Kerfuffle
From the outside the house looked like any other on the street, but on the inside that was a different matter, a different world.
At home it was just me, my little brother Griff, mum and of course dad. Dad wasn’t like any of my friends’ dads he was different, silly, mad … drunk he’d play loud music when he was silly, mad… drunk.
Lovers rock he called it he played it a lot even on school nights. The music was slow and loud about men that had lost loves. Dad would dance in the middle of the living room swivelling his hips, eyes closed. I would watch in the doorway avoiding the inevitable invite to dance with him.
Big kerfuffle moments
I called these small moments where dad wasn’t too drunk and in a good mood. But small moments could turn into very big moments very quickly. I didn`t like big moments, big kerfuffle moments.
One afternoon as Griff and I played with our toys I accidentally passed wind as children do, out loud. I carried on playing. Dad wanted to know “Who did it?” “Who did it?” I was so embarrassed, Griff and I were too scared to speak up. “Who did it?”
Dad gathered up our dolls and cars and by the back door into the garden, made a neat little pyramid of our toys and pulled out his lighter and carefully put the flame underneath it. “Who did it?”
Stunned neither of us could speak as we stood there holding hands watching knowing the fate of our few treasured toys. Eventually I knew I couldn’t see Griff’s beloved cars go up in smoke I yelled “I did it!” “Next time go outside to do it” he said and slowly returned his lighter to his pocket and walked away. That was a small moment that could’ve become a big moment.
Blue lights lit up the house
It was a Saturday when dad decided to have the neighbours round for a party, Griff and I were excited because we got on well with the neighbours’ children and we would be upstairs playing camps and send the younger kids downstairs on secret missions to get more snacks and cola.
Covert operations were going well, and the adult’s music and laughter were interrupted by a scream and crying. Fascinated we peeked through the bedroom curtains to see in the dark of the night my father stripped down to his underpants swinging a large sword around shouting at the other adults.
The children started to cry for their mums and Griff did too. One neighbour tried to wrestle dad another pulled him back, then blue lights lit up the house and the police arrived and took dad away in the flashing car.
The music turned off the neighbours and their children returned home, and mum was left crying with a friend in the kitchen with a cup of tea. Dad was never charged and was returned back to us after breakfast.
Sam
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