Luke Hanson's Mind & Punishment: A Teen in Despair - 12. Chapter 12 - Take Your Shoes Off

Sunday 9:01am - Luke

"Wakey wakey sleepy head," I said, sitting on the edge of Taz's bed. "Santa has been."

"Oh shut up, it's early," came a groggy reply.

"It's nine o'clock."

"Yeah, on a Sunday!"

Taz was never one for being an early riser or a good one. I said he was lucky that his Mother still brought him coffee in bed most mornings to help him wake up. The only time my Dad came to my room early in the morning was to borrow razors.

"Get up, it's a beautiful day! I demanded.

"Don't you have to be at home for something?" Taz asked, sort of sarcastic.

"I do, yes, for shower and new clothes. However, first I wanted to know when we were getting married, you know, now we've been intimate and stuff?"

Taz jumped up into a sitting position. "What?"

I burst out laughing, rolling back on his bed. I stretched out my hand and stroked his chin. "But babe, was it not good for you?"

"Stop being a dick; we did no such thing," he said, pretty sure with himself.

"Check your phone."

"Arrrghh, what have you done!" he replied, leaning down to scoop it up from the carpet. I watched in delight as Taz logged into his phone and waited a few seconds for his eyes to expand to the size of moons. He then looked at me—this kind of look a dog might give when it's been naughty. "How did that happen?" he asked. "Did you stage it?"

"You took advantage of me during the night. Quite the little sex demon in your sleep, aren't you?"

"You're lying!" he exclaimed. I held a serious look for as long as I could. This was payback! "Please tell me you're lying," he repeated, manic looking. I shook my head slowly. "But, but I..."

"Do you think we make a cute couple?"

Taz looked at the picture again and tilted his head. "Well, it's not that bad, but the lighting is... hey, hang on, what do you mean do you think we make a cute couple? Luke, this is rape!"

I creased up laughing and pointed at him. "Oh my God, your face! Your fucking face was a picture!"

"Hey, don't do that! I thought I'd developed gay sleep syndrome."

"Gay sleep what?" I asked, laughing through my question.

"Never mind. Anyway, I think I look adorable there." Taz held up his phone.

"Hmm," I nodded. "Yeah, I think you do too. Anyway, thanks for the laugh, but I really should get home. See you about eleven?"

"Sounds good. I should be up by then."

"You better be. I want chicken!"

"Oh, so I'm cooking, am I?"

"Yep, it's your house. See ya."

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I got home around nine-thirty and pulled my car to a stop in an empty driveway. Unusual for Dad to be out on a Sunday, I thought. But maybe he'd gone to the shop to get a paper.

The morning sun was warm to my skin as I got out of my car and slammed the door shut. I looked up at the sky, all blue. Not a cloud in sight which gave Taz and I good odds for a day roasting in the sun and sipping beers.

Placing my key into the front door, I could hear the faint sound of the vacuum cleaner even before I'd opened it. I made the connection that if Dad was out, then the mother bed sleeping stealing bitch must be turbo brushing the sofas or something like that. Sorry, my brain went a bit evil there. I'm not usually like that; it just annoyed me. Anyway, I pushed the key all the way in and twisted, slowly opening the door.

The vacuum sound stopped, and I heard footsteps coming my way. The quick escape upstairs I was attempting had been foiled as she came into my view.

"Oh, hello Luke, sweetie, take your shoes off if you're going upstairs; I've just thoroughly deep cleaned your carpets. We don't want all that work undone, now do we?"

A nuclear bomb narrowly avoided going off in my head as I clenched my teeth so hard to counter my rage that I'm not sure how they all didn't shatter.

"We don't take our shoes off in our house, Elaine."

Her smile started to fade. "Well, out of politeness for my work on these stairs, would you make an exception?"

"No," I bluntly said, leaving her standing there as I walked upstairs.

She didn't follow.

In my room, I stripped off and dumped yesterdays clothes in the basket before smelling my armpits. "Absolutely humming," I said to myself, grabbing a towel, t-shirt and my plastic black headband, before heading to the bathroom.

"Luuuuke? Could you come down here, please?" I heard Elaine shout.

"I'm having a shower," I called back in the most uninterested voice possible. What the fuck was she doing here anyway? Just go home, interfering woman! I thought, locking the bathroom door.

Just as I stepped into the shower after removing my trunks, there was a knock on the door. I flipped my head around quickly, for a moment thinking perhaps I didn't lock it properly. But, it's okay, I breathed. I had.

"Can we have a chat when you're finished, please?"

"Do you really have to come up the stairs in MY house to disturb my shower to ask me for a chat? Where is my Dad anyway? Have you bumped him off already?" I called through the sound of the rain spouting from the shower-head.

"I'd like us to be friends," she said in a somewhat more sickly voice. "And he's gone out to buy the Sunday roast."

I rolled my eyes before responding. "Can I have my shower in peace, please? It is kind of off-putting having a stranger outside the door when I'm trying to wash my penis and arse crack!" I heard a gasp, then silence, and then footsteps quickly exiting the upper floor of my house. "Bossy Witch!" I muttered, now feeling able to wash my penis and arse crack for real this time!

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Towel drying my messy hair until it plopped down into my eyes, I put a fresh t-shirt on and walked over to the bathroom mirror, turning on the anti-mist function. After a few seconds, I could see myself in total clarity. Unfortunately, this included hair that needed trimming on top, four days of facial hair and a reddy yellow zit that sat sorely between my nose and cheek.

"Arrrrrrggghhhhhhhh Fuuuuuuuck," I screamed as I popped it with my finger and thumb. "Shiiiiiiit, that hurt!"

A little blood came out, which I dabbed with tissue, leaving a bit stuck on the wound like my Dad sometimes does when he cuts himself shaving. For some reason, I never cut myself shaving. Never have.

Taking my battery-operated trimmers out from the vanity unit below the sink, I whisked them around my pubic area, taking it from a small forest to a nicely cut mansion lawn. Then ran the trimmers over my face to tidy that up a little. I always liked to have a little bit of facial hair growing out. Lee said a bit of growth suited me, and if Lee said it, it must be true. Like Google and Taz.

Done in the bathroom, I chucked my hair shavings in the bin but deliberately left some pubic ones on the mat, hoping Elaine was due to clean the bathroom too. Then, with a towel around my waist, I left the bathroom and headed to my room to get some underwear and shorts on.

Under a pair of jeans strawn across my carpet, I, fortunately, found the pair of Nike sneakers I wanted to wear today.

I thought they were downstairs in Witch territory! That's a win!

Lastly I placed my hairband onto my forehead and pushed it back, collecting up my hair into a tidy style. Not quite Jack Grealish, but it would do.

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Dressed and ready, I grabbed my sunglasses, car keys and phone and headed downstairs.

"Oh Luke, good, you're done. May we have a chat?"

"Well, I'm actually on my way back to my friends."

"It won't take long. By the way, speaking of friends, when Josh is out of covid isolation, perhaps you could meet him? maybe even introduce him to your friends?"

"Excuse me, nah you're okay thanks?"

"It's just an idea; I do think he spends far too much time in that room of his; it would be good for him to meet some new people."

"Elaine, I don't know your Son. and it's not my responsibility to get him new friends."

Elaine sighed. "Look, Luke, I think we got off on the wrong foot. I don't want everything I say to make you angry. I do like your father so you must try to accept I'm going to be around. I'm not here to replace your Mother and..."

I snorted. "You flatter yourself even by suggesting that. Look, Elaine, your business with my Dad, is your business. I don't know what plans you have for him, but please leave me out of it. I am not interested in playing happy families. You cannot tell me what to do... And I would like it if you stopped trying to pretend you have any say in my decisions. If I wish to keep my sneakers on, I will. And if your Son is lonely, I suggest you point him in the direction of Grindr or Tinder, whichever way he falls, because I don't feel comfortable with your suggestion of a forced friendship with me. I have my friends; I'm not advertising for anymore; I'm sorry."

Elaine squinted her eyes and made a grumpy face at me. Probably for intimidation, but I was having none of it. This was my territory, my patch, my home! She then tutted.

"I think your father should have disciplined you a little harder when you were younger. My Josh would not dream of speaking to your father like you are speaking to me."

"Probably because my Dad wouldn't have practically moved himself into your place and started telling your Son to take his shoes off in his own house. You know he doesn't have loads of money if that's what you're after? My Dad, I mean. He ain't rich."

"How dare you!"

"Going now, Elaine, late for my friend," I said smugly, turning around and walking towards the hallway.

"You won't ruin this young man," she called after me. "Perhaps you should think of your father's happiness rather than your own."

"Bye, Elaine, please don't steal anything and put it on eBay; I'll know!" I hollered, slamming the door behind me.

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"Grrr, that fucking woman," I growled, storming into Taz's backyard. He was tipping back on one of the garden chairs, top off, with his bare feet up on the table.

"What happened?"

"She's like, mad, I think. She asked me... can you believe this... she asked me to, take... my... shoes.... off, before going upstairs. in MY HOUSE!"

Taz grinned, putting his hand up to his mouth. "She never?"

"Yeah," I said, high-pitched, nodding frantically. "Yeah, she did."

"Wow! Headmistress here to stay, eh?"

"Unbelievable," I said, slamming myself into a chair.

"Beer?"

"Five, please!"

"Coming up," Taz replied, lifting himself out of the chair with his arms.

"Oh, while you're doing that, I'll get the barbie out of the car. I got two, just in case we wanna put more on later," I called as Taz disappeared inside.
While walking to my car just out on the road, my phone went off. It was WhatsApp.

[11:12] Dad: I've had Elaine in tears. What have you said?

I typed back, angry again.

[11:13] Me: Call me!!

My phone rang a few seconds later, and I pressed accept.

"Before you post a message like that, Dad, it would be nice if you picked up the phone to ask me what happened and not fall for her bullshit crocodile tears. She knows what she's doing. I got her worked out."

"Worked out... Luke, what are you talking about? You've upset the poor woman."

"So what did she tell you? Huh?"

"That you came in all defensive and ignored her when she asked you to take your shoes off at the door."

"Well, that part is true, yeah, Dad. Since when do we take our shoes off at the door to our house?"

"Luke, she had just cleaned the stairs carpet on her hands and knees. Don't you think it was a reasonable request?"

I sighed. Okay, one nil to Dad. "So, what else?"

"Well, nothing really; she just said you went for a shower, and then when she asked to talk to you about starting again, you went off at the deep end and was rude to her."

"She left the bit out about forcing her Son on my friends and me, though, right?"

"She said she merely suggested perhaps the two of you should meet as me and her had recently started dating each other. It seems a natural suggestion to me. So what else upset you?"

"She said you should have disciplined me more when I was younger, making out I am a horrible person with no manners. But, you know me, Dad; I have been brought up perfectly fine. I am not an unmannered person."

Dad went silent for a moment. "Well, Luke, lately with these outbursts... the ones I've seen? I can see she might think that, if we're being honest, no?"

"I've got a lot going on in my head, Dad; I'm not a horrible person."

"So tell me when and how Elaine has been unreasonable to you then, Son? I'm not taking sides, but I have listened to your version now, and it's pretty much what Elaine said happened. I guess I'm asking the question if you think you were a little rough on her with the benefit of hindsight?"

"What? No! No, Dad, she's pulling the wool over your eyes, it wasn't like that, she was being... like demanding, and she said things about Mum."

"Like what?" Dad asked, his tone concerned.

"Well, she said she was not trying to replace my Mother. Don't you think that's rude? I mean to bring Mum up?"

"Is that all she said?"

"Yeah, isn't that enough?"

Dad chuckled. "Son, I think you need to have a little chill-out session with Taz and think about how you might have overreacted. I know you're pretty touchy about your Mum, but Elaine is not your enemy. Look, I must go. I love you, yeah?"

"Yeah, love you too, Dad. See ya."

I hung up and just stood there dumbfounded. Did that conversation actually take place? Am I going crazy?

I walked back into Taz's garden like a zombie and fell into my chair, taking a sip of my beer and stared into space.

"What?" Taz asked. "What's up?"

"Huh?" I asked, looking up.

"What happened? Where is the barbecue?"

"Shit! Sorry, I'll go get it now... hey I just had the weirdest call with my Dad. It's like I am living in a twisted parallel universe."

"Why, what happened," Taz asked, taking a healthy glug of lager, looking at me calmly.

"She... she..."

"Yeah?"

"She's managed to twist my Dad's mind into thinking I'm the irrational one, and I'm not. I know I'm not. I know how things went down with her when I was at home. I told you, and you believed me, right?" I asked, almost frantic now.

"Uh, yeah, of course," Taz responded, giving the impression he was unsure what I was getting so wound up about.

"Either that or I've made up my version of events, and she was just trying to be nice to me. But I know that's not true. She was goading me at points. She was asking unreasonable things, pushing her Son at me, asking me to take my shoes off. She had no right. She's not my Mother! It's not her house. And I don't need more discipline; I never have. I was a good child. So what does she know? How dare she label me."

"Luke, are you okay?" Taz asked, looking concerned.