Rock Radio - By Lisa Wainland Page 0,5
never be. So she gave him a name that would upstage the Smith. Cody Blue would never be ordinary.
Life was hard for Cody Blue. He came from a poor family living in Pinetree, Florida, a small town in the middle of the state. It was a one light town, everyone pretty much knew everyone. The closest “big” city was Ocala which housed the nearest mall, the best chain restaurants and any decent kind of nightlife, save Pinetree’s local bar.
His family lived in a rundown wood frame house that his mother tried desperately to make a home. She had decorated it with needlepoint pictures and dried flower wreaths. Jane Smith was not a smart woman, but she was crafty and had a sense for color. So their house, while dumpy looking on the outside, did have warm touches inside.
Cody’s mother did not work. There were not many jobs to be had in their town and his family could only afford one car, so his mother stayed home and kept up the house while his dad worked as a mechanic at the local body shop.
But theirs was not a happy southern home in the country.
Cody’s father was a drunk.
An angry drunk.
People tried to sugarcoat his dad’s problem saying that he had a disease, that he was an alcoholic. Cody didn’t buy it. His dad was a sloppy lush and Cody hated him.
As a child Cody spent too many frightened nights hiding under his bed, waiting for his dad to come home. His arrival was like a tornado. Kevin Smith would barrel through the front door freshly pickled from the bar.
“Jane,” he yelled with a wicked mean drawl, “where’s my drink and dinner? How many times do I have to tell you to have my scotch neat and dinner hot ‘n ready when I get home?” His voice rose in anger as he stormed into the den. Kevin’s large frame filled the room, cold dark eyes darting back and forth.
“Kevin,” Jane said meekly, emerging from the kitchen, still clad in her apron. “Dinner is ready. It’s on the table.” She tentatively straightened her apron with shaking hands. “I think you’ve had enough to drink.”
“I think you think too much,” Kevin spat, moving closer so his words were just inches from her face.
She stepped back as tears filled her eyes. “Kevin, please.” Jane was a slight woman. Frail thin. “Don’t.”
“Don’t? Don’t? You gonna tell me what to do?”
As his voice rose, Jane began to retreat. “Cody’s here,” she whispered as the tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.
Kevin didn’t care. He saw her tears as weakness and like an animal with his prey in sight, he pounced. Kevin quickly grabbed Jane by the shoulders and pushed her up against the wall, pinning her wrists over her head. “I asked for something and I’ll get it! Why don’t you go to work and earn a living, woman? Then you can tell me how to be, but as long as I support you...you’re mine!”
Jane sobbed in pain, her wrists raw from his tight grip. “Kevin, I made you dinner. Please, please.”
“Oh, I love it when you beg baby,” he said, securing her wrists with one hand, unzipping his pants with the other.
“Kevin, don’t! Please.” Her voice was breathless with desperation.
“Don’t what, bitch?” he sneered, breathing his hot alcohol breath down her neck.
“Please stop. Please, please.”
“You’re not worth it you whore,” he said, releasing her wrists and zipping up his pants. She crumbled to the floor. “Where’s the boy?”
“No, Kevin. Leave him alone.” Jane tried to stand, but Kevin was already gone, plowing through their small house into Cody’s room.
“Cody!” he yelled, swinging open the door with such force and frequency that the wall had indented into a perfect circle where the doorknob had hit it so many times.
“Cody! Get out here!”
Cody held his breath under the bed. If he could be still long enough his dad might tire of this game and pass out.
“Cody!” his dad sing-songed, “Cody, Cody! Come out, come out wherever you are!”
His dad was suddenly lying on the floor staring straight into Cody’s frightened eyes.
“There you are you little bastard!” He ripped Cody out from under the bed.
“No, Daddy!” Cody was only ten. “Daddy, Daddy, no!”
His father didn’t care about his pleas or cries. He tossed Cody into the den. Cody’s mom trembled to her feet.
“Kevin, don’t you hurt him.” Jane threw her body in front of Cody’s.
“Outta my way.” Kevin hit her hard, causing her body to hurl back into a table.