Whoa! Didja get the numbers off that truck?!?

September 01, 2001 - 8:55 a.m.

Alpha Male

I had agreed to have Flannie spend the night. He was in the car with Son2 when I went over to ToughGuys house to pick up Son1. Son1 wanted ToughGuy to stay the night too; I said I already had one sleeper-over in the car already. I caught my limit. He said "you've had two kids over before, what's the big deal?" I said I didn't want a houseful of kids. Actually I didn't want that kid. I gave in to keep the peace. I didn't want to fight again, after not seeing him for a whole week. I made them promise not to stay up past 12:30, and it was a deal. They agreed.

Son1 decided he wanted to move into the basement room, and move the contents down there up to his room. He also said that ToughGuy would help to move furniture. That made me suspicious. I couldn't see any obvious harm in it, so I agreed. That's the thing about ToughGuy. There's no obvious harm but you know there's a scheme lurking under the surface that will somehow benefit him.

I like Flannie. Flannie doesn't try to pack foul language into every sentence. Flannie says "please" and "thanks" and picks up after himself. He giggles a lot, but he's a kid.

I served cheeseburgers. Son1 and ToughGuy started moving furniture. I ate with Flannie on the picnic table with Son1, ToughGuy and Son1 ate inside. Flannie and ToughGuy don't get along because apparently in grade school ToughGuy got Flannie into trouble. It's been oil and water ever since.

After supper I built a fire, and Flannie and Son2 joined me, it was a nice night for a fire. Son1 and ToughGuy were still moving furniture; I don't think they realized what a big job it was going to be. They did manage to finish it.

Then the phone rings. Guess who! Son1 asks if Sweetie can come over. Sure, I have never refused that. So she arrives about the time that they get ToughGuy's new bass guitar plugged into the amp. His older brother bought him this guitar, for no apparent reason other than he likes his younger brother. I met Older Brother; he looks to be about mid twenties.

They're having a good time playing music and hanging around together. Finally at midnight (I gave them an extra half-hour) I walked into the new "music room" and announce that it's midnight and it's time for Sweetie to go. Son1 gets pissed. The Fascist at work again. I said "Hey, those are the rules. And remember, the condition for ToughGuy staying tonight was that you guys were going to go to bed at 12:30, remember?" I can see the look in Son1's face as he remembers that empty promise.

Wouldn't you think that Sweetie would have a sense that it's midnight, and she's a high school kid, and that maybe it is time to go home? I don't think she has that kind of rule set in her head. And besides she's frozen as her young dog goes up against the Alpha Male.

He closes the door in the new "music room" so his friends can't hear. I say "So why is it okay for Mom to set a 12AM curfew, but when I do it, it's completely unacceptable?" He says, get out of his face, even though he closed the door to talk to me. I press him, repeating the question. Finally he looks me straight in the face.

"Because I really hate you that's why. I'm leaving."

So he gets ready to go. So I go dial up mom's cell phone to announce his arrival. She's not home of course, and asks why we can't try to get along. I told her about the curfew issue, and she asks to talk to him. They talk for awhile, and he resumes leaving. He asks where his BB guns are. I told him they're locked up. Boy, that didn't make him happy! I told him as long as they're in my house they're locked up. And, that I had discussed this with his mom and we were in total agreement on this, she didn't want them in her house because she couldn't control it, she has no where to lock them up. Lots of swearing and he tells me what I'm doing is illegal. I remind him he's under 18 and has to abide by the rules of my house.

He and ToughGuy and Sweetie leave. I go to bed but can't sleep. So I get up, get in my car and drive past spidey's house to make sure that's where they went. Sure enough, there's Sweetie's car and the lights are on in the living room. After all that shit, I didn't want him in my house. But, my heart still aches.

the last one -*- the next one