WBY - Six Times a Charm (part seven)
Adam sighed to himself. How could all of his good intentions have gone so haywire? He had just wanted to protect his family but getting off the radar. Adam mentally shut down that train of thought. Good intentions? Protecting his family? That was one way to put it, but Adam knew his running away wasn’t just looking out for the best interest of his family. He had tried to use that as an excuse but the truth was, he had been tired of getting the raw end of the deal with regard to ass whippings. That had been the impetus driving him to leave tonight. Adam knew too that it was what it was. Despite the past few weeks, it wasn’t just him who had rules to follow and consequences if they weren’t. Sam and hell, even Dean were subject to the same discipline.
There was silence in the Impala as Dad, Dean and Adam absorbed in their own thoughts decided to opt for quiet introspection. Dad, dropped his head for a moment then turned the car over and she rumbled obediently to life. He didn’t put it in gear though, just sat there with the car idling thinking whatever thoughts he had. He didn’t share them with either boy, just sat in the dim interior of the Impala. Apparently the silence was too much for Dean because he reached for the radio knob only to be slapped hard on the hand by their father with ninja like quickness.
“Owe.” Dean grumbled rubbing his now stinging left hand. “Whatcha do that for?”
“If I wanted the radio on, Dean, the radio would be on.”
That was obviously something that Dean hadn’t considered. As a rule, music always made him feel better, he didn’t see why it wouldn’t work for everyone else.
Dad glanced in the rear view at Adam, “What happened back there?”
“You kicked the ass of some trucker.” Adam stated sullenly. He couldn’t help it. Thoughts of his family and physical reminders to tow the line were making him agitated. His dark mood was only getting darker and the thought of what the night might bring made him feel another rush of anger.
“You son, had better watch your mouth.” His father didn’t say it with a lot of heat
but it was obvious that his patience had worn thin.
Adam wasn’t sure if his father was berating him for the impudence or for the language. Neither was a good thing but for some reason, calling Adam out for cussing, if that was the case, made Adam even angrier. His entire family had been known to cuss a blue streak and his father? Well, he cussed like a freaking Marine.
“I just said, ass, Dad. It’s not the end of the world.”
There was a moment of silence, as if his father was either taking a deep breath or counting in his head.
Neither was a good sign.
“Are you tryin’ to get your tail tanned sooner rather than later?” His father spoke calmly enough but that wasn’t often an indication of how mad he really was.
Not again!
Adam’s blood pressure went from slightly elevated to a hypertensive nightmare. He was going to die. He doubted his father’s spanking would actually kill him but if the stress and anger rolling off of him was any sign of immanent death than his demise was a given.
“Just do it!” Adam yelled, his voice trembling with rage, “Just turn the Impala off and open the car door! We are on the side of the road, not a lot of traffic, grab your belt and start beating. Maybe you’d rather use a switch, cause there’re lots of trees around. I’m not sure what else you can find but knowing you I’m sure you can probably scrounge up some rocks on the side of the road and take up the ancient art of stoning!”
Then to Adam’s dismay his father turn the car off and then turned around from the front seat, right arm stretching out behind the seat back and eyes narrowed in Adam’s direction.
“Can you please tell me what your problem is?” Dad asked with more than a hint of exasperation in his voice.
“ME?!!” Adam answered with a question.
“Not lookin’ at anyone else, son.” his father said dryly.
Adam just glared.
“Go on Adam…you started this - now finish it.” There was a finality in his father’s voice that made it clear he expected Adam to answer.
“Uh, I’m gonna take a walk.” Dean said to no one in particular, opening the door of the Impala with a noticeable protest of her hinges.
“Fine,” Dad said, “Just don’t go to far, I’ve had more than enough fun tonight hunting one son down - don’t wanna have to hunt you too.”
Despite the dark, Adam could see his brother roll his eyes at the suggestion and then stop himself as if realizing it was probably not in his best interest to aggravate his already agitated father.
“Yes, sir.” Dean answered crisply and then stepped out of the car probably a little faster than necessary. The interior light momentarily illuminated the darkened car and the retreating form of his brother and then it was just Adam and his dad.
Adam sat stubbornly in the back seat and his father sat stubbornly in the front both with eyes fixed forward, Adam’s on his back of the passenger seat, Dad staring out the windshield.
“So…” Dad prompted.
Adam ignored him.
“Speak your piece.” His father said.
“Seriously?”
“Do you see me smilin’?” His father asked as he turned around once more from the front seat, meeting his brown eyes with Adam’s blue.
“Okay, you asked for it.” Adam offered.
“You’re right I did and I meant it. Just remember, kiddo, it’s been a long night and I have no intention of listening to my fourteen year old be disrespectful, so you watch your words.”
Adam nodded then sniffled once. Not crying, of course, but Adam had to admit there was an emotional component to the sniffle.
“I’m just sick of it, Dad.”
“Of what?”
“Of getting my butt whacked every time I turn around.”
Dad arched one brow at Adam “You’re kidding me.”
“Do you see me smilin’?”
“I see you being a smart ass and I told you I wouldn’t tolerate that.”
“Dad, I’m not tryin’ to be a smart ass. But I’ve had with the constant butt whippins. Every time I turn around someone is using my ass for target practice.”
His father ran a hand through his dark wavy hair. “Okay, you tell me what you got your ass beat for and we’ll see if it was appropriate.”
Was this some kind of a test? Was his father changing his stance on beating asses?
“You whacked me for back chat last week.”
“And you’re surprised? I gave you a love tap warning you off and you ignored it. So yeah - I whupped your butt. You may not have liked it but you sure as shit deserved it.”
Adam thought about spanking number two “What about Dean smacking me with a freakin’ tree branch for not detailing the car?”
“Well, first off, it wasn’t a tree branch. Secondly, you were detailin’ the car as a punishment for ignorin’ Dean when he told you to give him a hand with the guns. So he gave you a chance and you screwed him over so he went to plan number two which was a spanking. I don’t see a problem with that.”
“Of course you don’t.” Adam retorted.
“Watch it.” His father growled, dark eyes growing darker with anger.
“Hey, you asked for my side of the story!”
“Yes, I did but with the caveat that you were to remain respectful. That changes and so does hearing your side.”
Sorry,” Adam said but with little contrition. Then he thought of the next spanking on his list, ”What about you smacking me for no reason!”
“I’ve never spanked you for no reason.”
“Spanking number three, Dad. I did nothing and you just whaled on me.”
His father snorted, “Hardly, I told you to leave me alone. I was tired and had been up for three days straight. I warned you, kiddo. If I remember correctly, you were hounding me over taking you Conner Somebody’s house. I’m sorry you don’t know the meaning of no, but apparently I needed to explain it to you in a way that you would understand.”
Adam shrugged. He’d forgotten about bugging his father about Connor.
“What about the damn floor? I mean, c’mon, Dad. How often do we take our boots off just to walk in the house.”
“Your brother’s call. And he had just washed the floor, it was a chore I’d given him so yeah, a little consideration for him would have been smart on your part.”
Frustrated, Adam grunted then ran his hand over his hair in an unconscious mirror of his father’s earlier gesture.
“And I guess it’s okay that Sam whupped me over grades?”
“Yup. Although that was one I didn’t know about. I take it he didn’t wallop you for good grades though.”
“It was just some dumb English quizzes that I missed.”
“So, were you supposed to do them?”
“Yeah, but…”
“No buts…you were supposed to do them and you didn’t. Ass whipping justified, that is unless you were doing something more important.”
Adam was so not winning this conversation! “So, I’m the boy who gets it anytime any one feels like they need to beat on someone.”
Dad looked at him reflectively, “Now that’s just not true and if Sam or Dean decide to spank your ass with no reason, well, I expect you to tell me and I will take that up with them.”
“But all those spankings!” Adam almost cried that part.
“Were well deserved, Adam. I’m not going to make excuses for any tanning you’ve gotten this week or last. You earned them all and if you think that running away and making me chase you all over Nevada is going to help your case, well you are sadly mistaken. Then…” his father growled this part, “you have the audacity to hitchhike and wind up with some skeevy trucker and almost find yourself a rent boy on the side of the road.” His father’s well-modulated voice was becoming rougher and lower, a sure sign that any patience he may have had was quickly dissapating.
“Nah, a rent boy would’ve meant he paid for it.” Adam said without thinking.
Part eight
http://wildblueyonder6.livejournal.com/45184.html