WEEK 30

I hate it when you drive the van, James,
the Juvenile Probation van
with that logo on the side.
Do you really have to drive the van?
What happened to your dumb red car?
That dumb red car looks so much better in
the driveway
than the awful van
shouting to the neighbors
HEY JUST IN CASE YOU FORGOT
TIMOTHY IS A SCREWUP.

Dear Mrs. B,
I’m sorry I threw your plant.
I’m sorry it crashed against the wall
making that loud KAPOW sound
that, for just a millisecond,
settled my bones,
a big deep satisfying settling
that said
yes
that is exactly the noise I need to hear
right at this moment,
that KAPOW really hits the spot
so to speak.
I’m sorry if it scared you
or bothered you
or made you think less of me
as a human being.
I will do better.

After all of this,
all of the Carla Ramirez stuff,
Mom can’t still be thinking about doing it.
I know she can’t be
even with all the paperwork coming in the mail
and the people calling
and Mary saying she’ll need a new case
once Levi goes away.
I can’t believe she’s going to do it.
I won’t believe she’s going to do it.
Levi is the real heart of the family
and Mom is not like Dad,
she could never leave the heart of the family behind.
Never.
Never.

Don’t be naughty, you little brat.
That’s what Mary said.
I totally heard it
under her breath
when Levi was smiling and playing his favorite game:
Drop the Bottle and Make Mary Crazy.
She called him a brat.
Luckily he doesn’t know what that is.
But I do.
I sure do.

She’s so mean to him, Mom.
Don’t exaggerate.
Exaggerating would be to say she grows fangs
and talons and
flies around the room
shooting fire
from her cow eyes.
That’s exaggerating.
Timothy.
She’s mean to him. I don’t like her.
OK. Well. We have no one else.
I know.
So what do you want me to do?
I don’t know. Pay closer attention.
Timothy.
I’m sorry.
She’s not mean to him.
She is.
Tell you what.
If I see her being mean to him, I’ll fire her.
On the spot.
OK?
OK.
Good night, T-man.
Don’t call me T-man.