Page 9 of Like Fathers, Like Son
He smiled, cupping the back of my head as he leaned forward and kissed my forehead.
“Exactly, Blaze. That’s my boy. Mistakes happen, especially when emotions get involved. I think I know why you did this tonight, and why it made sense to you. Just remember our three rules in future, and you’ll never go wrong. I’m proud of you for creating a contained, safe fire. Just… let’s not do it so close to the house next time.” He grinned and patted my shoulder as he stood up again.
“Why don’t I take you up to bed and tuck you in, while that dickhead yells some more?”
I couldn’t sleep for hours after I went to bed, because all I could see was the beautiful flames I’d created, before they were so cruelly destroyed by her father.
I wished she’d been out there, and had seen what I’d done for her. It was all for Anneka, and now all I could do was try to sleep, knowing that she’d at least be there in my dreams again.
Anneka
I STILL COULDN’T BELIEVE that Blaze had literally burned down our fence! My dad was absolutely furious, and went back around there to yell at his parents again, but I was a little excited by it.
I’d never seen fire like that before. I’d never watched something burn, and it was terrifying, but also thrilling. Like, it was really hard to not watch it burn. My mum wasn’t impressed, but wasn’t angry like dad, but he was angry enough for both of them.
“They’re not fit parents! You know what they said to me? Do you, Jamie? Maybe I should have kept my fence in a better state. Maybe my fence was due to be replaced. Basically, they’re saying it’s my fault that the fence burned. Like it wasn’t that little shit of theirs playing with matches. Those kids of theirs should be in care, because they aren’t being raised right!”
I felt so awful for the family next door, because sometimes people just make mistakes and yelling at them doesn’t fix it.
“Dad, I-”
“Go to your room, Anneka. It’s past your bedtime.” I didn’t hang around or argue, because I didn’t want any more yelling. As it was, when I went to bed, I had to hold my pillow against my ears to try and shut out the arguing downstairs.
I couldn’t help wondering what had possessed Blaze to burn the fence like that, because it had only made things so much worse.
My door flew open, and filled my dark bedroom with light.
“You stay away from that boy next door, Anneka, you hear me? He’s bad news. I won’t have him dragging you into his craziness too.” My dad waited until I nodded before he left again.
I wasn’t sure I even wanted to be friends with Blaze, and his weird interest in my hair, but now that I was being ordered not to, I had to be doubly careful that I didn’t go in the garden and bump into him.
Maybe if I did as I was told, my dad would stop yelling at me for a while. It wasn’t like we were really friends anyway, was it?
6
Blaze (aged eleven)
Ithadbeenamonth since the fire in the garden, my beautiful fence fire, and it had lost me the one thing I wanted most.Anneka.
All I’d wanted was to see her more, talk to her more, touch that glowing hair of hers. It was like a physical need to be closer to her.
Every time she was out in the garden, and I stepped outside, she quickly picked up her things and went inside. There was a small fence in between our gardens for a week or so, and then a new fence was built, taller than the last, and with no convenient little holes to snoop through.
I hadn’t been at the same school as her yet, but after the school year ended, I knew that when it started again in September, I’d be at the same school, walking the same halls, and it’d be harder for her to avoid me.
“Hey, kid. You’ve still got birthday money to spend. Wanna go out for a bit?” Daddy Gray sat next to me on the doorstep beside that horrible new tall fence.
I shrugged, feeling so sad that I couldn’t spend time with Anneka.
“I’m sorry, Blaze. I know you miss seeing her, but her dad’s a total asshole. He thinks keeping her away from you is necessary, when he’s a much bigger prick than any of us.”
I groaned, resting my chin on my knees, with my arms wrapped around them.
“Maybe she hates me now, dad. I mean, I made her dad so mad when I burnt the fence. I’m such an idiot.”
Daddy Gray tutted at me, and scruffed up my light blonde hair. He was always doing that, and it was more annoying now that I’d been using mousse to try and make it look cooler. I was going to be in senior school when I went back in September. It was time to look the part.
“Dammit, dad.”
