Butter Your Own Bread

Butter Your Own Bread

It was a crisp autumn morning in the middle of October like the twin sheets that hung on the clothesline at my aunt Martha's farm. There wasn't much that we had, on the fact that she had taken us all in late that summer. My father had lost his job during the pandemic which led to the lack of payments on our cottage. My mother hadn't worked in a few years after my sister had fallen ill and she had to decide that it was not worth working so we relied on just my dad's salary. At the age of 17, it sucked but I was old enough to understand why we moved in with her and why I had to stay in the weird-smelling room in the basement. It smelled like there was a chicken leg tucked in a sock that had been worn all season by a linebacker.

My uncle had passed away a few years back I think I was 11 or so and my aunt had kept up the farm all by herself and a neighbor that would come by and help her with the big repairs. She was very happy that we were there staying with her, the smell of bread baking in an old stove and fresh eggs from right outside was very comforting to all of us. We used to visit my aunt's farm when we were younger, the girl next door to my aunt was the same age as me so we used to run around the cornfields. We would have big block parties in the field with all the neighbors. It was like a huge barbeque. We used to go home with Tupperware and eat for days after that. I ran into the girl the other day, the neighbor that I used to play with, she was pretty hot. They knew how to grow them if you know what I mean. She let me know that if we needed anything don't hesitate to ask. That was mighty nice I must say, living in the city you forget that the hospitality is quite different just two hours away.

Going to school was not my favorite thing to do, especially since I was the new kid and the hazing was a bit much. Since I had played lacrosse at my old school I pretty much walked on to the team as an attackman the others didn't really like the fact that I ran circles around them. Eventually, they did accept me as one of them when I scored the winning goal to bring us to sectionals. I was without a vehicle so getting around town to hang out was at a minimum. I had to borrow my aunt Martha's 1981 Cutlass Supreme with bench seats, it was like driving a submarine above water. I had made some friends with the guys on the team so we would get in the back of the pick-up truck and cruise around the back roads looking for an inkling of anything to do. The girl that lived next door to my aunt came out with us a few times. I think she had a thing for me but sometimes the way guys read things is completely different than what they are sending out. I did not want to be one of those guys that would make the mistake of reading the wrong signs especially in front of other people. I asked Crystal, the girl next door if she was feeling the same way that I was and she was like of course, you dummy. I was glad that she was crushing on me because I was crushing on her.

The only one that seemed to have any feedback on Crystal and me was her father; he was the councilman for this one-horse town. He was the mayor's right-hand man and probably his left too. He didn't take too kindly to anyone with his daughter. It was a little disturbing at times we would be on the front porch swing with my arm perched around her, listening to the crickets and other foul that were willing to speak up. He peered his head out the window so many times I called him a Jack in the box. He didn't like that one too much. He told me that I had to leave immediately and that I was not to return anytime soon. So I showed up the next night when he was at his meeting. I wasn't going to let a redneck councilman have the chance to win. One up for me. As he pulled up the driveway in his Ford F150 his tires peppered the walkway as he saw two shadows from the living room window. I ducked out the back and ran through the cornfields back to Aunt Martha's house. I got like 5 text messages by the time that I reached the house. Her father went crazy and hit her so hard that she hit the ground. I was on the way back. She had told her father that she knew now why mom left and that the whole town was going to see what a monster and bastard that he was. I had already called the cops and said that there was domestic violence to report. Hopefully, the Barney Pfief cop would actually see that he was an animal and haul him away till the judge saw him in the morning. I wasn't taking any chances on that so I grabbed the 22 on the porch just in case he had the balls to do it again.

If there was one thing that I learned in my 17 plus years is that knowledge is power and you learn from your mistakes as you go along in life. After the cops showed up and saw the cut below her left eye and the swelling on her cheek he was arrested for assault and injury to a minor with intent. My father always told me never to hit a woman unless it was her butt on the way to the bedroom, he was pretty sly when it came to that. He and my mother were always lovey-dovey with each other. They always went out twice a month even if it was just to drive around to grab a bite to eat or an ice cream. As the cop put him in the back of the car, Crystal said you'll never see me again. I hope you're happy now. You have failed at marriage and now have failed as a father you're a criminal.

The judge assigned to his bail hearing was his high school buddy that had played baseball together since little league. The judge however did not show any leniency after seeing the bruise on the side of his daughter's face he told him if he wasn't a law-abiding member of justice, that he would come down and do the same thing to him putting a shiner on his face. He also asked him for his resignation from the council, and the mayor was so disappointed when he had heard the news. So not only did he destroy his daughter he destroyed his career as well. As messed up as it was, the position that he held was a really good paying job so I nominated my father as the next councilman, and as you would have guessed the mayor called for the removal and special election. My dad would continue to work the farm and also the council as an elected official with benefits. As for Crystal and I, we are currently living together in her house until her father gets released in two years. We still go to aunt Martha's for dinner a couple of nights a week but now she tells me that I can butter my own bread now.

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