Sticks and Stones

While in his neighborhood bar, Charlie Westworth-Brownlow admired himself in the restroom mirror.

Physically robust and sturdy he thought his curly handlebar mustache made him look exceptionally distinguished. At age 60, he believed he was unquestionably handsome and charming.

But with such an inflated ego he was in fact very delusional.

He washed his hands before returning to the bar counter.

After downing his gin and tonic in a single drink, the female bar attendant asked if he wanted another. "No, my beauty," Charlie said, "as much as I would love to stay and appreciate your youthful skinny physique, I need to go home as 'her indoors' wants me home."

Sue, the overweight bartender, who was new to the job, and was also a grandmother, took a moment to think about these remarks.

However, she kept her cool and forced a smile that ended up more like a grimace.

"Come on my dear...can't take a joke...hahaha....." Charlie chuckled then settled his tab and left.

A moment later the bar manager who had witnessed the exchange came to console Sue.

He told her this customer often frequented the bar with friends, but they all eventually stopped hanging out with him due to his obnoxious behavior.

In future the manager resolved to ban him.

Meanwhile Charlie walked briskly, if somewhat unsteadily, back to his terraced house which was barely 10 minutes away.

 He was angry as to why Martha, his wife, had texted him to go home. He complied only because it was past the bar's closing time; had it been later, he would have waited until he was ready to leave. To himself he smirked, "Wifey" has to know her position.

As he entered the front door, he yelled:

"Howdy, Mrs. Mop or is it 'nowhere girl' .... I'm home.!"

Charlie burst out laughing. He was drunk and ready to scatter more verbal venom to whoever crossed his path.

Martha, his wife, called, "Come to the living room."

Charlie walked into that room.

Martha was with her son Thomas by her side and his wife Cecelia.

Charlie blurted out:

"Oh, my goodness! Not seen you sonny boy in a long time.... suppose your missus is still developing you into the new Einstein...hahaha!"

-Thomas had struggled with learning disabilities as a child and adolescent, but after meeting Cecelia, she had assisted him to better himself for many years.

Thomas then spoke:

"Dad, could you please listen to me for a few minutes without making any more of your mean, hurtful, and horrible remarks!?"

Charlie could tell that none of the three of them were laughing. And his wife kept her eyes staring at the floor.

 He waited impatiently and remained standing.

Thomas further said:

"For a long, long time my mother has had to endure your harsh and unpleasant statements, which are typically the lowest kind of vitriol and sarcasm."

Not able to hold back his laughter, Charlie exclaimed, "wow that's a difficult word for you.... how to spell vitriol...hahaha!!!"

Thomas took a deep breath, but he was determined to keep his cool no matter what insults his father could or would throw.

While he was a kid, his dad was often be yelling at him, calling him unpleasant names and would belittle him whenever the opportunity arose. To the point that Thomas dropped out of school and set out on his own.

 Nonetheless, he had made great strides and succeeded through doggedness, drive, and effort. From a young age, he knew that his father's behavior was poisonous and toxic and should be avoided at all costs.

"Hear me out" Thomas asserted himself strongly but more loudly and with considerable authority:

"Over the years, you have daily abused my mother with your nasty behavior to the point that she has needed medical treatment and been hospitalized more than once..."

Suddenly Charlie blurted out, "I never touched her...she was sick because she has nutty behavior!"

Instead of engaging in an insult exchange, Thomas continued:

"Dad, please be quiet and listen. Your ongoing spitefulness and degrading comments have had a negative impact on mom's health. We have medical records showing that your constant sarcasm, insults, and demeaning treatment of her led to her health problems.

Even if you never actually hit her, it doesn't matter; the emotional abuse you inflicted on her was more than enough, and we have recordings of your actual insulting words to prove it."

Charlie's face was flushed, his heart was beating fiercely, and he retorted nosily:

"Hey, sticks and stones will break her bones, but words will never hurt her!"

Thomas, drawing on his years of experience in the legal field including studying several evenings a week, was not afraid to say:

 "That is an out-of-date kids' fairy tale...... even without physical violence, behavior that causes another person to suffer is often mental cruelty and hence grounds for divorce."

Charlie's voice for once fell silent.

Thomas went on to say:

 "Mum has already packed" and he directed his head towards the suitcases in the corner of the room.

Charlie glared at the bags and then at his family.

Thomas continued:

"My mother will be moving in with us. We will file a court injunction against you if you make any effort to make contact with her, whether it be directly or indirectly.

There will shortly be a divorce filing."

Charlie could take no more from his son and suddenly aimed a punch at him.

The drink was still making Charlie unsteady and flustered.

Thomas was quick enough to dodge out of the way, and Charlie, who was more than tipsy and grossly irate, missed his target entirely and swerved around in a circle falling down face up prone on the ground.

 Thomas ushered his mother and wife to leave, and they all left taking the bags.

For the first time in his adult life, this solitary elderly man wept as he lay on the ground. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

His tyrannical life where he treated his wife and child so appallingly had finally come to an end.

 And he knew it.

 Having gone with his wife and mother and secured them in his car outside Thomas returned to the house.

He reflected on the abuse that he himself had suffered constantly without mercy from a man who was his father but who for whatever reason bullied and tormented him to the extent that he had almost given up. It was only his determination and resoluteness and the help of his wife that he survived.

Compassion and forgiveness were not an option.

 Now back in the living room Thomas, before leaving for the last time, glanced down at the pathetic sad old man blubbering on the floor like a child.

He considered carefully before sarcastically parting with these words to his father:

 "Have a nice day!"