Crystal Clear Chapter 3 / Buck Night

Crystal Chapter 3

Thursdays in the summertime meant Buck Night at the drive in theater. For one dollar an entire family could park their car in front of the big outdoor screen and watch a double feature. Usually the first feature was a G rated family movie. The late night second feature was often a scary monster flick. Amy and Crystal were allowed to watch the first film but had to sleep in the back seat while mom and dad stayed for the second one. What that meant in reality was that Crystal lay quietly in the back seat, pretending to sleep, all the while listening to the frightening screams from the horror film, storing up even more monsters to feast on her fear of the dark.

What it meant for Crystal's dad, was a twelve pack of beer and a pack of cigarettes. By the end of the first show the empty brown bottles piled up beside the car. With the tossing of each bottle his mood darkened proportionately. A trip to the bathroom during the first film was not a problem. Hand in hand or perched on his broad shoulders, the sisters were led to the ladies room by their father. Mom thought it unnecessary to accompany a six and nine year old, but their dad didn't seem to mind. Until the brown liquids turned him into a sour and impatient parent who expected only silence from the backseat of the car.

Once again Crystal's bladder was causing her great discomfort. She was terrified to ask her father to take her to the snack bar again but even more afraid to go alone in the dark. Crystal's need for relief was painfully intense. She had to risk calling attention to her problem.

Fearfully she softly whispered. "Dad?"

"What?" He snapped. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I need to go to the bathroom."

"Again? NO. Either hold it or get out and go to the snack bar yourself. Take Amy with you."

Amy, also faking sleep, silently tossed her head back and forth pleading with Crystal not to make her go.

Crystal sighed and said. "Never mind, Dad, I can hold it till we get home."

But she couldn't and she knew it. Sometimes a six year old can't make the connection between actions and consequences. Crystals need for relief outweighed her abilities to reason through any logical solutions. In the dark of the back seat, she simply let go. Naively she thought, "Who would know?"

Suddenly her father swung open the front door, threw a bottle across the gravel, and screamed into the back seat at her. "God Damn it Crystal. Tell me you did not pee your pants in the back seat of this car. It stinks like piss, God Damn it to hell. When we get home I'm gonna knock the shit out of you."

As they pulled into the driveway, Crystal trembled with fear in anticipation of a beating. What was worse is that she knew she deserved it. What six year old pees their pants? But dad was full of the brown stuff that made him go all dark inside, and she was more afraid than she'd ever been before. She didn't have long to wait for the promised punishment.

Her father pulled her from the car, throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her into the kitchen. There he dropped her on the floor, then lifted her up by one arm, her feet dangling uselessly beneath her, and he began to hit. She didn't cry, didn't make a sound. She simply hung limply and waited for it to be over. Her silence enraged him and the hits came faster and harder across her back, shoulders, and buttocks. Then suddenly something in her shoulder popped and she screamed.