An Unacceptable Truth

Setting: The sun is setting over the western mountain range as a young man who looks to be reaching adulthood stands beside a coffin. There are no more than ten people in the cemetery with him, waiting for him to speak.

William Jr: First off, I’d like to thank all of you for coming. It’s nice to see so many people honoring my father. Hopefully not all of you are here to collect on bar tabs he racked up. (the crowd laughs nervously) William Allen Winslow was a hard-working man, never passing on any overtime thrown his way. Only calling out sick if he found an organ in the toilet after vomiting. My Father was always trying to push me further, always stressing the value of a higher education. My Father was a great- (He suddenly stops wiping the sweat from his forehead then looking at the speech in his hands) I am sorry folks, I am not sure I can do this.

Mother: Go on Junior we all know how much it hurts. You take your time. (The rest of the crowd murmurs in agreement)

William Jr: Please don’t call me that anymore, he’s not around to force that on you. I know I should be devastated or something close, crying onto my speech and letting the ink run down the page. But I am not, I masked my smile when I first heard the news. I hated that man! (He points to the coffin)

Mother: William how can you be so cold?

William Jr: You don’t have to pretend anymore mom, none of us do. Why do you think my brother not here, why he ran away at sixteen? Because dad was a shitbag! That’s why none of the family came, why no one helped pay for the funeral services. All we have here are barflies and co-workers.

Priest: We should not disrespect the dead, my son.

William Jr: Oh, please do shut up priest McIver. The only reason you’re here is because we paid you to be. You couldn’t even remember who we were when I first called. The truth about my father is that he was unpleasant and rancid. You know why he took all that overtime? So, he had an excuse to be away from his family. He wasn’t a hard worker; he just needed more money for vodka and gambling debts. In fact, I am pretty sure this guy in the shades was his Loan Shark.

Loan-Shark: You don’t know shit kid.

William Jr: I know you’re not the only one he still owes money to. I know he paid Larry over here five hundred just two months ago.

Loan-Shark: (shoving his chair to the ground as he shoots up) What the Fuck! You’re a dead man Larry, I told you to stay away from my clients!

Larry: The kid's full of shit man. How would he know a god-damn thing?

William Jr: I know because he took the money out of my wallet to pay you. I guess I should wrap this up before we have a brawl and my dad burial. The man in this box beat my mom almost once a week. He stopped hitting me the day I pulled a knife on him, that was the last day I spent more than an hour in my childhood home. He burned all the shit I left in my room that same night. He never taught me how to throw a football, or how to shave, not a damn thing. He couldn't even teach me how to drive since he hasn't had a driver’s license in ten years, due to all the D.U.I.’s he racked up. At least he showed me what not to be, I’ll give him that. (He is just about to walk off then turns back) I almost forgot, I just found out last week when this lady called his cell. He had a second family a few towns over. It was a relief to find that he was just as shitty to them as he was to us. I am not sure what I would have done if he was a good father to his other kids. (He then walks over to the coffin and slowly shoves it off its stand. His father tumbles out and straight into his grave. Some of the people gasp in horror, others actually applaud)

By C.L.Norby

From: United States