FicWad

I can't really remember a lot of what happened between my birth and to the time I was two, but my mom told me that it wasn't the greatest. What I managed to glean off of anyone in McCordsville (God, I hate the name of that town), was that my mother lost her job in that restaurant and she became desperate for money to support me. Needless to say, that job-hunting didn't go so well for her, being a high-school drop out and all. She got a job, don't get me wrong...but...well, being a bar waitress' kid isn't the best thing in the world. I didn't know it at the time, and even when I was a little older, I didn't really understand it, but there's a sort of taboo mark that is placed on you afterwards.
Anyway, I didn't remember any of that, or the number of people who'd baby-sit me for my mother. The first thing I do really remember is being in the back at the bar my mom worked at when I was about three. All the women there were heavily made-up and wore these really thin, short clothes to attract more customers, but they were all really nice to me I remember, letting me sit in the comfiest chair and have whatever type of candy I wanted. That's also when I remember meeting Leroy, the guy who was in charge of the place. Now normally, when you think of a guy who's in charge of a bar, you think the guys a total sleeze. Leroy was actually the nicest guy you could ever meet, and he looked like he could be someone's father. He actually cared about the people who worked there. He hired men to stand in the doorways to protect the women if someone tried to grab them while they were drunk. And he really cared about my mom because she was so young. I think he thought of her as a sort of daughter since his disappeared a long time ago.
So Leroy was a nice guy who took me under his wing. He taught me how to read and write, he taught me simple math (which actually came in handy when I was in high school Leroy. Thank you.). And he also rented out a place to my mother because she had been kicked out of her place after losing her old job. It was just a room and a bathroom in an apartment which was shared by another woman at the bar, but my mom was eternally grateful. And that woman...she was a lot older than my mom and I think her name was Patricia or something...she worked days and my mom worked nights, so when my mom went to work, Patty and I would sit around and play card games. She even taught me how to play poker, which was kind of fun.
Also, at the time, I didn't realize it, but my mom would sometimes come home with a patron from the bar and they'd go at it. I'd sometimes wake up to this thumping noise in my mother's bedroom (I'd sleep with Patty because I was afraid of the monster under my mom's bed), but in the morning I'd ask my mom about it and she'd just say I was imagining things. I don't think my mother was using herself for money...I just think she was lonely and a four year old son can only provide you with so much company. I did eventually find out about what was going on, but that came later. For the time being, I was content just believing my mother, who played with me, took me outside, loved me, and did everything she could for me.
That was how things were until I became old enough for Kindergarten. And let me tell you, Kindergarten is mean. You think high school is bad, it's not. Kindergarten is where the real bullies are. My first day, I was dressed in some somewhat new hand-me-downs from a boy a little older than me (his mom worked with my mom), and my hair had been cut. I had a semi-used backpack with pre-owned school supplies, and I was happy that I got to go to school. Only problem is, everyone in my class had new stuff. New clothes, supplies, backpacks, everything was new. I was the only one without anything new. But that didn't bother me one bit. I was ready to learn...just, not learn what the ground felt, smelt, and looked like up close.
Almost immediately upon entering class, this kid, Terrence Philips, or 'Terry the Terrifying' sized me up and had in his head the plan by which he was going to humiliate me for the rest of the year. Now, a couple of things about Terrence one has to know is, he's not very smart. In fact, he's a complete retard. By the time I got there, he was in that class for three years. And not just for being stupid, no he also liked to skip class. A lot of class. So he was held back each year, and so he was a big guy. Me, I was a little tall for a five year old, but I was really scrawny since my mother didn't really make a whole lot. So, I was immediately fodder for this guy. Not that I can really blame him. I met his family once, and...I can see where he picked it up.
Anyway, the first day of school, and I was already the punching bag for the Kindergarten through third grade bully. His older brother was the entire school bully (and he was also held back three years). I came home from school that day with a bloody lip, my 'new' clothes torn up, and feeling lower than dirt. I remember thinking to myself how school couldn't get any worse. But sure enough, it could.