Sociopath? by Vicki Williams

for
Christmas but from then on, he confined himself to only going for
long weekends.
    About the Corvette, he was ready to pull out
all the stops, fire all the triggers, to get what he wanted.
Probably the most deadly ammunition he had was guilt. He’d remind
Renny of how little they’d ever done for him and Lane compared to
the other brothers and sisters and how they’d considered him a
built in babysitter for her even though he was just a little kid
himself and how he’d accepted that responsibility. He’d bring up
his grades and his athletic accomplishments to show that he had
lived up to Renny’s expectations despite getting almost no
encouragement. God, he could almost feel his foot on the gas pedal.
He just had to talk Renny into saying yes.
    *
    “Well, Son,” Renny told him, “tomorrow,
you’ll be sixteen so I suppose it’s time to have the car
discussion. Why don’t you come on into my study and we’ll talk
about it.”
    Renny took his place behind the huge mahogany
desk, pointing Rafe to the burgundy club chair in front.
    The study, with its elaborately carved walnut
fireplace and walls of bookcases and curio cabinets filled with
Vincennes memorabilia, had always been an intimidating room to the
Vincennes young, who weren’t allowed to enter it without Renny’s
permission. Usually, their father didn’t call them in here for a
less than serious reason and if the talk regarded something about
which Renny was displeased, whatever child was in the hotseat would
leave here bleeding. Not physically, of course, but the old man
could administer a tongue-lashing, without ever raising his voice,
that wounded worse than any actual whip.
    The elder and younger Vincennes regarded each
other silently for a moment, a technique Renny employed
deliberately to give himself an advantage. His father was the only
person on earth who could make Rafe anxious.
    “Dad…” Rafe started but his father held up
his hand.
    “Why don’t you let me say my piece first and
then you can add your two cents worth. The way I’ve got you
figured, Rafe, you’re going to ask for either a Shelby or a
Corvette, probably the Corvette.”
    Rafe, who was a master of disguised
expression, couldn’t help but let his astonishment show a
little.
    “I’ve given some thought to what methods
you’re going to use to talk me into it. I expect you’re going to
bring up how your mother and I have never come to any of your
parent-teacher conferences or any of your games and how we let you
practically raise your little sister.”
    Renny grinned at his son. It was the first
time Rafe realized where his own smile had come from.
    “How am I doing so far, Rafe?” he asked,
before going on, “but we don’t have to go through all that. I
freely admit to being a lousy parent to you and Laney. We did all
the right things with the first seven. Do you know how many boring
parent-teacher conferences I sat through in those years, Rafe, even
though all they ever told me was that my kids were getting A’s? And
do you know how many hours of my life have been spent on bleachers?
Enough that I think my ass is permanently deformed. I’ve froze and
roasted watching kids play football and baseball and tennis. I’ve
watched them wrestle and run track and dribble basketballs. I’ve
watched them show horses and dogs. I’ve watched them act and dance
and play and sing in recitals. I’ve gone to their art exhibits. We
thought we were done before you came along, Rafe. Your mother and I
thought it was finally going to be our time. I just didn’t want to
do it anymore. I didn’t think I could sit there and nod to another
teacher. I didn’t think I could subject my butt to another
bleacher.
    That’s not to say I haven’t been paying any
attention at all, Rafe. I figured you and Lane were doing fine.
She’s always on the honor roll and I assume you wouldn’t have been
advanced through your classes as you have been if you weren’t
excelling in school. If there