He studied me, then drained his glass. I just
needed him to regain his confidence. I knew
he could rebuild.
14
A few days later, Uncle swaggered in, tossing
$5000 on the floor. He was sporting brand
new, expensive clothes. The term “nouveau
riche” fit him perfectly.
“Here’s your money! Five grand! I could give
you ten grand, easy! But you know what? I’m
not giving it to you. I’d rather burn it! Feed it
to dogs!”
<
Dad and I exchanged a look. He took a call,
putting his feet up on our coffee table.
“Yeah? Oh, which casino? Be right there.”
Two casinos in one day. Dad frowned. As
Uncle left, he couldn’t help but say, “Casinos
are dangerous, John. Be careful.”
Uncle sneered, spitting on our floor. “When
I’m rich, you’re the first one I’m taking down.”
Dad sighed. I just raised an eyebrow. This
was all going according to plan.
“Dad, karma’s a thing. Don’t worry about him.
School starts next week. Isn’t it time to
finalize the divorce?”
He called Mom. They met at the courthouse,
exchanged no words, and signed the papers.
<
Mom didn’t even look at us. As she walked
away, I hoped she wouldn’t regret this. But I
doubted it. Last time, Uncle’s gambling debts
had been paid with my organs. This time, he
couldn’t touch me. Aunt was pregnant…so
who was left?
15
Dad started a new business, smaller this time.
Worried about me, he insisted on keeping half
the money from the sale in a savings account.
I went back to school. Last time, thanks to
Mom and Uncle, I hadn’t even finished middle
school. This time, I focused on my studies,
free from the burden of cooking and cleaning
for freeloaders. My grades improved
dramatically. My teacher said I had a shot at
getting into a top high school.
<
Dad was thrilled. We went out to celebrate.
Of course, we ran into Mom, Uncle, and Aunt
at the restaurant. Their table was overflowing
with food. Uncle was loud and obnoxious.
Mom, predictably, said nothing. It hit me then:
Her accusations of “low–class” and
“materialistic” were reserved for Dad and me.
Her brother could be the epitome of
tackiness, and she’d remain serene, even
cutting up his steak for him.
Dad put a peeled shrimp on my plate. “Don’t
look at them. Eat.”
