Page 158 of Remiss

The coffee looked delicious with a mountain of whipped cream sprinkled with bits of chocolate and sitting atop black coffee.

Axel licked cream and chocolate, adoring sweets as much as Christopher. “I’m sorry, Dad. Okay?”

“Yeah, boy, but you right,” Christopher relented. “I always wantcha to look out for your ma.”

“To make up, do you wanna do a chug-a-lug contest?” Axel sipped the coffee and smacked his lips. “I’ll even let you win.”

“Sure, Ax. Although you usually chug-a-lug beer.”

“Mom wouldn’t want me to have a beer.”

“You right. You right.” Christopher raised his glass. “Bottom’s up.”

Axel beamed at him. “Bottom’s up, Dad.”

The first taste of coffee washed over Christopher’s tongue and it took everything in him not to fucking gag. It reminded him of how the earth smelled after a hard rain. Wet mud. But Axel didn’t recoil, so Christopher knew it was only hisimagination. Or, maybe, his fucking guilt, and the hidden expectation of Axel’s revenge since the little motherfucker declared war.

More than once, the coffee threatened to turn his stomach upside down and explode from his mouth. He powered through, managing to finish three-quarters before he gave up and set the glass aside.

Axel finished his glass, belched, and set it next to Christopher’s. “You lose. You didn’t finish, Dad.”

Nausea roiled Christopher’s stomach. Pressing his lips together, he slid his fingers through his hair.

“Ima go take a shower and rest until the boys get home, Ax,” Christopher said, lumbering to his feet. He’d probably have to stop in one of the bathrooms before he reached his bedroom, to vomit. “We can have pizza for dinner.”

Watching Christopher closely, Axel sat in one of the chairs, tucking one leg under his ass and swinging the other. “Do you admit you treated Mom likedirt?”

“We not goin’ back to that shit,” Christopher snapped, wondering why he emphasized ‘dirt’ and then deciding it didn’t matter. “Drop the fuckin’ subject.”

“Okay, Dad. Suit yourself.” Axel raced past Christopher, leaving him to fend for himself.

Fifteen minutes later, he finally reached his bedroom and not a moment too soon. The desire to vomit morphed into the need to shit. A giant,gigantic, humongousneed that cramped his stomach and almost buckled his fucking legs.

He slammed into the bedroom and crashed to a fucking halt. Spray painted on the walls were the words,I’m Mom’s justifier.Mom needs justice. I miss Mom. Dad is a mean motherfucker. Dad should have his fingers sawed off. War. Death. Dad’s coffee made with dirt and poop stuff. You fuck with Mom, I fuck you up.

In between those words and phrases was a name:Axel. He’d created thousands of dollars in damage.

Christopher growled.

That little motherfucker was going to fucking pay. He didn’t even know what to address first. No, he’d fuck up Diesel and Axel first. Axel fucked up so many goddamn words, Christopher was beginning to wonder if he had a learning issue. Yet…

Fuckingyet…he knew what the fuck a justifier was. Knew how to spell that motherfucker…

Christopher briefly fucking forgot his guts were somersaulting, percolating, swerving and swirling. Until…

Unfuckintil…

Howling in pain and humiliation, he sprinted to the bathroom, leaving a trail that Axel would clean to appease his motherfucking shit fetish. That wretched little motherfucker.

When he had nothing left in his fucking stomach or ass, he snatched the toilet paper and…the moment it touched his skin, he screamed, burning as if he was on fire.

Scrambling to his feet and flushing the toilet, Christopher staggered to the shower, ignoring the mess, the stench, just so fucking glad to have his organs still in his body. He must’ve lost ten pounds.

Standing under the spray, he didn’t care that the water was ice fucking cold. He fucking knew Axel fucked with the temperature. He didn’t care. He was too fucking weaktogive a fuck.

His body wash was missing. Fuck it. Smelling like cherry blossoms was much better than the alternative. At least, that bad ass little bastard left Christopher’s shampoo and conditioner.

Megan’s body wash smelled differently, more pungent than normal, but fuck, that fucking laxative and mud mixture probably fucked up his tastebuds and sense of smell.