It was late in the evening as Tim sat at his computer playing an online RPG with others. He had just turned 19 after he graduated High school but his college plans had fallen through so he didn't have much to do now that his girlfriend Missy had started classes. They were trying to make it work long distance but Tim had his doubts that it would.
When he was very young, his leg was broken and because it never healed right he now walked with a limp. He was too young to remember how it happened and his Dad always just said it was some sort of accident but given how he was, Tim had his theories. His mother died when he was very young. Elizabeth, his stepmom had always taken good care of him, treating him as if he was her own. She had married his Dad over six years ago and even he couldn't figure out what she saw in him.
Tim's Father, Henry was a drunk and quite honestly a complete piece of shit. Tim figured his injury was caused during one of his drunken rage incidents even though it was never confirmed. His mother died in a car accident after one of their many arguments. Elizabeth was a little sterner with him but even she had gotten a black eye or two during their time together.
Honestly, Tim always thought the reason she sticks around is for him because she always puts herself between him and his father. Tim always felt bad about that because Elizabeth was a young beautiful woman who could do so much better than him, but she refused to leave him with the asshole.
"Fuck, again?" Tim said hearing his father screaming again. "Hey, I gotta step away for a moment," he said into his headset before getting out of the chair.
Time limped over to the door to shut it before he could hear them better. "I told you I don't want you working at a shithole like that!" Henry yelled.
"Well one of us has to work! Sitting around being a drunk asshole doesn't pay the bills."
"You fucking little," Henry said as Tim could hear him suddenly stumble over as he had fallen.
"Wow, too drunk to even hit me?" Elizabeth said in a mocking voice.
"You know what...... get the fuck out of my house you slut!" He yelled before he stumbled again.
Tim saw Elizabeth walk up the stairs to grab her purse from the bedroom when she noticed Tim standing at his door. "Are you okay?" He asked in a quiet voice.
"Yeah, he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in his condition," she said with a smile before patting him on the shoulder.
"I'm sorry about all of this."
"Tim, you have nothing to be sorry about. And don't worry, if this job works out, then we'll be just fine," she said reassuring him.
"Will we though?" He said looking down the stairs, hearing his father scuffle on the kitchen floor.
"Yes, we will. I'd stay in your room for the evening though, just in case."
"Yeah, so wait, where are you working?"
"I'm a hostess at this place called the Safari. The pay is good and I've been told the tips are amazing."
"Isn't that a strip club?" He asked a little concerned.
"As I said, I'm just a hostess and don't worry about anything. You know I'll always take care of you," she said with a smile before kissing him on the forehead.
As she walked downstairs to the front door she glanced back and saw Henry on the kitchen floor snoring as he had passed out. She smirked and opened the door, waving up to Tim one more time before heading off to her new job.
Tim's father had lost his job so the thought of losing the house was on everyone's mind. As much as they told him not to worry about it, he still did. As much as he had dreamed of going off to college and getting an education, a part of him was glad that Elizabeth didn't have to worry about paying for that.
Tim was trying to find a job as well but it was tough with his leg the way it was. He couldn't stock shelves or lift much of anything. Standing for long periods was difficult too so he was having a very hard time trying to find a job that paid well and didn't require a lot of physical activity. He tried to find something he could do from home on his computer but that wasn't proving useful either. All he was able to find was a greeter job and the local Wal-Mart which he wasn't all that excited about.
Tim had returned to his game and got back into the quest they were on before one of his friends asked: "hey man, everything alright?"
"Yeah, just my Dad being himself again," Tim said to his pal Jason who knew all about his situation.
"I'm sorry dude. Sucks for your Mom too I bet."
"Stepmom, but she's pretty good at putting him in his place."
"Yeah, Liz is a beast, and hot too!"
"Jason, what did I tell you about calling my Stepmom hot?"
"Sorry bro, but she is a piece. I have no idea how your Dad ever convinced her to marry him."
"That I can agree on," Tim said to his friend.
"Wait, who has a hot stepmom?" One of the other players asked.
"Enough about hot stepmoms! Let's get back to the game," Tim said trying to change the subject as he noticed one of the players just standing there not moving. "What's the hold-up?"
"Just looking up Stepmom porn," he said breaking his silence.
"You guys suck!"
Tim didn't deny the fact that Liz was a very attractive woman. She was tall and curvy with dark hair but it was hard because she had been in his life for so long that he did see her as more of a mother figure than anything else but every now in then he did find himself checking her out when she would get dressed up for their anniversary or something like that but of course, he would never act on it.
Tim hadn't noticed how much time had passed. The others in his group finally said they were signing off for the night and Tim decided to do the same as he looked at the clock and realized it was after midnight.
"Shit, it is late," he said to himself before he decided to head downstairs and grab a drink before going to bed.
He hadn't heard from his Dad at all in a while so he began to wonder if he was still passed out on the kitchen floor or perhaps even dead. As much as he hated him he still didn't want that as he limped down the stairs and turned the corner to see he was no longer lying on the floor.
"Huh?" He said to himself as he grabbed a drink from the fridge and headed back towards the stairs when he heard a crash from his room. "What the fuck?" He said to himself as he made his way up the steps only to turn into his room and see his Dad standing there with a baseball bat and his computer smashed on the floor. "Dad, what the fuck?" He said seeing the damage.
"Watch your fucking mouth! We need to save money, and I can't do that with you playing these stupid fucking games all the time," he said before he turned. "Same with the TV!" He swung the bat and smashed Tim's TV as well.
"Dad, fucking stop!"
"No! You shut up and listen. There are gonna be some changes around here, and if you don't like it, then maybe I'll break the other leg too!" He said threatening him with the bat. "The first one was pretty easy anyway."