Life's not fair

John Taylor pulled his old Isuzu pickup into the driveway at 17:30 sharp, the same as on every day of the week, out of the office at 16:00, down to the pub for a beer, and then straight home to his wife and kids. It was good to have a routine, safe, no uncertainties.

 

He kissed his daughter waiting for him at the door, and then made his way to the kitchen to greet Cindy, his wife. She was standing at the stove, stirring something that smelled heavenly and offered her cheek for a kiss.

“How was your day, sweetie?” She asked without looking away from whatever she was creating for dinner

“Same old, same old” John replied, taking a beer out of the fridge and holding it up.

“Want one?” he asked

“No thanks, but you can pour me a glass of wine if you want.”

 

John put his beer on the table and reached into the fridge for the bottle of white wine in the door. He took a glass out of the cupboard and filled it halfway to the top.

“Where is Kevin?” he asked, handing her the glass.

“He’s outside playing with the dog” Cindy replied. “I’m just about ready to dish up. Call him and tell him to wash his hands so we can eat”, she ordered.

“Yes Ma’am” John said with a smile and shouted out the back door, “Kevin! Dinnertime!”

“Coming”, the faint answer came floating back.

 

Kevin flew into the kitchen with the little mongrel puppy he got for his birthday hot on his heels. Without stopping he went out the other end with a “Hey Dad” over his shoulder. A few seconds later John could hear the tap running in the bathroom.

“Make sure you clean the basin when you’re done!” Cindy called after him.

“Yeess Mom”, the exasperated answer came back from the bathroom.

 

Five minutes later they were sitting around the dining room table, holding hands while John said Grace. When the Amen came, Kevin grabbed his knife and fork and started shoveling food in his mouth.

“Mind your manners, Kevin, and sit up straight.” Cindy said

“Yes Mom” Kevin said and slowed down a fraction

“Kevin has something to tell you, John” Cindy continued.

“No I don’t”, Kevin said quickly

“What is it, Kev?” John asked

“Nothing Dad” Kevin mumbled

“Come on Kevin, tell Daddy what happened” Cindy said

“Aw come on, Mom, I told you it was nothing” Kevin protested

 

“There is a bully in Kevin’s class at school” Cindy said to John. “Apparently he’s pushing everyone around, and he kicked Kevin during break today.”

“Is this true, Kevin?” John asked, looking at his son.

“Yes but it’s not so bad, Dad, he’s like that with everyone.”

“What did you do when he kicked you?” John asked

“Nothing, Dad”

“Why not?” John asked

“Coz it didn’t hurt, and besides, he’s bigger than me”

“Did you enjoy it when this boy kicked you?”

“Nooo, but he’s bigger than me. What was I supposed to do?” Kevin asked

“Punch him in the face?” Kevin’s sister spoke for the first time

“Exactly”, John agreed

“Hold on just a minute, you two”, Cindy interjected. “Don’t go and put ideas into his head now. I’ll go into school with Kevin tomorrow and talk to his teacher.”

 

John took a sip of his beer and looked at his wife.

“You’ll do no such thing”, he said. “It’s time that Kevin learned to stand up for himself. It’s a golden opportunity to learn a good lesson.”

“Oh really?” Cindy said, “And what lesson is that?”

“Life’s not fair, and his mommy will not always be around to protect him.” John replied, and then, turning to Kevin, he continued “If that boy punches or kicks you again tomorrow, I want you to punch him in the face, and I can almost guarantee you that it will be the end of the bully in your school.”

“I don’t like that at all”, Cindy said. If I go to the teacher tomorrow, they can call the bully into the office, and then he can learn all about how life is fair or not from the principal. I don’t want Kevin involved in fistfights on the playground.”

John looked his son in the eye and spoke quietly and deliberately. “Life’s not fair, Kevin. This is a good time for you to learn that lesson.”

 

*******

The next afternoon, as usual, John pulled his pickup into the driveway at 17:30 sharp. Cindy was waiting at the door for him.

“Hi Honey” John said

“Kevin has something to tell you” Cindy said with a cold look.

“Oh? Where is he?”

“Kevin! Your dad’s home!” Cindy called.

 

John entered the lounge and sat down on the couch. After a moment Kevin entered the room.

“What’s up, sport?” John asked

“Hey Dad”, Kevin said and looked at his mom who sat down on the chair opposite from them looking smug.

“Come on, tell your dad what happened at school today, Kevin.” She said.

 

“I learnt that lesson you were talking about last night, Dad” Kevin said

“What was the lesson, Kev?” John asked

“Life’s really not fair, Dad.”

“Oh, what happened?”

“That bully came up to me today during break and slapped me on the back of my head” Kevin said

“Yes, and then?”

“I punched him in the face, really hard, Dad. He fell down, and he had a bloody nose.”

“Good for you, Kevin. What happened then?” John asked.

“I was sent to the principal’s office for being a bully.” Kevin replied.

Author's Note

Any opinions please, I am on a learning curve, and I need to know how long this curve might prove to be

Reviews

[Lucia]

Very good story. Very real and i feel like that is exactly what those people would say and it was interesting.

Maybe you could add in more descriptions. Like what Kevin looks like or what the dog looks like. Just squeeze some more descriptions and narration in between all the amazing dialogue.

[D Muller]

Thank you Lucia, I will try to be more descriptive, I'm just trying to maintain a balance on the length of the story and I don't want to make it too long

[Marie]

THis is good. Nice twist at the end. I know what Lucia means about description; I don't do enough of that mysef. Description adds colour, but it can also burden a story with too many details.

[D Muller]

Thanks Marie, I hear you, and it seems to me that it is about the balance more than anything else. Some might feel it's too long or too much and others would expect more.