Breaking Away

Chapter 1
“Son, please…”
“Don’t call me your son. Don’t call me anything. In fact, don’t even talk to me.”
“Jesse, don’t say things like that.”
“Didn’t you hear what I said? Don’t. Talk. To. Me. I’m. Not. Your. Son!”
“You shut up! Now listen to me. I don’t care if you get so bored listening to me that you DIE! I want you to go to your room and stay there till I tell you to come out.”
“Mother would have never treated me this way and you know it. Stop trying to act like my dad when you know you’re not.”
“I am your father. I’ll always be your father. If this is about your mother then I don’t want to hear it…”
“This is about mother! It’s your fault she’s gone mother would have never-“
“Mother isn’t here. I am. Now do what I say and go to your room.”
“Like that will make a difference. You’re still the worst father…”
“That’s it! Get out of this house! Go!”
“But it’s-”
“I don’t care what time it is! Just leave!”
“You know what? I’d be happy to!”
“Fine! Then leave!”
“Fine.”
That was the last I heard of my so-called-father, because I was flying down the dark, dim-lighted street of my neighborhood. I was never going back to my old life as long as Henry, my dad, lived there. After my mom left he just went crazy! He watched my every move the only time I was aloud out was for school or to run to the store to get some milk or something. Two months. That’s all it took to distinguish old dad and plant brand-new over protective dad in its place. Just last week he’d hit me for the first time. I don’t know why mom left, but I do know dad had something to do with it. Maybe dad was on drugs or if this was about mom driving the car into the community pool, then I’m just plain disappointed for dad not manning up about it. The car smelled like poo and was the color of stale meet. God dad. Now it was over. He’s out of my life forever. Where should I go? I stopped my bike near an empty sand lot where me and jimmy and a bunch of the guys would hang out. I didn’t even think about Jimmy. My best friend in the whole wide world. I guess I should say good bye since I’ll never see him again.
By the time I got to Jimmy’s house my feet were tired. It was only two blocks away but it still is only 2:00 AM.
“Jimmy, are you awake.” Jimmy lifts the curtains and smiles his chubby cheek-faced smile.
“Are you on drugs? When am I not awake?” He lifts the curtains higher and motions for me to come in. His window is pretty much the size of a large size pizza box.
“Welcome to the man cave! I just got a mini fridge from my Uncle Joe and I filled it all the way up this afternoon. So what brings you this late at night?” Same old Jimmy.
“I had another fight with my dad…”
“Oh. The old man hit you again?”
“No. No violence, well no physical violence anyway. He kicked me out.”
“Oh that sucks. This will be the fourth time this month.”
“Yeah I’m not going back.” He spits with a mouth full of Root Beer.
“What do you mean you’re not going back? Are you like, running away or something…?”
“Yes. I guess you could say that…”
“But where will you go? Man, you don’t have to leave. You could live here with me…you could sleep on my bean bag and…”
“No, Jimmy, I’m running away. All I need is my half of our lawn mowing money and maybe a few Twinkies and Dr Pepper’s to go.” He looks at me for a long time. Finally he gets up to retrieve my half of the bargain.
“Here have all of it. I’ll be making way more since I won’t have anyone to share it with when you leave.”
“Thanks man. I’m gonna miss you pal.”
“You too man. You too.”
After I left Jimmy’s it was already almost 5:00 and the sun was starting to rise. I couldn’t let anyone see me. I waited 45 minutes for the bus and then took it all the way to the train station. I bought a one-way ticket to Chicago. After that I would take a cab to the airport and then fly to California. The one placed my mom had always dreamed of going to.
The train ride wasn’t too long since where I lived in Wisconsin was right on the border of Illinois. The hard part was finding the right cab driver. You can tell what you’re dealing with by the way they greet you. My mom taught me this. I miss my mom.
When I got to the airport the guy at the bagging check gave me a look my 5th grade teacher used to give me when I waked into class with nothing but a 3-paged book and a pencil not even 1 inch long. I smiled at him and walked right inside. The only time I’d ever taken a plane was when we went to visit my grandma in New Orleans, that was, of course, before she died of a heart attack. The line for security wasn’t too long and my flight to California was boarding in 9 minutes. I had one of the security guards guide me. When I got on the plane I found that I was sitting next to a KFC junkie and a four-year-old dressed as the cat from the band Kiss. Guess who sat in the middle? Right.
The plane ride went fast. It turns out the KFC guy liked the band Kiss and the four-year-old had the brains and minds of a 40 year-old fast food waitress. And I was left reading the Time magazine. When we landed I literally raced out of there, but as soon as I realized that nobody was waiting for me on the other side, my dad hated me, my mom was somewhere in California, I was only 13, and I had only $643, I was screwed.
I walked up to the lady behind the maintenance desk and asked for the cheapest but nicest hotel available.
“Um, looks like Holiday Inn is having a limited $200 special for 7 days and 7 nights. Would you like me to help you find a cab?”
“Um…that’d be great!”
Chapter 2
2 years later…
“Jesse, hand me those melons, will ya.”
“Sure thing Mr. Gibbs.”
“Thanks boy, here’s ya weekly pay.”
“Thanks Mr. Gibbs.”
“Sure thing boy now run along before Chad gets angry you’re late.”
I wink at him and run down the street to Chad’s Motors & Repair Shop.
“Hey Jesse! You get paid today?”
“Yeah…but I’m saving it just like I do every week.” I could tell Chad was drunk by the way of his posture.
“Oh c’mon let me at it!” He was