Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 117820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
“Mee-maw,” I continue bitterly, “such a bright beacon of hope in the community, right? She raised everybody’s kids. She made cakes and smiled and hosted events. She was prim and proper and wore perfectly ironed clothing and never showed even an ankle. She taught us all right from wrong such as who to play with, who not to play with, who was trash and who wasn’t… and the best thing she ever taught me.” My sarcasm is as evident as my ire. “Something she always said to me…” I scan the room, looking for no face in particular, relieved when I don’t find the face I’ll always deny I ever looked for. “If you don’t got anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. But I never did listen to the old shrew.”
There’s a collective gasp that only stops me while I relish in it and let it taper out. Father climbs up and reaches for my arm, he must think I’m distraught but I’m not. Truth be told I’ve never been happier.
“So I’m going to say what I want to say and then I’m going to get the hell out of this fucking town that destroyed me and everyone I ever loved.” I look directly at the white coffin behind me and declare, “Mee-maw, you’re an old cunt.”
More gasps ensue and a spluttering Father. Mothers put their hands over the ears of their children.
“I despised you then, I despise you now and I hope your soul stays locked in your body as maggots and worms feast on you slowly. I hope you feel every single second of the decaying process that helps the earth reclaim you.” I look at the room of familiar and unfamiliar faces who stare back at me in horror. “You don’t know the real mee-maw. You’ll never know the real mee-maw and for that, I envy the fuck out of you all.”
Then I drop my shades, hop down from the wooden ledge and stride down the center aisle.
I did it. I said goodbye.
“Chew on soap you old hag,” I hiss as I slam the glass door behind me.
9 and a half.
The half is important.
“Why did you invite him?” I hiss at Poppy when Kane sits on the wall that lines the ice-skating rink.
“I didn’t,” she hisses back, glaring at Kane who is now surrounded by his friends. “Mom did I think. She’s friends with his daddy now.”
Everyone is friends with Kane’s dad. He builds and sells bikes, or somethin’ like that. They own a really big store with like a million motorbikes and about a hundred men always ride through town on these big stupid machines making loads of noise.
People rush outside to watch them, Grandpa said that they protect our town from bad people but Mee-maw says they are the bad people. Mee-maw said people like us don’t associate with people like them. I don’t know what that means but I’ll listen anyway.
She said they’re Satan worshippers, but Grandpa said she’s just being a busy body. Grandpa always says that about her when she gets a bee in her bonnet, which is often. Especially now she’s on the church committee and she’s an important person. She’s trying to get motorbikes banned from inside town. I don’t think she knows that Grandpa is a bike enthusiast. I don’t know what that means but I know he loves the bikes and that’s what he calls himself, but it’s our secret. I can’t tell Mee-maw and I never will.
He lied to Mee-maw about where we were heading just last week to look at a huge bike he called Harley. He said back in the day he rode bikes like this with Kane’s granddaddy, but it was a really long time ago and Kane’s granddaddy is dead now.
It must be a really long time ago because he’s so old and the picture I saw of him on a bike at home he had a black ponytail. I have never seen my grandpa with anything but silver hair.
He left me with the machine to go have a drink with Kane’s daddy in the office and that’s when I saw Kane and his friends cycling down the road, an entire gang of them. Kane thinks he’s like his daddy but he’s just a punk kid with the devil in him. I hate him.
I hid behind Harley as they passed and then ran inside so fast to lock myself in the toilet when I knew Kane couldn’t see me no more. I stayed there until somebody knocked on the door, because they might need the toilet and because I didn’t want to get in trouble, I decided to leave.
When I opened the door Kane stuck his tatty brown boot in. The toe of it was scuffed and pale, his jeans were torn but then all his pants are torn. He tussles and fights too much with his friends.