Caught

Gee Whillickers

g.whillickers@gmail.com

“God Jimmy, how could you embarrass us like this? Just what exactly were you thinking? You know how important this campaign is to your dad. If word gets out about this before the election, it could be suicide for his platform!”

Jimmy sat on a hard wooden rocking chair in his living room. He didn’t dare allow it to move, so he was sitting there with every muscle tense. His parents sat together on the couch across from him, holding hands, double teaming him with their lecture. Jimmy kept his head down. He didn’t want them to see his angry eyes and red face.

His dad continued, “I can’t believe you’d do this to us Jimmy. Especially now. Thank God you were at least using a condom! I can’t imagine what the press would do if word got out that you caught some disease.”

That was more than Jimmy could take. He looked up, his eyes flashing, “That’s all you fucking care about isn’t it?! Your damned election campaign and looking good for your stupid voters! You drag me to all these stupid rallies, these so-called community forums, and expect me to be your little angel! Now you’re saying that if I got sick you’d be more worried about how it would look than anything else!! Well, screw that! I’m not going to any more of your stupid campaign functions, and I couldn’t care less about your stupid platform! You don’t even know me do you? Either of you? You don’t give a shit about me or who I am, do you?”

“Jimmy! That will do, young man! I didn’t mean it like that, of course we care. But, as long as you are living under our roof and eating our food you will do as you’re told. We must appear together, as one family. There is nothing more important than this right now. No more arguing.”

“Fine,” Jimmy replied while standing up, pushing off the chair with such violence that it rocked backwards once before falling over forwards, the back of the chair hitting the back of his knees. “If that’s how it is, then I guess I won’t be living under your roof anymore!” With that he strode out of the front door, slamming it behind him.

Jumping on his bicycle he began pedalling furiously. He had to get away from them.

He began pedalling hard towards his girlfriend Jennifer’s house. She probably had enough time now to get home. She had left in a hurry after madly getting dressed and rushing down the stairs when his dads caught them in bed. Maybe her parents would take him in for a while.

Maybe they wouldn’t be quite so narrow-minded.