A Woman's Flight Chapter 5

 Her name was Rebecca Thompson. She has been born into a lower middle class family in Texas. Her family was never really religious, but they would at least go to church on the major holidays. She knew that the people at the church had to know. But they didn’t say anything. They were all too afraid of her father. His name was Richard Thompson. He had worked for one of the local stockyards in the area and did small construction work here and there wherever he could find it. He was a drunk and had an extremely bad temper. When he was younger, his father used to take him out back and beat him until he was raw. Rebecca learned to fear her grandfather very early. He was a mean spiteful man who took out his anger and frustration on his wife and on his kids as well. He could shoot you a venomous look from across the room that could stop you in your tracks. 

        He particularly liked to take out his anger and frustration out on Richard. He used to call him his little whipping boy or his whipping post and would frequently find reasons to punish Richard for no reason other than to have a reason to beat him. His father carried a lot of anger and resentment toward Richard because his mother had been sick when Richard was being born and she almost passed away during the delivery. When Richard was delivered, the doctor asked, "What do you want to name your son?" His father just looked at Richard with this cold and hateful glare and said, " Hell if I care. Ask her. I am leaving.” With that his father stormed out of the room and didn't even look back. At that point his mother looked at him and she began to smile and say, “You are my miracle baby. I might have died, but I am still alive. Don't listen to your father. He was just scared that he might lose me. He isn't actually angry at you." She looked at the doctor and said, " I think I want to name him Richard after my father. Richard seems like a good enough name for a boy." And with that Richard was born into the world. Unfortunately, from that point on Richard's father made it a point to take out his anger and frustation on him in particular. If he saw him struggling with his homework he used to say, " Why are you even trying. You know you are just going to get it wrong anyway. You were always dumb and you are never going to amount to anything. Might as well just give up now and die already." When Richard would do something his father didn't like, he used to take him out back and beat him until he could barely breathe. His other brothers and sisters would even try and intervene, but his father's rage and cutting remarks left their permanent scars on Richard for the rest of his life. When his mother finally passed away; it was almost like any resemblace of grace and humanity his father had left with his mother.