Sacrifices

She would hold him in her arms lovingly; she was his comfort, his protection and would never leave him. To him as a child she was the only god he would ever need.

He remembered once on career day he asked his mother to come with him to school. She said no. When he asked why she said, "There are people who think what I do for money is wrong. Some think that way because they think it’s embarrassing others think it’s a sin. I do what I do because my life is here. The world out there offers money for what they can see; I take it and I change the world here. One day I’ll find a better way but their world isn’t a fair place. They argue what’s right for me. All I can say is the world is too big for one right and one wrong."

That gave him something to think about and he decided he wasn’t embarrassed of her at all. Looking back his parents were the greatest. He brought this fact to life the day a teacher at his school called his mother a whore. He jumped over his desk and grabbed the teacher by the neck. His mother was not a whore, he knew it for a fact and he was going to make sure this teacher knew it too. The teacher was a small and pudgy man of about 5’1. Bradley was a strong kid for his age. He and his dad lifted weights in their spare time but Bradley started doing it alone, he wasn’t sure if his father knew or not. Holding the teacher by the neck he felt the fat man’s pulse racing. His chubby and weak hands gripped Brad’s wrists trying to squeeze them in a futile power struggle.

"My mother is NOT a whore! NOW YOU SAY IT!!!"

"Get off of me in the name of Jesus!" he wheezed.

Bradley couldn’t help but laugh. That was the last reaction in the world that he expected. So he restated his purpose.

"Repeat after me YOUR MOTHER IS NOT A WHORE!"

He just wheezed.

"Jesus isn’t coming to save you; you have to deal with me yourself".

Still there was nothing from the fat man but the nauseating wheezing. At that point he glanced at the students behind him, they were in shock, one of them was standing but none of them moved. Finally the fat man struck him. It wasn’t anything to take notice of really but Bradley had had enough. He lunged forward and knocked the guy on his ass. The teacher spit in his face and with an instinctive reaction he brought back his fist and cracked the bastards head. Not literally but he did knock him out. With a sense of pride and a new sense of leadership he bid his piers farewell and walked home. His parents were pissed of course. Yet they didn’t hit him. They never hit him. His dad offered him a cigarette as they sat on the roof of their apartment building. It was Bradley’s favorite spot to go when he wanted to be alone; although he wouldn’t admit it he actually liked the idea of his dad being up there with him. It was good to think and be alone, but when you share it you always remember it.

"Dad, moms never cheated on you right."

"That’s right".

"And she’s not really a whore."

"Hell no"

Bradley knew all of this, what he was doing was justifying himself indirectly. He thought they were in for a long talk but he was wrong.