Nightmare in progress

Nightmare in progress.

a short prelude to the end of my childhood.

Red couldn't wait to get up.

he tossed and turned on the couch in the living room all night.

morning came and instead of opening his own eyes his mother kneeled down and

kissed them open.

she said "wake up sweetie, it's your birthday."

Red had just turned 8.

he jumped up off the couch and hugged his mama.

"what we have planned for today mama?" he said cheerfully.

mama looked down to her son and said "now don't get to excited, you know we cant

afford to much right now. and besides today is laundry day."

Red groaned, "oh mama cant we wait on that? 8 only comes around once in a life

time you know!"

"no can do son" mama said. "this house stinks as it is, we don't need a whole

weeks worth of clothes stinking it up worse now do we?"

Red sometimes thought his mama was a little weird. i mean to say their house

stank, when anyone who came to visit said the exact opposite, was to say the

least, very paranoid.

well their was no arguing with mama. so off to the laundry mat they went.

they parked in front of the store and red jumped out of the door to open the

trunk and get the baskets. his mama got out and helped him take them out one by

one into the laundry mat. they took their baskets to the only washer available

in the far back and started a load. red took of as soon as it started, to check

out the game room. he saw street fighter two and started messing with the knobs.

a man with a limp came up to him and said "hey little fella, that game ain't

gonna work without any money." he reached in his pocket and took 75 cents out

and gave it to red. red took the money and gave it back to the man. "no thank

you" was all he said and he went back to messing with the controls.

after a while he got tired watching the screen and went to check on his mama.

the man with a limp was talking to her, and as red watched he saw the man take

some paper and write down what looked like a number. his mama smiled and took

the paper.

they finished their laundry with the help of red's soon to be step dad.

who knew that this kind man was an abusive alcoholic?