When Michael Learned to Fly

Trigger warning: sexual abuse

Before the time of cell phones that took video or photos, there were stories told by the locals about what they saw or what they believed they saw.  In those times there was Michael Stenneck from Coxackie, a small town on the Hudson River, across the river from Newton Hook and not far from Riverside Park where he would spend most of his time.   The Stenneck family came to Coxackie in 1970 after Sergeant Wayne Stenneck died in action in Vietnam when his helicopter got shot down near Danang.  After laying him to rest in full honors, the widow Mrs. Donna Copeland Stenneck was given thirty days to clear from base housing with her two children, Micheal age six and Carrie Stenneck age two.  Able to find a job in a convenience store, she moved her children up the Hudson River to Coxackie.  Death benefits plus the minimum wage made luxuries such as dental visits and medical care impossible.  The small hole-in-the-wall community on the western banks of the river welcomed the widow of a war hero, but also immersed her and her small children into a world of small town gossip. 

Her boss, Mr. Tahoot, had his eye on the pretty widow with the chestnut hair and eyes to match even though he was a married man.  He would stalk her in the store in the narrow aisles and in trying to pass, their bodies would rub up against hers where he could feel her perky breasts beneath her blouse where she did not usually wear a bra.  She knew what he was doing, but you did not dare say anything, because he would fire her. It was a local place competing with places like the 7-11 franchises which dotted the New York landscape.  

Her apartment was a three room place with poor plumbing, but provided an unobstructed view of the river and access to Riverside Park where Micheal established his daytime address.  Donna had her hands full with her job at Ringer's Stop N Shop and her toddler Carrie who had certain behavioral tendencies of autism, but Donna could not afford a diagnoses and asked Michael to deal with her while she was at work, quite a load to put on a six, soon to be seven year old. 

To make matters worse, Michael missed his father who called him champ and would take him to the army base to meet his crew, but in June of 1969 at the height of the Tet Offensive, his father got orders to fly rescue missions in Vietnam.  Michael got a letter every week that included pictures his father took in country.  The last letter came just days before the K.I.A. when the two soldiers dressed in Class A's showed up at the door.  His mother began to wail the second she saw them coming up the sidewalk at base housing.

The real trouble began when Donna met Darrin Woosley, a regular at the store.  Wearing a camouflage duck vest and a  floppy hat like her late husband wore while on a mission. At first Darrin told her about his time in Nam, but due to a diagnosed mental illness that he managed to conceal from her and the kids, Darrin did not pass the in-take at the army processing station. After being rejected by his country, Darrin decided to dress the part and talk the talk without being able to walk the walk.

While peddling his stories of gook killing patrols, Michael saw right through the ruse and lies that came out of his mother's new boyfriend's mouth.  What started out as an innocent flirtation turned into a live-in situation that would set up what was to come in the future like a long row of dominoes ready to fall in a chain reaction bringing the fruition of the legend of when Michael Stenneck would learn to fly.

Darrin was diagnosed with a personality disorder and received disability for an accident at the paper mill when he was twenty one that covered his living expenses after his brother set up with a small trailer with water and electricity near the river.  Walking in the woods, most hikers never even saw the trailer hidden by the undergrowth. Locals knew about his drinking that exacerbated his mental disorder, but the crazy man in the woods kept to himself as long as he was given a wide berth.  Markus, his older brother, was a real estate agent who looked after Darrin, but these boys grew up in an abusive household with alcoholic parents who enjoyed inflicting pain on their children that Child Services threatened to place in foster care on multiple occasions.  Markus' arms were scarred from the cigarette burns he kept hid knowing Darrin also had many burns he kept hidden in his cammies.  

Michael was eight when Darrin officially moved into their tiny apartment.  Mom would hum when she made flap jacks on her days off.  Darrin would sing her praises when he sat at the table with his plate piled high with steaming flapjacks swimming in maple syrup. As the day wore on, he would drink from his hip flask as his mood darkened signaling Michael to get on his bicycle and ride to the park to check out what his friends were doing.

"Darrin is trouble."Barney, who was in Michael's class, told him one summer afternoon.  Even in summer, it stayed cooler by the river because of the trees.

"D & D." Warren, who was Barney's brother piped in.

"What's that?" Michael asked.

"Drunk and disorderly." Nate shrugged.

Playing in the park until sun down meant Michael had to go home and face the monster.  Darrin would be in a foul mood after drinking all day and mom would lecture him about being gone all day.  Carrie would be silent and sullen, staring at him with accusatory brown eyes that seemed to probe deep into his heart.

"Take me with you." She begged one day when he headed for the back door where his bike was stored.

"You are too small." Michael then made the mistake of meeting his sister's sad puppy dog eyes.

"He chases me.  He puts his hands down my pants." She said so matter of factly that it froze him for a moment on his way out the door.  As soon as he was able to move again, he knew better than to look back into his sister's eyes.

A year later, mom informed Michael they had gone to city hall and got married. Michael nearly puked up the Cornflakes he had for breakfast.  As he went out the back door with his bike, Darrin was sitting there making flies for fishing, "Did you hear?  I'm your dad now."

"You ain't my dad!" He spat, "My dad died in the war."

"Right and I'm taking his place now.  Taking of Donna and you two brats.  Things are going to change around here." He was already buzzing from taking his medication with a hip flask filled with home brew.

"Go to hell!" He could not stop those words of rage from slipping out of his mouth. So blinded by his anger, he never saw the slap across his face delivered swiftly from his new step-father that nearly put him on his back.

"Don't ever, ever sass me like that again." Darrin held his finger inches from Michael's face.

There would be a bruise on his cheek that he told the other boys what happened.

"He needs to go to jail." Nick said in his usual monotone.

Things would get worse.  Mom was promoted to assistant shift supervisor which meant more money and more hours, leaving Darrin in charge.  One afternoon as a late thunderstorm cancelled Michael's plans at the park, Carrie knocked on his door.  She was not allowed to barge into his room without his permission.  With Carrie's behavioral challenges, she was able to master that rule.

"What do you want?" Michael was reduced to doing his homework due to the weather.

" He put his finger up me." Her voice was small, but Michael knew instantly what had taken place. Putting his math book aside, Michael walked to the living room where Darrin was camped out in the easy chair watching WWE and hollering at the television as if they could hear him. Michael turned off the television.

"Hey you little shit, turn it back on!" He made a threatening move toward Michael, but the boy held his ground.

"Did you touch my sister?" His anger matched Darrin's which made him take a step back.

"She needed a firm lesson." He said defensively.

"I will call the police if you touch her again." Michael threatened.  There was a shed that Darrin took Carrie to once Michael returned to his room.  He would make sure none of the bruises on Carrie would be visible.

The next day the sun was out and the clouds were nowhere to be seen.  Michael was humming as he went to retrieve his bicycle, but it wasn't there. He searched around the back door, but it was nowhere to be found.

"I put it out by the garbage last night.  It was picked up by sanitation early this morning." Darrin said in a calm steady voice, smirking the entire time.

Michael saw the empty garbage can by the driveway. He screamed some obscenities as he ran crying out the door.

"He had no right." Michael sobbed as he walked angrily to the park.  Sitting on a rock by the river, he did what his dad taught him to do in times of duress. Pray.  His father taught him prayers were not just a bunch of memorized words, rather prayer was a conversation with God and so he did just that.

"God, get me away from Darrin Woosley and my sister, too.  Make mom see what a horrible person he is so she'll leave him for good.  And tell dad I said hi and I miss him so much.  He likes beer, you know, so make sure he has some.  Love Michael."  

Perhaps this prayer reached its intended target, but there are a lot of locals who claim right there and then the boy was able to reach an altitude of about thirty feet and with some effort, he floated to the east side of the river and lit on Newton Hook. While he could feel the motion of wings, looking back over his shoulder, he saw that he had no wings, no matter how much it felt as though he did. He would control his flight by moving his shoulders and then he heard his dad’s voice sounding as if it was coming over a radio, “Son, Michael, this is your father in a Huey over a combat zone.  This is a priority one rescue.”

“Dad?” He could feel the tears in his eyes.

“Just follow your controls and you can’t go wrong, roger that?” 

“Roger over and out.” He was torn between joy and sorrow, but he dipped and went face to face with the brown turgid water and then moving his shoulders up a bit found himself at treetop level. “This is great.”

“Don’t get cocky.  Your powers are only as good for a short time.  I need you to rescue your sister and mother from that monster named Darrin Woosley.” His father’s voice was loud and clear.” Then the radio crackled and the voice returned, “You are the conduit.”

“The what?” He asked as he sailed across the river at about an altitude of fifty feet.  He could see the apartments.  He wondered if Darrin was harassing his sister.

“A conduit is a connection between me and you.  As long as we stay connected you will be able to get them both to safety.” His father explained.

“Yessir.” And he took another dip that brought him close enough to the water so he could feel the cool water splashing against the rocks.  How wonderful he felt.  This topped whatever he could do on his bicycle and what was even better was the fact he had his father’s voice to guide him.  

“We will do another fly by and then I need you to get to the apartments.  I know Derrin is in a bad mood.  He’s been drinking.  If you don’t get your sister or your mother out of that horrible place, one of them will be dead within the hour.  Report is coming in that he has a shotgun in the closet.” His dad’s voice informed him, “Are you up for this?”

“Yessir.” He started to descend, landing on his feet in the parking lot in front of the two story apartment unit.  Slowly he made his way up the stairs and to the door.  He could hear Darrin in the middle of another one of his rages, but he could not tell who he was targeting. Opening the door, he saw Darrin standing there with the shotgun in his hands.  It was his mother who was crying and pleading for her life.  Without hesitation, he opened the door and walked in.

“There you are, you little shit.  Where have you been?” He bellowed pointing the shotgun at Michael.

“Noooo.” She pleaded.  Michael had never had anyone point a deadly weapon at him and he froze.

“I ought to blow your head off right now.” He was drunk and probably had a belly full of pills, some of the opiates most likely. 

“No, you are not. The police are on their way.” Micheal was speaking his father’s words, because he did not possess the courage on his own, or did he.  Was he at the point where he could no longer tolerate what Darrin had done to them and now was his time of reckoning.  Without saying a word he grabbed his mother and walked out the door.  Darrin followed still pointing the gun at the boy’s back, his finger pressing the trigger.  

“Liftoff.” He heard his dad command.

With a leap that made his mother gasp as they left the balcony in a bound.  There was an explosion from the shotgun Darrin fired, but they were already in the air and his shot missed them completely, “What the heck?”  

Donna closed her eyes as Michael soared through the air. 

“Destination police station.” His father commanded.

“What about Carrie?” He asked.

“She’s hiding in her closet.  The door is locked.” His mother answered.

“You will put your mother at the proposed destination and resume your mission.” His father commanded, “He will not be able to get to her right away.  She is safe for now.” 

“Yessir.” 

“Michael, who are you talking to?” His mother asked as they lit down at the parking lot.

“Dad.” He answered, but there was a slight catch in his throat. She bowed her head at the mention of his name.

“Tell him I am so sorry and how much I miss him...and love him.” She said with a catch in her throat. 

“He knows mom.” Michael put his hand on her cheek as two officers came charging out of the station.  Donna was ready to give them a report as Michael returned to the apartment where Derrin was yelling through the door for Carrie to come out.  He crept through the hallway and saw him with the shotgun still in his hands.

“What do I do?” He asked.

“Fly and take him out.” 

With that Michael left his feet and came through the air like a human missile before Derrin could even turn around.  The collision knocked the wind out of him and the gun out of his hands.  

“You again.” Derrin groaned trying to catch his lost breath.  

“Carrie, it’s me, Michael.  C’mon out, we don’t have much time.”  He told her and just like that the door opened and she was standing there in tears. Darrin was recovering and was reaching for the shotgun, when Michael grabbed his sister around her waist and they flew through the hallway.  There was another explosion, but the pair had already taken to the sky.

“Michael, you can fly!” Carrie exclaimed as she watched the ground get smaller between her feet. Darrin was on the balcony waving his shotgun at them.  In a matter of minutes, two patrol cars arrived in the apartment parking lot with sirens wailing.   Before Micheal had put his sister down near their mother while she embraced them both with tears streaming down her eyes, Darrin Woosley was in handcuffs on his way to lock up. 

“I am so sorry.” She held them close.

“This is Viper One, out.” His dad’s voice was but an echo and soon it was gone. 

“Love you, dad.” He whispered to himself.

“Roger that over and our.” The crackle of the radio faded.  

“Boys don’t fly ‘cept in fairy tales.” Darrin growled as the police led him inside for booking on assault charges and endangerment with a weapon.  

“Maybe this was a fairy tale.” Michael said as they nudged him ahead.

“Did you really fly, fella?” One of the officers asked.

“Do I look like I can fly?” He and the officer laughed.

The divorce was settled quickly and Donna was able to find a place further up north where Darrin Woosley would not find them. There was some family therapy to help everyone process the horrible things Darrin had done to them.  Michael and Carrie shared a bond that isn’t always formed between siblings.  

You may wonder if Michael ever took to flying again and from the gossip of the locals, Micheal was never seen soaring in the skies overhead or at least as far as any other them had ever seen him do so.