Breakfast of Champions

From the noises coming from their bedroom, I assumed that Dad got home early. He was on the Columbus run and we hadn't expected him for another couple of days.

The regular bowls were too small, so I grabbed a Tupperware mixing bowl, filled most of it up with Cheerios, and sat at the kitchen table watching videos with my earbuds in.

There were few things I wanted to hear less than what was happening upstairs.

I'm not sure if it was some motion I caught on the periphery or noise that was barely audible that caused me to look, but I did. The man coming down the stairs wasn't Dad.

"Who the hell are you?"

Startled, he stopped halfway down the stairs. "I, uh, your mother said you were at a friend's."

"Who. The. Hell. Are. You?"

"I'm, uh, a friend of your mom's."

I sat there watching him come down the rest of the stairs. He grabbed a breakfast bar off the table as he walked by.

"Look, kid, let's not make more of this than it is. Things happen. You'll understand when you're older."

He was around forty and not a good forty like those older guys that hit a gym.

"Put the granola bar down." I almost didn't recognize my own voice. "Put it down or I'll... Put the fucking thing down!"

He dropped it. "Sure, kid. Whatever."

"If I ever see you again I'm going to put you in the hospital."

The man stopped and looked at me. "Seriously, I get it, but don't go getting crazy. Your father's honor and all, sure. Good for you, kid, but don't try to bite off more than you can chew. Grow up a little before threatening adults."

My mouth was moving without me thinking about what I'd say. "You know what I've read? There's a part of guys that never grow up. There's this little piece of them that will always think they are still that guy in high school that made the football team. Here's a clue. You're not. You sit behind a desk all day? The most exercise you get is walking to the vending machine for a candy bar?"

For a second I thought about throwing my cereal at him.

"Reality check. You're old, you're slow and you've got no stamina. I'm sixteen, so maybe you've got some power on me, but that's it. You show up here again and I'll leave you in a bloody heap on the front lawn."

He smirked. "Okay, tough guy. Duly noted."

When he left I wanted to go upstairs and confront Mom. Instead, I tried to calm down and get ready. She'd likely be down soon. The rest of the cereal went into the toilet. I couldn't eat anything and my stomach was turning into acid. Going back to the kitchen, I prepared and waited.

Like her friend, she stopped in shock halfway down the stairs.

"Edward, you were supposed to be at the Densings'."

"Yeah. His grandmother had to be rushed to the hospital. They dropped me off on their way to see her."

"So... So, you just got here?"

"Nope. Saw your fuck-buddy. How long have you been cheating on Dad?"

She paused before answering. "That's none of your business. Anything involving... adult things... is between me and your father."

"He knows?"

Once again, there was a pause. "Not exactly. Your father is away often. I need... There are issues. Companionship issues. We're going to keep this between us."

"You have to be kidding me. You think I'm not going to tell him?"

"No, Edward, you're not going to tell him. You wouldn't want to needlessly hurt your father. Second, think of what would happen. He would never believe you. Third, if he did, what next? A divorce? You hardly see him now. You'd never see him then, I'd make sure of it."

"What if he got custody? It would be you I'd never see."

"No, I'd tell the judge that he abused me. That I was afraid for your safety."

"He's never touched you!"

She shook her head and looked at me sadly, as if I was slow.

"Yes, but they don't know that."

The third voice entered the conversation. "They will now. Edward, you can hang up. I'll call you later. If I drive straight through I'll be home by seven."

I lifted my phone off my knee and to the table. "It's all recorded. You may want to pack some stuff, Mom."

My appreciation goes out to the Anterior Accelerators. Thanks also to Brad, Jerry, Adam, Andrea, Mr. Z, Leon, Phillip, Zachary, Laurence, and Ken for their generosity.