It had been several weeks since my 17th birthday, the day that Jerry, Karl and me had skipped school to got to the beach. Since the cops caught us, the resulting trip to the vice-principals office earned us a few licks. When I got home my dad, who was drunk at the time, had tried to whip my ass again but I managed to get out of it by leaving home and staying at Jerry's for a few days.
I suppose I was a lot more like my father than I cared to admit, because I was drinking quite a bit myself. I had gotten a part time job, mainly to avoid spending any extra time at home, and this gave me some extra income so I wouldn't have to ask my mom for money (My dad had cut off my allowance several weeks earlier). It seemed that a lot of my money went toward beer purchases, but I didn't worry about it too much because I only drank with friends and never drove while I was drinking. (I still remembered the whipping with the willow switch I had gotten almost a year earlier for being brought home by the cops for drinking and driving.)
It was late May, my junior year was almost over and I was looking forward to summer. Just when I thought things were getting better, my dad got laid off his job for an extended time. His reaction was to feel sorry for himself and to drink even more. This resulted in my mom spending a lot of time at her sister's house when she wasn't up to dealing with his drinking. She didn't want to leave me to deal with him alone, so she always let me know when he was drinking heavily. It worked late on a Wednesday night, and it almost 10:00 when I got home and found a note from my mom on my bed. She said was staying over at my aunt's and though it would be nice if I came over for dinner. She did not know I was working late, so the note was sitting on my bed for several hours. I called over to my aunts and asked my mother what was going on. She said my dad had been drinking all day and had taken off with his friends. I told her that he wasn't home but also told her that I was going to call Jerry and ask if I could spend the night. She said that was good, and we said good night. I looked at the clock and noticed that it was almost 11:00 and then put a few things in a bag and decided to take a shower before leaving.
I finished my shower and went to my room to get dressed. I had just put on a pair of shorts and grabbed my wallet and keys when I heard my dad's truck pull into the driveway. I heard him walk into the kitchen and heard him cussing. (He had realized that my mom wasn't home and I could here him kicking chairs around in the kitchen.) I looked at my bag of clothes and open the window screen and set them in the flowerbed, so he wouldn't see them. I had just put on a tee shirt when my dad flung the door to my room open. He stared at me and asked, "What are you doing?" I looked at him and told him I was going over to Jerry's. After a few seconds he said, "You're not going anywhere!" I stared at him and said, " I'm spending the night at Jerry's". This really pissed him off because he threw his can of beer across the room and walked up to me.
He stood a couple of feet in front of me and jabbed me in the chest with his finger and again said, "Your not going anywhere boy". I push his arm away and started to walk around him but he grabbed me by the shirt and shoved me on to my bed. He yelled, "Boy you don't listen very well because I said you are leaving this house". I really started to get pissed and jumped up a tried to walk out of the room. This really set him off because he started yelling again and said, "Boy, I am tried of your attitude and you not doing what I tell you do. Well, I know exactly what you need to improve your attitude. Now get your ass into the garage!" There was no I way I was going to voluntarily go into the garage because I knew he meant to take the strap to me. He grabbed me and tried to push me out the door but I got free and yelled, "Get your _f_u_c_k_ing hands off me you drunk bastard!"
Despite being drunk, he still out weighed me by 50 pounds and he grabbed me by the left arm and held on me by digging his finger into by upper arm. Despite being right handed, his left hand held me firmly while he pulled his belt off with his right hand. I was struggling like crazy but I couldn't break his grip! He pulled my to the center of the room and started whipping me across the seat of my shorts. He was cussing and yelling, "I am sick to death of your sorry attitude. Your nothing but a worthless, good for nothing _s_h_i_t_!" I was struggling and jumping around to get away from the belt but I just couldn't break his grip. Actually his fingers digging into my arm hurt more than the licks. After a couple of dozen licks he tossed the belt on my bed and I though he going to stop but he grabbed the waist band of my short and briefs and pulled them down to my knee's. Still holding me with his left arm, he picked up his belt and pulled me over to my desk and forced me over the end of it, scattering my books and papers. He let go of my arm but before I could get up he grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and held me down a started whipping me again. I was cussing and yelling at him, "You _f_u_c_k_ing drunk bastard, I hope you drop dead!" That really pissed him off because he started whipping me across the back of the legs. I managed to reach around with my arm and punched him a couple of times. His response to this was to grab my tee shirt and then proceeded to rip it off my back! He then yelled, "Think you are a big man!" and with that he started whipping me across the back and shoulders. After whipping me across the back around a dozen times he stopped and picked me up and through across my bed. He said, "Boy, get your act together or I you can find somewhere else to live!" With that comment he cracked the belt across my back one more time. He then turned and slammed the door shut.
After ten minute or so, I managed to compose my self and got up and looked in the mirror to checked for damage. My butt and upper thighs were covered with welts and my shoulders and upper back were stripped from the belt and hurt like crazy. I managed to pull up my shorts and put on another tee shirt. There was no way I was going to stay in the house so I carefully climbed out through the window. I grabbed the bag I had tossed outside earlier and walked around the house. Though the living room window I could see my dad slumped on the couch where he had apparently fallen asleep already. I walked out to the street and actually pushed my car a ways down the road before I started it up. I had never managed to call Jerry and when I over to his house I notice that all the lights were off. I guess they had already gone to bed and I didn't want to wake anyone, so I parked the car and walked around the house to the back patio. I knew the place well and I found a lounge chair and blanket in the storage shed. It was a warn night so I took my shirt off and tried sit down. I could hardly sit and the welts from the licks across my back were really hurting so I lay on my stomach. I guess I was really tired and after lying there for a while I fell asleep. The next thing I remember is the warm sun shinning on my face and rolling over! When I rolled over, I yelped loudly and sank back on to the lounge chair. I guess I made enough to attract some attention because the back door opened and Jerry's mother came out. She came out and asked, "What are you doing out here? Did you sleep out here?"
Before she could say anything else, she saw welts on my on back, which had turned to bruises overnight. She stopped dead in her tracks for a second but then came over and sat next to me and carefully looked at my back. She then asked if there was more! I nodded and she got up and said she would be right back. She went into the house a after a few seconds came back with Jerry and his dad. They helped me get up and took into the house. Jerry's mom went into living room to call my house while I stayed in the kitchen with Jerry and his dad. Jerry's dad looked closely at my back and then asked me to pull my shorts down. I carefully unbuttoned my short and dropped them to my knees. Jerry winched when he saw but butt and the back of legs. Jerry's dad told me to pull up my short and told Jerry take me to the bathroom so I could shower. While I showered, Jerry went to my car and brought my bag of clothes. When Jerry came to his room he told me to lie down on his bed and he carefully smoothed some lotion on my licks. I carefully got dressed and joined Jerry and his mom in the kitchen. I carefully sat down on the pillow that she had put on the chair.
I explained what had happened and Jerry's mom told me that she had called my mom and she was on the way over. When my mother got there we ended up arguing because she wanted me to go home with her. I said I had to go to school and would think about it. When my mom left, Jerry's mom said that I could not go to school in the condition I was in. She actually told Jerry to stay home with me, which I really appreciated. After Jerry's parents had left for work we talked for a long time. I told him that I had to get out and away from my dad. He asked what I had in mind and I told him that might be able to go and stay with and uncle who had recently offered me a summer job. Later that day I called my mom and asked if my dad was home. She said no and that he had actually had a bit of good news. He had gotten a call to go back to work. I really didn't care and told her about my idea. We talked for a few minutes and I went home a few hours later. She agreed with my plan and we called my uncle. He thought that a change would be good for me and we arranged for me to join him when school was out in a couple of weeks. The next couple of weeks my dad and I hardly spoke to each other.