Second Chances

The Beginning of the Disappointment

"Mary! Shut the kid up!" I stood behind my mother, who was muttering curses and empty threats toward the dominating presence that lounged on top of the couch. She was rocking me back and forth on an old rickety rocking chair, a dirty blanket placed onto my pudgy legs. I could see why my father was annoyed, I was one hell of a screamer. I was certain the entire neighbourhood could hear me. Even I could tell it was because I was hungry, yet I was given no food. There was no food to give anyway, since the money that was earned was usually spent on cigarettes by my mother or the cheapest booze by my old man. I looked on in sympathy at the dreadful looking, greasy woman that was trying to nurse me, slowly loosing her patience. I left her with the baby and stood in front of my dad, waving a hand in front of his face. It did nothing, his eyes unchanged as he drank from the beer can. He crushed it with his meaty hands and threw it behind him and into the crevice between the wall and the sofa. I shook my head and went to go upstairs. I entered the only available room which happened to belong to all of us. I looked into the corner to see a tight little cot, on the verge of breaking and crashing down. It was mine. A dirty mattress was pressed against the wall, a blanket with nothing covering the itchy material. Belonged to Mary Bennet and Dave Bennet. The smoker and the drunk. Disappointments. I shook my head as the reality hit me quick. The family I was born into was f****d pretty quickly. I looked up and out the dirty window across the room and toward the outside. "Feeling lucky, Mr.Bennet?" I looked toward the door way to see the skeletal, grey haired man ducking walking into the room. He pulled a face and pinched his nose. "Pretty foul smelling this place is it not?" I nod. "How long are we gonna to be doing this?" I say, a monotonous voice escaping my throat. He actually pulled out a pocket watch, glanced at it then looked at me. "Until your sentence is completed." I look at him as the complete disregard for specifics seemed to just be the only thing I'll ever get out of him. "What can I call you?" I ask, already feeling exasperated. I could tell that this was going to last awhile. It honestly sounded like one of the classic Scrooge set ups. Ghost turns up and turns the protagonist into what once was a selfish f**k up to a do gooder with a positive attitude. The skeletal butler stood straighter and closed his eyes. "I am the judge. I am the Jury. I am the one that carries out the punishment. I take this tasking job for order and solidity. I am Arduous, I am the universal undertaker." I blink. "So... Arduous, then?" I see him become slightly annoyed at my apparent ignorance. It was quiet amusing to see him convey such a human emotion. I look around again, the room I had lived in for 5 years. The room I had cried in. The room I had been abused in. The same room that I had been taken from, towards the orphanage. "I'm glad I didn't grow up here. I would of ended up like them." I mutter. I see a smile flutter on Arduous' face, but very quickly disappeared, quickly enough for me to doubt that I ever saw it. "Are you certain you hadn't ended up worse than them? You had murdered a young man you know." His words cut deep into me, I flinch slightly. I glare at him but don't deny it. That is why I was here, why I was put on death row. But... "It wasn't my fault." I stand and get out as soon as possible, anger swelling within my stomach. It was that b***h. That b***h tricked me. That. b***h! Before I knew it I was outside and standing before the park again. The swing still creaking loudly as it was softly pushed by the wind. I closed my eyes and held my head in my hands, images flashing behind my eyes. Please! I never touched her! I started to shake, as the boy entered my head again. He had been so weak, so ridiculously weak. It took me till I was finally sitting in my jail cell to realise that I had been f****d over. That I had been used by some sick little girl. He had only confessed to her. He had only wanted to date her. He had only been a class mate that she just didn't like. "f**k!" I kicked into the pavement, a sharp pain stabbing into my ankle. "f**k, f**k, f**k, f**k!!!" "We should move on." I look up to see Arduous standing next to me, looking down on me again. He pointed behind me, a slight tremor within the earth afterwards. I look behind me to see another home. My next home. It was a lot more luxurious than the last one, at least three floors. The architecture that seemed to of been made in the eighteen hundreds yet still looked brand new. I could hear nothing from the inside, yet I already know what was going on. Since I could see a young boy looking out the window, no obvious emotion showing on his face. Even now, it was obvious that he was me. Maybe cleaner and not even old enough to grow the first hairs on his face. I sigh loudly. "Shall we go inside, Arduous?" I say sarcastically already walking toward the door.