The Lucky Nine
by
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The prisoner peered at him from behind puffy eyes. His barely lit cigarette burned lazily in the ash tray. His father's hand curled around a beer bottle. It was a scene repeated in the Howe's kitchen numerous times before. His father's drunken behavior played like a broken record.
His father tried again to focus on Nick as his drunken head bobbed up and down like an infant who just found his neck muscles. All he could manage was a squint. Nick's dread was quickly becoming red- hot anger. He was severely tired of this repeat performance. His own intoxicated state gave him the courage to overcome the fear.
'Where'd you go?' His father slurred the question. His mumbling reflected the cross manner in which the question was asked. Nick felt the timid mouse inside him itching to crawl into its hole and hide from the big cat. This time though, a roar welled up in its place.
'None of your fucking business.' Nick growled. The remark caught Nick's father off guard to say the least. The bobbling squinting drunk suddenly sat very still. He focused on his belligerent son.
'Don't you ever talk to me like that...' his father tried to take the stern approach, but the lion roared again.
'And don't you ever talk to me like that again.' Nick squelched his father boldly.
The confrontation drew the attention of Nick's mother and siblings. The small crowd assembled in the kitchen to watch this new performance take place on center stage. They stood as quiet spectators at the edge of the kitchen as the spectacle unfolded.
Nick's father clumsily rose to unsteady feet and pushed his chair out behind him. He staggered backward at first, and the chair toppled over onto its side. His father reached out for the table edge to steady himself. The noise from the crashing chair gave Nick the usual upset symptoms, but he stood firm. He never felt so alive before. He never felt he had any purpose in his life before this moment. He never felt like a king as his siblings admired him like a Christ figure. They silently rooted for him from the sidelines of the kitchen. The ogre untangled his feet from the chair and crashed toward him.
Nick and his father now stood eye to eye for the first time ever. Nick could smell the overpowering stench of stale beer emitted on his father's breath. He panted like a rabid dog as he tried to level himself.
'You're useless...' his father tried again to fire a salvo at Nick.
'And you're a drunk asshole.' Nick cut him off again. Nick made sure he directed the comment into his father's face. His father seemed indecisive at this moment. He seemed to have lost his grip on the reign of terror that he clutched so firmly in the house. The hapless family had endured years of drunken stupors, and finally had found its voice to rebel. Nick had developed the courage to overstep the lines drawn by the live-in ogre. The speechless ogre didn't know how to respond. He simply swayed back and forth in front of the family.
'I'll kill you.' his father threatened in a whisper.
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About the Book
The Lucky Nine blends fiction with the autobiographical account of how a teenage boy copes with the dark horrors of living with an abusive alcoholic father. The tragic protagonist, Nick Howe copes with his home nightmares by seeking refuge with eight teenage friends. Together, the self-titled, Lucky Nine, share teenage experiences of their first loves, first jobs, and even their first beer together. These experiences solidify their comradery with laughter and tears as the 'Lucky Nine' emerge from boyhood to manhood.
Inevitably, Nick's two worlds will collide as he struggles with the turbulence of adolescence. Bolstered by the confidence given to him by his friends, Nick and his alcoholic father will stand toe-to-toe. Only one will emerge as the victor when alcohol and violence are blended together in a volatile mixture. Like many teenagers, Nick will not follow the path from childhood to manhood expected by society, his guidance counselors, teachers and relatives. Nick will become a man painfully.
The Lucky Nine was authored from the soul. The author painstakingly relived the events of his adolescence to bring the terror of family alcoholism to life. The Lucky Nine was written to shed light on the dysfunctional alcoholic family and to give hope to others who deal with the resulting circumstances. The Lucky Nine also pays tribute to the coping mechanisms that enable us to survive. You are not alone!
About the Author
Richard W. Howard, 'Rick,' was born on August 6, 1967 in Helena, Montana. He was raised in the northern suburbs of Syracuse, New York. During that time, he graduated summa cum laude from LeMoyne College with a degree in English, and a concentration in Communications. LeMoyne College's Communications concentration focuses heavily on writing which prepared the author to write as a past time and possible career.
After graduating in May of 1997, he authored his first book, The Lucky Nine which is a reality- based fictional account of his turbulent teenage years. He still lives in the northern suburbs of Syracuse, New York with his wife and two children. He is a full-time fire dispatcher for Onondaga County's 911 Center, and is an active officer with the North Syracuse Volunteer Fire Department.