Demons and Wasps by Aaron Scobie

         Demons and Wasps

Authors Notes: The thing that I wish I could have done better was bring out the heart of the story which was the main character realizing that he does live a sheltered life and that the people who are in his life aren't helping him grow up but instead holding him down. I feel that at times the story gets too predictable and cheesy while other times i feel that emotion takes over and is written well but the cheesy/predictable overshadow those. This story is based on a lot of different things but none deal with the three memory exercise we did in class.
Addition to this: I realize there is a good bit of melodrama at the end and I just wanted to point out that I realize I seriously need to change the ending so any help on that would be great.

When I was sixteen, my cousin and me spend the better part of an afternoon trying to take out a nasty wasp nest in my Uncle Jim’s unfinished home. Jim was building a little house for himself behind my house. You see Jim and his son, my cousin, Joseph, we just called him Joey; we all lived with my grandmother, Nanny Ree. I was there on account of not having any parent. Well I had my dad; mom die when I was born, and daddy left when I was two. Now the reason why Jim and Joey are there is because well Jim’s wife Marsha ran off one day. Just got up and left all her things and ditched town. Jim told the police that she had to have been kidnapped but Nanny Ree didn’t think it for one second.

So there we were, Joey and me. We were standing very calmly, staring at the nest. I’m not sure what Joey was thinking or if he was even looking at the nest but I was. I was like the ones we get on the wooden porch Jim built last year. It was exposed and vulnerable to all outside forces. You could see all the secret little passages the wasps would creep in and out of. “What do we do Johnny?”

“I’m not to sure Joey.” I glanced down at my cheap velcro watch and saw that it wasn’t even ten thirty yet. I let out a loud grunt leaning my head to the ceiling and stomped my foot. “Jeezus John, relax.” Joey said. He grabbed my arm. “We gots to treat this situation carefully. If you just go ona stompin’ around them wasps is gonna come after us.” Joey was still grabbing my arm. I exhaled a deep breath and lowered my head. I glanced at his arm.  Why was he still grabbing me? I felt his fingers tremble. His nails were yellow and his veins were exposed. Joey saw me staring and threw his arms behind his back. “So yeah Johnny boy, what are we going to do.”

“Exactly what you said,” I replied, “treat the situation carefully.” We had to treat the wasps with respect.

            I remember that morning being woken up to the sound of Jim yelling at Nanny. It had something to do with Jim wanting to work on the house today. I don’t know why they were arguing. I thought Nanny Ree wanted to Jim to finish building that dang old house.

I stretched my legs with a very deep frown on my face. It was Saturday. I hate Saturdays. Saturdays meant that I had to figure out a way to preoccupy my time for twenty-four hours because my options were limited on what there was to do. I live in Clayhatchee, Alabama; population: 237. Well around that. We always get some new military person due to the town being so close to Fort Rucker.

In the town with a population of 237, there are a handful of things I get to do. I can ride my bike to the church that is about two to three miles down the rode. I could ride my bike to go see Muhammad, the tiny Indian man who ran the only gas station in town. If I did that I could rent a couple of movies or buy a moon pie and RC cola. Or I could go exploring. I could go find that old Volkswagen Truck way deep in the woods behind my house or I could follow the stream next to my Great Aunt Jessie’s house.

            When I finally sat up and started to wipe away the eye potatoes from the corners of my eyes, I just let out a big sigh. I look over at wind-up alarm clock and saw that it was 7:36. This meant that my morning of finding something to do was extended. I never can go back to sleep once I’m up. Not even if it’s two in the morning.

I looked around the tiny unfinished house. It was like the wasp nest in a way. It was so open and vulnerable. The only walls that had been built were exterior walls and the walls to the bathroom in the back left corner. I shouldn’t say that the exterior walls are actually walls. They are more like foundation or whatever you call it. It was that yellow insolation stuff I think. It surrounded the outside with it. It was this mucus yellow color. It was very durable. You could slide your finger across it make little designs, kind of like on a suede couch. Joey and I would draw very poor pictures of dicks and other crude drawings. His uncle would always go behind with a brush or something and erase them.

            I look over at that bathroom and its closed door. I stare at it. I just stare. I wasn’t even sure Joey had saw me staring at it. I prayed he didn’t. I just stared and stared and then stared some more. I could here Joey rummaging around behind me. It sounded like he was look for something. Not breaking my stare I ask, “Joey what are you looking for?”

            “A pole or stick or somethin. Quit yer lally gaggin and help me.”

            “Ok.” I didn’t move.

            When I hopped off the bed this morning, I did my usual routine and walk into the bathroom across the hall from my bedroom. I let out a deep sigh as I begin my ritual of picking up after Jim and Joey. All three of us share a bathroom even though there are two in the trailer. We don’t use the other because it is in Nanny Ree’s poor man’s master bedroom. Well she calls it that. It is the exact same size as the other bedrooms but someone just attached a bigger bathroom on the side. Sometimes when no one is home Nanny Ree will let me shower in her bathroom but she knows how bad ours is. She treats me so well. She is a kind gentle soul and treats everyone with same sweet southern hospitality. The only person I can remember her not treating kindly with that down home kindness is my poor old daddy. Nanny Ree puts it, “That man is a no good piece of shit who don’t want no part of you Johnny.” I’ve never met the man so I can’t say if he is or not but I always replied with, “Yes ma’am, I know Nanny,” and I’d go about my day. I shut the door to the bathroom and shut the door. I pick up the clothes and toss them in the teeny-tiny clothes hamper that sat between the toilet and the sink. It was fun because I would pretend I was playing basketball and pretend to jump shot the balled up button ups. I would miss most of the time, which was pretty sad, but I’d just laugh it off. I would always stare at myself in the mirror when I did this. On days like today, where my morning starts off kind of crappy, I would find Jim’s underwear on the floor. They would always be in the same spot, slightly caught on the rusty pipes tucked away behind the toilet. I always hated when he did this. They would be soaking wet as if he got in the shower and forgot to take them off. Like duh! Come on Uncle Jimmy. To top it all off I couldn’t tell what was rust and was poop. It didn’t help that he wore whitey tighties. I get so mad that I want just stop my feet and yell bad words. I started to clinch my fist in the plaid and squeeze my eyelids super tight. But then I remember what Nanny Ree told me to do when I get like this. She would say, “Johnny whenever you get so angry and you just wanna blow ya lid like a tea kettle, just think of me, and think of how I treat everyone; even those mean ol’ folks down the field. I treat them just as kindly as any nice church lady. So whenever you get mad just think of me and think of how I treat people.” I opened my eyes and unclenched my fist. I threw the plaid button up in the hamper and made it on my first shot.

            I was surprised that Joey hadn’t yelled at me again to help him find his stick. In the twenty to thirty some odd minutes I stood there he didn’t say a word after that first question. I stared at the door to the bathroom and began to notice the to shape of it and its features. It was a long skinny door. A fat man would have trouble getting through but he could make it. It was one of those boors that the two columns of smaller rectangles in it but this door only had one column. The door was bone white, which for some reason stood out to me. It was the one thing is this run down piece of crap place that my uncle kept up. I’m guessing due to all the paint cans scattered about, that this is where Jim goes when he tells Nanny Ree that he is going to work on the house. I can’t be mad at him for not actually working on the house. The love of his life did leave him and their son so who am I to judge. I may have never had a woman I could love like that but still you expect a man to just move on with his life after something like that. Can you?

            I finally started to move toward the door. I didn’t make my stare I just got nervous about Joey looking at me staring at this door. I had the rummaging finally stop and turned around behind me to see what was happening. “Hmm…what’s the matter JoJo?”

            “What are you doin ova there?”

            “What are you talkin about?”

            “You know what I’m talkin about why you staring in that corner? You was suppose to be helping me find a stick to knock this nest down.”

            “I was just staring at a bee,” I said. I was good at lying. Or at least making him believe I did.

            “Bullshit,” Joey said. I tightened up. I never did like the ideas of cuss words and they always made me feel funny in my stomach. Joey knew this too. “What’s the matter? Afraid of a little fuckin cussin?”

            “Joey stop it you know I don’t like those words.”

            “They ain’t that bad come on just say one.”

            “No they’re bad. Brother Lance told me that when someone cusses that they are sinnin. He tells me that I should even say poop because it is so close to a cuss word. It like it’s a cuss words cousin.”

            “Bullshit,” Joey said starting to laugh. I think he did that just to make me mad.

            “I’m serious!”

            “Come on Johnny, just say one. We’ll start out easy, just say ass. Aaaassssssss. Come on. Say it. Ass.”

            “I don’t want to.”

            “John just say it!” Whenever Joey yells at me I want to curl up into a ball. I know I’m suppose to love him because I’m family to him I just never can make myself feel it. He always does this. He makes me say uncomfortable things and gets me in trouble. He knows how much I hate cussing. His dad always helps me. Its like he knows how mean his son is and just doesn’t care anymore. It’s like after Marsha ran off he gave up on his son. But he always talks to me and is nice and everything else like that.

            I start to cry. “Oh now don’t go on a crying.”

            “Well you know how much I don’t like those words Joey.”

            “Johnny its just one word. What’s the big deal?”

            “It’s a sin.”

            “Bullshit it’s a sin. That man Brother who-the-fuck-knows is just an ass clown and just tryin to brain wash you and all them kids to teaches at that tiny ass church just like his daddy brain washed him. I can’t stand people like that. People like that are worse than the niggers who don’t gots no jobs and expect government handouts. Fuck that. Fuck them niggers. Fuck that church. Fuck that Brother man. And fuck you for fallin into that dumb shit.”

            “Shut up! Just shut up!” I have both of my fist clinched and my whole body tensed up. I grabbed the nearest paint bucket, closed my eyes and flung it at where I thought Joey was. I really started crying now. I’m panting. There was a brief half-minute where nothing happened. I hear footsteps running. I open my eyes and see Joey rushing at me. What’s happening? Did I hit him? I see any paint on him. Oh God. I brace for the tackle I feel is inevitable. Then I feel something grab my arm. I flash my eyes open and it’s Joey pulling me toward the front door. My legs don’t recognize that we’re running from the cloud of wasps. Their nest seems to be covered in paint. My legs connected with my eyes and start to run. My eyes are still staring at the nest and the cloud coming towards us. Finely my brain realizes the situation and I let out an incredible screech that my halfway down puberty voice can make. We get to the door and I feel Joey lift me and throw me out the door. I was flying. Time seemed to slow down and I waited for the ground to press against my face. I was watching Joey slam the door and throw his arm in the air. The back of my head hits the ground and I hear a yell. I guess Joey got stung. I guess you get what you deserve.

           

            When Jim first started building the house, it was right after Marsha had left him and Joey. Jim put all his time and effort into that house. Nanny Ree would tell me that he was working his sorrows out into that house. Jim starting going to church and made Joey go as well. Joey hated it. Joey and Brother Lance would always go at it about everything. Brother Lance couldn’t read a verse without Joey making some smart-aleck remark.

After about three months Jim received a phone call from the lead detective saying they think they might have found Marsha. Jim was so ecstatic. The detective said that they would know for certain for a few more days. At least that’s what Jim told us. Nanny Ree told Joey and me to go to our rooms so that Jim could have his phone call in peace. I went to my room but I kept an ear to the door but I couldn’t hear anything on account that the doors and walls in this trailer were like lead when it came to listening. Joey liked this. Joey had a girlfriend. I didn’t cause I was nosey.

This was about and a half ago. I remember cracking the door open and seeing Jim sitting with his head in his left arm and in his right hand was phone. He was holding it above his neck. I remember hearing some like of noise from him but it was muffled due to his head being in his arm. I remembered Nanny Ree seeing my door open and I remember her saggy arm waving at me to close the door. I didn’t know what was going on I just remember that after that day for the next month Jim was the nicest man I had ever seen. He was constantly getting on to Joey to be nicer to me. He also was trying to get Joey more involved with church and brother Lance. All that seemed to come out of that was Joey being quieter and didn’t fight with Jim as much. Jim saw this as a solution and kept the routine up.

Once this month was up news came to the rest of the family. Marsha was dead. She was killed by some homicidal manic or kidnapped or anything like that. She died in a car accident with her new husband. However I wasn’t told this. I was told that she hit a deer and wasn’t wearing her seatbelt and wasn’t being a safe driver. No one wanted to tell me what was really going on and to this day I still don’t know why.

I remember her funeral. I remember there being a lot of tears and a lot hugging. I also remember there being a lot of tension. Specifically between Jim and this man named Richard. He had a funny accent. I remember them arguing but every time I got close enough to actually listen to what they were saying some women who was a friend of the family would pull me away.

After the funeral we all went to Larry’s Barbeque in Daleville. Somehow the family managed to rent out the entire building for a few hours. Everyone chatted and laughed and cried and had a good time. When it came time for everyone to go. Joey, Jim, Nanny Ree, and me all piled in Nanny Ree’s car and drove back to our trailer. No one said a word on the entire ride back. I kept looking at their faces, except Nanny Ree’s, she was in the driver’s seat, and there was no expression. We finally got back to the trailer and I ran up to the porch and went inside. Joey was the first to come in. He went straight to his room and turned his music on. It was so load that you could actually hear it through all the doors and walls that separated the living room and his room.

I kept waiting for Nanny Ree and Jim to come inside but they never did. I went to the window and saw them arguing. I couldn’t make out what but it had something to do with the car keys. Finally, I remember Nanny Ree just throwing the keys at Jim and stomping up the stairs. Her fists were clinched too. She came stomping inside.

I remember saying, “Nanny, are you ok?”

I remember her saying, “Yes dear. Just…I love you very much.”

She kissed me on my forehead. I heard the sound of and engine belt squealing. It remember standing on the porch playing with the Velcro on my watch as Jim drove down or long, bumpy, dirt rode. He drove the car into a ditch that night.

I opened my eyes squinting at the sun and his rays. “Joey, what the heck?”

“Oh shit Johnny, are you ok?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. What happened?”

“You threw a paint can at me you little shit.”

“Well why on earth did you throw me out the house.”

“Oh,” Joey chuckled, “you missed me by a long shot and hit that damn wasps nest.”

Joey really started laughing at me now. I sat up and brushed the dirt off my shorts. I started to rub at the new grass stains that are now permanently stuck to my shorts.

“Hey now,” said Nanny Ree, “is you boys being careful?”

We collectively reply, “Yes ma’am.”

“Alright well would you boys like to have some lunch? I juss got done cookin some stew.”

“We’ll be there in a minute, Nanny Ree.” Joey said.

Nanny Ree walked back into the trailer. I watched Joey crack the door open. He motioned for me to come over to him.

“Look what you done did Johnny.”

On the entire far sidewall, wasps were littered everywhere.

“We can’t tell Nanny Ree about this, ok?

“Ok.” I said.

We went into the trailer and sat down for lunch. Nanny Ree had made some Brunswick stew with cheese in it. She added cheese to everything. It seemed like she adds cheese to everything. I wanted to ask her why she always added cheese to things but I kept my mouth shut. Nanny Ree always told to keep my questionable thoughts to myself and if they were serious enough to pray able them. I wasn’t going to pray about this because it was just cheese. I just don’t understand. Then out of nowhere Joey asks, “Nanny Ree, why do you always put cheese in every god dang thing you cook?”

“Because Joseph, cheese is good for you.”

“What? Where on Earth did you hear that?” said Joseph.

“In one of my magazines.”

“You need to stop reading those. They just like to fill yer head with pointless knowledge.”

“Well at least I read something Joey. I swear I feel like all yous do is just sit in your room and listen to that dumb crybaby music.”

“It isn’t crybaby music!” He said as he slammed his hands on the table and stared at Nanny Ree.

“Are you two fightin about cheese again?”

“Hey Uncle Jim.” I said.

“Hey Johnny.” He patted my head

Joey closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and paused for a second. “May I have a spoon Nanny Ree?”

“Sure.” She handed him on of those big tablespoons.

“May I have a normal spoon?”

“Nope. I already lost to many of them.”

Jim asked, “Joey did you Johnny take care of those wasps?”

“No dad we didn’t. Me and John over here started horsen around some how managed to knock somethin heavy into it.”

Jim said, “Well shit.” I glared at him. He didn’t see me. “Well I was about to head to the store to get some nails and maybe a new belt, a can pick up some wasp killer while I’m out”

“What do you need a new belt for?” I said.

Jim said, “Well my other one broke and—“

“How’d it break?”

Jim said, “I just did. God you are so nosey today?”

I got up and ran to my room. I could hear Nanny Ree scolding him and Jim arguing back. I cracked open the door to hear what they were saying.

Jim said, “You can’t keep treating that boy like he’s a damn five year old Mom.”

“Dad’s right Nanny Ree.” Joey said, “The boy just near about seventeen.”

“Hush both of you. I will treat that boy have ever I please. Now go get your damn belt Jim!” I’ve never heard Nanny Ree cuss. I closed my door. What are they talking about? I sat in my bed and looked at my hands. I looked up and around my room. I saw all my posters littered with cartoons and on my shelves all my Rescue Hero toys and all my Disney VHS tapes. I went up to my Ed, Edd, n’ Eddy poster and just stood in front of it. I clinched my fist and closed my eyes. “Remember Johnny whenever you get so angry and you just wanna blow ya lid like a tea kettle, just think of me, and think of how I treat everyone; even those mean ol’ folks down the field. I treat them just as kindly as any nice church lady. So whenever you get mad just think of me and think of how I treat people.”

“Ahh!” I punched a hole in the wall right through the middle of the poster. I was breathing heavily now, panting almost. I heard the chairs screech and footsteps. My door was still cracked. “Johnny are you ok?” Nanny Ree yelled. I slammed my door and locked the on the knob and the chain. I ran to my window and opened it. I stood there clueless and finally just kicked a hole through the thin screen. I stuck one leg through the exposed screen. I could hear muffled voices and multiple hands pounding on my door. I jumped out the window. I hit the ground hard.

Man our trailer is tall. I looked around. I can’t run into the woods they’ll just call the cops and find me. I could…

I back door flung open and I saw Jim and Joey running out towards me. Nanny Ree was in the doorframe yelling something like “Johnny don’t” and “Come back, please!” I looked at the unfinished house with its mucus yellow walls and ran. I ran and ran as fast as my sixteen-year-old legs would let me. I ran to the top of the steps and at the door I turned around behind me saw Jim and Joey very closed. I flung open the door and ran inside.

I paused in the center of the open exposed room. I heard Jim yell, “Joey, get the boy before he hurts himself.” I realized that I wasn’t alone in the house. I hadn’t realized until just as Joey got in the doorframe that this house was filled with wasps. I looked at Joey.

Joey said, “Johnny why don’t you juss come on out of here now. I don’t know what you heard but me and Jim didn’t mean it.”

I stand there. I can’t think. I don’t want to go back with them. Not now. I grabbed a paint can. I look at Joey and say, “Fuck you.” I threw the pain can at the wasp’s nest hitting it square center. The wasps started buzzing and swarming at Joey and me. I run to the bathroom in the exposed open house and slam the door. I locked the door and just stood there. Two wasps snuck in with me. I grabbed the top to the toilet and start swinging at the two wasps. Once I killed both of them I sat on the toilet and cried. I stand up and go to put the lid back on the toilet. I look inside and see a hand full of syringes and burnt spoons and a broken belt.

“I had better tell Nanny Ree I found her spoons.”