Chapter 3 - At the end of the day

The rain had stopped falling with the wet ground as proof that it did few minutes ago and few flashes of lightning could still be seen parading in the grey clouds.

Glow-frogs (once aliens to this world; so, I heard) were already up and about; floating around in the air in their usual small swarm.

They tend to come out anytime rainfalls and the air feels cool.

I walked past the miserable-looking bummers gathering around a rusting cylindrical metal container holding fire to warm themselves, it was quite tempting to join them for few minutes at least but I had to get home.

Strolled through the narrow streets and narrower back alleys for at least an hour before I reached my apartment building; a very old 6 stories building, with long wiring lines spanning from one wing of the building to another; many even crossed over to other buildings around it.

The building like many that still stood is a complete mess, ridden with bullet holes, graffiti of different insulting sketches of police, street slangs, Black-bird gang signs and huge cracks in walls covered with nylon bags.

The bottom half of the building is almost completely infested with moss, fern and other weird crawling plants that grew anywhere they fucking want.

A lot of tattered clothes and other wears were dried out on lines and verandas in front of every door of the building and there was no shortage of homeless bums and punks loitering around everywhere like cockroaches.

With so many people came an awful of trash, nose-destroying odour and the most annoying of all – Noise. One could barely hear himself think with loud chatting, indoor quarrelling, outdoor quarrelling, people yelling the loudest for 'noisemaker' to keep it down and the different sounds of music; all amped out with speakers.

This shit extended to all the bloody building around the area to.

I annoyingly looked at the building and knew I was gang-banged before coming to this life.

I casted the thoughts out of my mind and walked up the stairs then the passage, with one of two bums or punks in the way, everywhere was infested with roaches, beetles, flies and even shit.

The building's thin walls and many apartments' lanky door didn't help with the noise, as I passed by, I could literally hear what some folks were doing inside - some were yelling, some were beating the hell out of someone, some wailing and crying in pain, and others were noise from radios, speakers and other stuffs.

I finally stop in front of a door and I could hear the voice of a man and a woman yelling at each other at the other side of the door, I brought out my key from my pocket and opened the door – This is my home.

A woman with roughly tied-up hair like a cluster of diseased rat fur, heavy dark sack rested under her eyes tied to a face drowned in stress, depression, bitterness and worry.

She wore an old patched up over-sized male clothes and was in a very serious verbal argument with a dark-skinned man.

The man had long unkempt ebony hair and lots of tiny scars all over his face, wearing patched up leather armour-like jacket and jeans.

He reeked so much of alcohol that someone 10 feet away could still smell it without any effort, the two of them were yelling their brain out at the right corner of the room; from the view of the door.

I just ignored my parents as they screamed at each other like always, heading to the door straight down from apartment entrance.

For some fucked up reason, I got noticed as usual by my father; his eyes darted to me with an insane reflex for a very drunk person.

"Oi, Shitsu… (Belch)Shitsubo, where have you been?!" The man called out in a vexing drunken tone, as I was walking past them.

I didn't reply, instead picked up my pace quickly to the bedroom door, just few feet in front of me. I took me less than 2 seconds to cover the distance… This apartment is that small.

I hurriedly cracked open the door and locked it behind me as soon as I entered but the man…my father followed me; yelling and banging the door in anger.

"I… I knew, it was you. Y…You overgrown dog semen, you took money from my stash and spent 'em all. You fucking mis…mistake, you already ruined my life but I guess that's not enough for you, hmm? You had to ruin my night too!!" He yells at me from behind the door, then punched the wall twice.

The wall of vibrated a bit violently as he punched, then he called out to me again "Come the hell out of there and gimme back my fucking money!!!".

"Motherfucker, why the fuck aren't you ans…." He was saying before being cut off by my mother.

"Leave him out of it, your drunken wreck. Don't you fucking blame him for losing your fucking money! You're in here making noise about someone steal your money when I am dead-sure you spent 'em all on booze, cards and prostitutes. We have a fucking debt on our heads… Look at you, b…" my mother raged on, but before she could really call him out on all his bullshit, the sound of a loud slap from the other side of the door literally shut her up.

Even a hakujo would realise my father just loaded my mother's face with one heavy slap.

I wasn't going out there, I stood no chance against that man and even though I felt vexed at what he just did; it doesn't mean anything because we all needed him more than he needs us… without him, we will be more screwed, than we are.

"Bitch, who are you calling – a drunk? So, you and that bastard of yours finally ganging up on me like that your fucking father did…(Cough) but where's the fucker now? That's right – He's in the fucking ground You better watch your mouth before I put you and your son in the same fucking ground!!" He roared at the top of his lungs with pure untamed rage but surprisingly I did not hear him putting his hands on her again.

Normally, he starts with a slap, then turns her into a beating drum the next second but it felt like he wasn't going to do that today, and if he doesn't plan on doing that, it only means, he's going to…

"Since, you and bastard are very good at stealing, lying and scheming, you can all fucking handle yourselves. I'm out of this bitch… Lemme see how you people will fucking eat!" He yelled wildly.

Then I heard him storming off; as he opened the front door and slamming it, uttering cusses aloud, I immediately waked out of the room to check on my mother.

She just lay on the damp ground with side of her belly and her hands covering the right side of her face, I went over to help her sit up.

She didn't even seem to have the strength to even pull herself up properly and barely conscious.

The slap my father gave her wasn't even with his full strength; he never beats her with all his strength. She could die with one strike if he wanted to and that's what makes this fucked up… For her

She turns into a rag doll every time he lays his hand on her but she doesn't STOP picking a fight with him and he doesn't beat her out of pure anger or annoyance.

He doesn't want to kill her; he wants her to feel pain…. As much pain as he can give her.

After few minutes, with me just staying by her side, she finally spoke till closing her eyes and putting both her hand on her right cheek; which had swollen a bit.

"My beautiful boy, your father has left, hasn't he?" She asks with pain in her voice.

"Yes… Yes, he has… Again" I replied, releasing the tension in my shoulders when I realise the man won't be coming back but instantly realized what him bailing (again) meant.

My mom was rolling in tears; this isn't the first time my father has put his hands on her and won't be the last; she was somewhat used to it from what I could tell.

She just sat in a foetus posture; placing her hand on her cheek as she wallowed silently in misery and worry.

"How…How are we…" She weakly stumbled on her words, until one tear slowly rolling down her cheeks.

I embrace her softly and calmly said "Don't worry, I will take it from here… like always"

"How…(Sobbing) How can you? You (Sobbing)… You always get beaten up all the time, I don't want to go through that…" she spoke in utter grief, as she tightens her hug on me.

"Don't worry about it" I comforted her, not making any efforts to deny what she said, because it is the truth or at least half of what she said is the truth… the other half isn't.

The real truth is - I will definitely get beaten up by those bloodhounds sooner or later and the only thing she will do is to just stand there; not able to help, walk away or do single goddamn thing.

If she TRULY didn't want to go through all that, she wouldn't just stand there in fear, sorrow and guilt.

I peeled her off my body as she sobbed and complain, then tried looking at her in the eyes but her head was down, so were her eyes; both with filled with sadness and sorrow.

"Mom, look at me… Look at me" I called out to her a bit firm but tried to remain as gentle and calm as I needed to be, she raised up her head, sensing the slight seriousness in my voice and looked at my straight in the eyes.

"Don't worry, I will handle it" I said once again to reassure her, looking at her dead-straight in her eyes.

I turned her face to see her right cheek clearer and there on her right cheek was a nasty swell in the shape of a palm with some bruises.

The swollen cheek made it look she was storing up air in her mouth, I gently caress the outer area of the swelling and called out my sibling names from the room I hid myself in, when my father wanted to rip my head up for no reason.

"Ayaka… Eiji, come out here!"

The room door slowly opened and two kids wearing patched-up jeans and torn-up singlets emerged from the dark cover of the room.

Earlier, when I entered the room to hide myself from my father, I noticed them as soon as I zoomed in, sitting in a dark and gloomy corner of the room, grabbing their sides of their head, trying to block out the yelling and raging of our parents.

Their face covered with the wild fear, discomfort and bitterness; they were probably here when all hell broke loose and folded themselves in a corner to avoid be caught in the middle of that dumpster fire of a marriage.

Ayaka and Eiji – my youngest siblings; 14 years of age and identical twins (girl and boy respectively), possessing more of our mother than our father.

They had our mother's small nose, oval-shaped face and smaller eye compared to mine, they even have a natural lighter skin tone than me and Genji, but it's hard to spot that, as we are all roughed up and dirty looking mongrels of Sumiyoshi.

"Do we have water?" I questioned, still focusing my eyes on the swell on my mother's face.

"No" Eiji responded, almost instantly.

"Eiji, go to Fuyuko… ask her for some water to spare" I instructed my brother, he seemed a bit hesitant but didn't voice anything, then left carrying a pail resting in a corner of this room with him.

"Ayaka, where's Genji?" I had to ask my sister; he should have been home.

Even if he's lucky to not be at home when our parents torn through each other, but it's safer in here than out there, especially at this time.

"I don't know…" My sister answered me, with a face that said she couldn't even guess where he might be.

I returned my attention to the face of my mother, while waiting for Eiji to bring some water.