Blurb: The whole point of the story is independence and learning to do things alone.
I open my eyes, another boring day, boring life. The sun is poking its head out from behind the white, fluffy, almost cotton candy like clouds. I can feel the warm rays of sun hitting my bare feet that are hanging off the bed. I crawl out of my squishy waterbed, and walk over to the bathroom and look in the mirror. I have the same scar on my face from when I was little because my Dad had hit me with a scorching hot pan. In the mirror I see the same blue eyes and the same dark hair, almost too dark to be brown. The ground is still chilly to my feet because we are almost in spring and it is only in the high 20’s.
I go over to my little angelfish, Sushi. I have to get more food for him. There is only around four pinches left, not enough to last the rest of the week.
I get dressed, wash my face, and brush my teeth. I hate the toothpaste, it is a bitter mint. I go to lock the door and drive away when I realize I forgot my phone on the bed stand. I have to make a U turn to go get it.
As I drive down the road it is the same cracked streets, filled with the same people walking their dogs. I see the same three kids playing hopscotch. One of them has pigtails and red hair. I see the same people selling their fresh hot dogs and food. Everyday is the same.
Each morning, I wake up and dread going to work. As I park my car and walk into work, everything is normal, the ground is paved and perfect as ever, but it is still boring.
I mutter under my breath, “If I could only do something else, then I might feel like something is benefiting me and not my dad.”
Just when I get to my desk my dad calls. As my phone rings, I think twice about not answering, but give in because I would hear nothing but crap from him for the next month if I didn’t answer. I press the little green button on my phone.
He yelled, “Dewey, I think you should be able to talk to your mother and father daily about your work! You need to tell us how it’s going without us having to call first, you never inform us about what is happening in your life and we're getting sick of you never talking to us!”
He hung up so I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Oh well not my problem.”
I watch the clock, every second feels like eternity. The day is over and I drive home to the same beautiful red fish. I waste the rest of the day away like normal, eat food, go for a run, get home and take a shower, go to bed.
“Hey, Sushi.”
I sighed. The only way for me to be happy is to do something that makes me happy. I think I'm going to get a different job. I thought.
“I think I would like to be a Veterinarian for my new job.” I said out loud.
I gain enough strength to make a phone call to my father to inform him of my decision. As the phone rings I have a million thoughts racing through my head.
Will I get yelled at?
Will my own father disown me?
Just as I was debating hanging up I heard his cold harsh voice on the line, he started this conversation with, “Is this my son really calling me first?”
I reply with a simple, “Yes, Dad I have to tell you something. First of all, don’t get angry when I tell you this please. I have decided that I'm going to be quitting my job. I'm going to go for an interview on Monday at eight in the morning and I'm going to try and become a Veterinarian.”
“Yeah, that's okay.” He replied.
Just then my dad hung up and that was it, I didn’t have to say sorry or anything. I was expecting an argument but, instead I got nothing.
The next couple of days went by painfully slow because it was the weekend, I hadn't told my boss that I’m quitting. I'm not going to until I take the interview incase I don’t get the job.
I get to the interview on Monday and they ask me the normal questions.
“What motivates you?”
“What is your best quality?”
“What is a struggle for you?”
I answer them all truthfully but carefully. When the interview is over I ask where the bathroom is.
Just as I open the door, I hear the sound of a gun being fired, I turn around and see that it is the owner on the ground bleeding out. I don’t know if I should have stayed and tried to help but I didn’t. I ran as fast as I could, because the shooter was still in the bathroom and they saw me. They were after me.
As I ran, all I could think about was the horrible thing I just saw, I ran all the way to my street, because getting in the truck would take to much time. I was about to take the corner to my house, but I knew he was hot on my heels chasing after me.
So I thought, I can’t go to my house because he will see me. I ran past my street and onto a trail. Just before I enter the woods I look around. He’s not here anymore, I’m safe.
I turn around and he’s standing at the edge of the road, the chase begins again. A hour of being chased goes by and as I went deeper into the woods it gets darker, I remember a spot that I used to go when I was younger.
I arrive at the little shed I used to go to, to get away from my father who used to own my house before I bought it, I opened the door. I’m exhausted and my legs are aching. The shed hasn’t changed at all. I look around and see that no one is here. It is pitch black outside, I go in the shed and light the candle. I fall asleep on my stack of crates.
As I open my eyes I realize it’s sunrise. I get up and go outside and see that the shooter was here last night. I need to be able to set up a trap tonight, my phone is only at 45% and I need to be able to call the police when I catch him.
My plan is to dig giant holes in as many places as I can before it gets dark, so he can fall in and get stuck.
Just before it gets dark I go to the river and get water with the bucket I had from when I was little. I threw it on the fire and everything got dark as the night went on it seemed as if the animals in the woods were disappearing because everything grew silent. Around 2:30 in the morning I heard footsteps the sound of tree branches snapping as the footsteps grew closer I realized that the killer was right there. If my plan and trap did not work then I would die today.
I had the police on speed dial, a huge wave of relief came over me when I heard the sound of his body hitting the bottom of my trap right outside of my window.
I immediately called the police and told him where I was and what was going on, I explained all of what had happened the day before. They were on their way. About 15 minutes later I heard sirens in the faint distance. I knew I was safe at last, when they arrived at the scene I walked out of my shed and waited to see who the killer was. I was in shock when I realized who it was, my own father. I knew my father was angry, but I never knew he what do something so evil to make me realize he was angry.
After my family found out what my father had done we all had to move on, my father had already been to prison for stealing and for drug use, so it didn’t come as a surprise that he was behind this.
I walked out of the woods that night with my head held high that I had done something right. I was happy that my father would finally be in a place where he wouldn’t hurt anyone. Once I got to my truck I drove home, unlocked my door, walked inside, made myself a sandwich, fed my fish, and went to bed.