She opens her mouth but no sound comes out. That’s all the confirmation I need.
I let him breathe for a second, but keep my grip tight. “Leave us alone. Go back under that rock you crawled out of and don’t ever come back. If you do, I’ll tell the cops what I know.”
“Logan,” Mom says. “Let him go.”
I glance up at her. She has no clue that my dad does dirty deals that he thinks nobody knows about. And what does he do with all that dirty money? He buys alcohol and drugs. Meanwhile, my mother has to try and stretch potatoes and cabbage five ways and meat is a luxury. I’ve seen her go without food to feed my brothers and I’m sick of it. She can’t stand up to him so I’m going to.
“L-let me go,” he garbles.
“Not until you say sorry.”
“I-I’m?—”
“Say it or I’ll fucking kill you,” I grit, my arm tightening once more.
“Logan? Are you killing Dad?” Austin asks, his tone surprisingly calm.
“If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll say it, won’t you, asshole?”
“S-sorry,” he says in between gasping for breath as I free his throat for a second. “But she’s my wif?—”
“She’s not your anything anymore. Get your shit and fuck off!”
“Where am I gonna go?” Jesus Christ, he really is pathetic.
Dad has family, unlike all of us. My mom’s sister lives in Detroit, so maybe we’ll go there. I don’t care, but we can’t stay here. The memories are too bad. For now, though, he has to bethe one to leave. I’ll be damned if we’re gonna be the ones on the street.
“Logan, that’s enough, he can’t breathe!” Mom folds her arms over her chest, but she doesn’t even try to pull him free. I know that vacant look in her eyes, so that’s why I’m making this easier for her.
“Let’s hope for your sake you get as far away from here as possible,” I mutter in his ear. “And if you ever hit our mother again, I will find you and I’ll bury you alive, old man.” I shove him off and he stumbles, his bloodied hands gripping the sink.
I swear to fucking god if he even looks at her, I’ll take his head clean off.
Austin, always the momma’s boy, runs to her. Being the youngest, he’s still a kid. He shouldn’t be subjected to any of this, neither should Dylan.
Dad stumbles away, muttering because he’s intoxicated.
“I’ll go help him pack,” I say as Mom and Austin hug.
“Need a hand?” Dylan asks, his face stoic. It haunts me because he’s seen more than he should have in his short life thus far. It’s not fucking fair.
I shake my head. “Stay here and look after Mom and Aust.”
“Logan,” Mom says. For a beat, I think she’s going to tell me to stop. That she’ll go talk him down. She’ll get him to come around and see sense. He’s hurting because of the rough life he’s lived. He didn’t mean it. All the things I’ve heard countless times because she loves him. But then she says, “Thank you.”
I nod. “It’s time we let him go. If you take him back, I’m taking the boys and you’ll never see them again.”
Her eyes go wide. “You wouldn’t do that… Logan? You can’t take my boys!”
I forget to remind her I was a boy not so long ago. I was the kid, too, but it isn’t her fault. She’s a product of a family who never gave a shit about her. This is what she knows.
“I would,” I say. “They’ve seen the worst of the worst, and been through enough, so have you. I’m not playing around. I love you, Mom, but it’s time. You’re so much better than all of this. He never deserved you, and the boys deserve stability and grounding, not more violence and arbitration in their lives. You’re a good mom, but this isn’t right. We can’t continue to live like this. I won’t.”
Tears well in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I-I loved him.”
Loved. Past tense.
I step over to her, brushing the hair back off her face and tucking it behind her ear. “He’ll never change, you know this.”
