Page 43 of Wreckage of My Life
“Ethan,” Wyatt’s deep voice calls out. “Is your dad there?” That’s me. The words cut me at the knees. I am someone’s dad. Fuck it all to hell. “Ethan?” Wyatt repeats when he doesn’t get a response. Does the kid understand who I am to him?
“Y-y-yes,” he finally sniffles out.
“Can I talk to Dylan now?” Wyatt demands and I can’t take it anymore. I turn around and snatch the phone away from Ethan.
“What’s up?” I growl into the phone once I took it off speaker.
“What’s going on with Ethan?” my brother demands to know.
I could lie and give him some story. But I am sick and tired of everything happening in my life.
“He hasn’t stopped crying since we left four days ago.” I think I hear Alison gasping in the background, but I don’t give a shit.
“The only time he doesn’t cry is when he sleeps,” I continue in a casual tone. “And he doesn’t do a whole lot of it. Ma tried talking to him, but he just screamed that he wanted Ali. Pops asked who the fuck Ali was, Ma started crying that her only grandson doesn’t wanna have anything to do with her. It’s a fucking cluster, but we’ll manage,” I finish in a monotone voice.
“Can we come see him?” Alison clearly upset voice comes over the line.
I really want to hate this girl for no other reason than the fact that she’s the perfect match for Wyatt, who, in turn, has always been the perfect son in my mother’s eyes.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I decide to tell her, and even though I should stop there, I can’t keep my trap shut, so I continue. “If you rush out here as soon as he cries like that, how is he going to get over it?” And I got more in me, apparently. “Shouldn’t you know that? I thought you were a teacher.”
There’s no sound on the line for the next five seconds, but after that, Wyatt doesn’t disappoint me.
“You better watch your words,brother,” he growls into the phone, making me smile. “We already promised Ethan before he left here that we’d come see him this summer. If you think we’re going to let him down, think again, fucker.”
Normally, that shouldn’t be a problem at all. But things with my father are a lot worse now than before I left for Wisconsin. Adding Wyatt to the mix would not be smart. Not to mention, it may put his woman in danger, no matter how big of a badass my little brother thinks he is.
“I will let you know when it is a good time, and that’s final.”
“Yeah, you do that,” Wyatt’s sarcasm comes in loud and clear. I miss the fucker. Always have, I guess. I didn’t realize until I was forced to spend three weeks with him due to my injuries how much I actually missed him.
“Did you get an updated copy of the birth certificate?” he is now back into attorney mode.
“Yeah,” I grumble as I stare at the wall. A small whimper from behind makes me turn back around to face the boy. My son. He is just watching me with big eyes full of hope. And tears.
“Ma and Pops okay?” Wyatt continues, completely unaware of the storm of emotions rumbling through my head. The way my chest tightens every time I look at Ethan, unsure of how I can keep both of us alive in this hell I brought him into.
My brother’s question is simple but pisses me off. I am mad at the world right now, and he is going to pay for it.
“You mean other than their flesh and blood not wanting to have anything to do with them? Yeah, they’re good. I didn’t know you cared,” I chuckle sarcastically. My eyes fall back to my son whose own eyes are full of water and despair. He wants nothing to do with me but understands that I may be his only way out of here. No matter how much Wyatt cares about him, he won’t be able to do anything about it for as long as I’m around.
“Good to hear,” my brother’s voice has no emotion in it when he responds to my shitty comment. I know why he stayed away, and he knows it, too. “Anything else you’d like to add?” Sounds like our brotherly conversation is coming to an end.
“Not a fucking thing.”
19
Wrecker
“Your kid’s a trip, Wrecker,”Snake bursts into laughter as he watches Ethan throwing a fit at yet another attempt from my mother to have him eat something.
I don’t acknowledge Snake’s comment. It’s obvious he’s drunk and looking for a fight, but I really wish I could put my fist into his face. I’m sitting at the bar with my back against it, beer in my hand, watching the scene in front of me. Ruby, one of the nicer whores, approaches my mom’s table with a smile at the ready and what seems to be a toy for the boy.
I observe in fascination when he grabs the toy truck she insists on him taking and throws it on the floor.
“No want that,” he yells in the room full of drunk and horny bikers and club whores. His speech has gotten worse since we got here a little over a week ago. He was not talking like this when we were at Wyatt’s.
“Ethan, she’s just trying to be nice,” my mom gives Ruby an apologetic smile in spite of knowing that the woman fucks her husband on demand. Ma knows Ruby doesn’t have a choice in the matter though, and I think she’s grateful in a weird way that she’s taking Pops off her hands.
