• “Lazy!” a red eyed man yelled across the dim room. “Why is my son so useless?” he announced.
    Thomas stared up at his father as he clenched the piano bench with his trembling hands. With tears in his eyes, Thomas said back “I finished everything. All my homework, I studied everything, I swear”
    “Since when do I give a **** about your worthless education? Just look at you”
    Thomas looked down at his clothes.
    “People tell me all the time that my son looks like a piece of garbage. And I just tell them, what you see is what you get”
    “That’s not true”, Thomas replied. “Mom always told me-“
    “Who?!” his father interrupted.
    “Mom”, he replied.
    His father smiled and picked through a stack of photographs on the table. He pulled out one of Thomas and his mother. “You mean this whore?” he laughed.
    Tom furiously stared at him.
    “Well, Tommy”, he said tearing the photo in half. “Tell me where your mom is now”.
    Tom stared at the ground trying to hold in all his anger. He loathed his father. Every day he did nothing but mentally abuse him. It came to the point that Tom actually believed that he was completely useless. But that didn’t satisfy his father. He would continue to bully him. Especially when he was drunk, this was about every night.
    He continued to rip up the photograph as he blabbed on about how he should have gotten rid of their piano years ago.
    “Never touch that piece of trash again, you hear me?” he said referring to the grand piano.
    “But mom told me to always keep practicing”, Tom murmured.
    Father began to undo his belt. “Run that by me again, son” he said.
    “Stop threatening me with your belt”, he said. “Your words hurt me more than anything else you could reach for to hit me with”
    “You hurt more than I do, I know it. You’re a depressed alcoholic who’s afraid to get help”
    Tom watched the pure rage growing in his father’s eyes. Before he could lay a finger on his son, Thomas fled out the front door and down to the Flynn residence.
    The air was bitter cold and his footsteps echoed throughout the neighborhood.
    He then swiftly banged on the door hoping for an immediate answer. A moment later Andrew Flynn answered the door. Tom quickly jumped inside and looked around nervously.
    Grandmother Flynn slowly walked in the room. “Thomas? It’s nearly 12 am”
    “Pa was about to beat me”, he sighed. “Oh dear” she said shaking her head. “Have a seat”
    “He was drunk again?” Andrew asked.
    Tom nodded. “And I told him what you told me, Mr. Flynn”
    “Told him what?” he asked in confusion.
    Thomas looked up. “You told me on Monday that Pa’s in pain. He’s a depressed alcoholic who’s afraid to get help”
    “Tommy, don’t tell your father everything we tell you”, Grandma Flynn said.
    Thomas clenched his fists. “But-but he made me mad. He called my mother a whore and told me I’m a piece of garbage. Mabel told me to be brave so I spoke back”
    Mabel was Andrew Flynn’s daughter. Tom and Mabel were both 10 but attending different schools. Over the years Tom had grown to admire her. She was very kind and very clever, just like her grandmother.
    Mabel peeked around the corner. Her father squinted at her. “Are you eavesdropping again?”
    She nodded. “I can’t sleep so I’d rather sit here. I couldn’t help but to peak when I heard my name mentioned”
    “You have school tomorrow Mabel”, her father replied. “Goodnight, dear”
    “Same for you, Tom”, Grandma Flynn said. “But always remember, you’re so much more than what your father wants you to believe. Just listen to your heartstrings”
    At the time Thomas wasn’t sure what this meant. But with time he began to understand.