characterization

characterization

fiction
edward w pritchard

Pop had five brothers and two sons, me the bad one and Jack the good one. In those days it was permitted to discipline children but not outright hit them, especially by a non parent so they use to cuff me around at family gatherings. If I would be where the men were when I was seven or eight uncle Jake might cuff me if I made one of my cousins cry. Cuffing meant squeezing my hand very hard by Uncle Jake who had lost two fingers in a saw accident or hitting me on the outside of my arm and shoulder if uncle Ray did it, or Uncle At grabbing my elbow in a special way he learned in the army. I was a mean little cuss and would roll and let my body go slack and I never let on that whatever they did hurt me. Eventually my dad would get upset with me and grab me and shake me and then the men would go back to talking about how many miles a gallon their cars got on the trip to grandmas here for thanksgiving or more important the shortest direct route and I would go into the kitchen where the women were cooking.

Most of my aunts didn't approve much of me for I was a terror and wasn't particularly polite or respectful and besides they wanted to get away from the men in their lives for a few minutes back in the old kitchen where they grew up. When Aunt Ruthie would start to talk my Mom would always shoo me out of there because Ruthie always told a lot of stories with innuendo about the men down at the mill and would often measure out things with her hands when telling stories about good looking men.

I was taking western culture 1 at Kent State University when I got the word that my brother Jack had been killed in Vietnam and that Friday night I went over to the Crazy Horse and drank shots until I passed out. They called my dad to get me and when I woke up I was laying on the bed at his house and he was sleeping on the floor near me. When he knew I was awake he said he was sorry that he hadn't cuffed Jack more about when he was a boy to toughen him up and I got out of the bed and put my arm across him even though my head was spinning badly.