phone calls. Go on, back to bed with you.” Johnny went back into the bed room, where his cousins still peacefully slept, and waited a few minutes before going back out into the hall.

Before going down the stairs, he slowly crept over to his parent’s room. He saw that their light too was on. He heard his mother and father talking. He could tell that this was not a happy discussion, but more of an argument. He also could tell that they were trying carefully to talk as quietly as possible, so no one else could here what they were saying. Johnny quietly leaned next to the door, and tried his hardest to listen in.

“What are we going to do with our son,” Johnny’s father said.

“I just don’t know. He could have gotten us all into a lot of trouble,” his mother sighed.

“I think there’s only one thing we can do. We have to send him to a psychiatrist. I think that there is something wrong with the boy. This isn’t the first time he has acted carelessly, and without thinking.”

“I agree. It’s like he just doesn't pay any attention. I think he might have that, what is it called, the um, ADD, That’s it, I think he has ADD.” He could detect a slight panic in his mother’s voice.

“They have medication for that. I’ve herd on the T.V. that it’s really suppose to help.”

“Well, then, it’s decided, first thing tomorrow, I’ll take him to see the psychiatrist, and get him put on the medication.”

“Now, lets get some sleep, I have an early day tomorrow.” And with that said, his father turned out the light, then silence.

He walked back down the hall, and over to the stairs. He, being a playful 13 year old boy, walked down the stairs, the vibrant flowing river, backwards. He turned back around just as he reached the kitchen. He walked over to the refrigerator, and peaked his head inside. He pored himself a glass of milk, and had three cookies, before returning back up the stairs, backwards once more, and reentering his bedroom.

He crawled back into the top bed, and pulled his white sheets over himself. He thought nothing more of what he herd from his aunt, and his parents. After all, there was really nothing he could do about it; or not to him at least. And he had better things on his mind, like finally getting to sleep.

Cody Hobbs