Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2014 19:20:53 -0600 From: Jake Stone Subject: Wildcat Part 1, Incest My name is Ryan and I grew up in Terrytown, just south of New Orleans, across the river. I am a junior in high school and have lettered in wrestling and track. Typical jock with an attitude; I kinda thought my shit didn't stink. I'd strut around the halls of our school in my tight and well worn 501's, tight white tee shirt and my high school letterman's jacket. I have dark hair and have had facial hair since I was thirteen. Always looked like I had a five o'clock shadow. I thought I was the image of masculinity. Muscular as a 17 year old could be, popular and not bad on the eyes either. I smelled like a jock too. I liked the smell of my musk and sort of got off on it. I figured everyone else should enjoy it too. No deodorants for this kid--just raw masculinity. My academics aren't too good though and the prospects of me going to college are slim. My parents went to high school together. Mark, my dad, was sort of a high school nerd and my mom, Jessica, was a cheerleader. The combination was unusual but I think the relationship was made out of a night of passion at a friend's party rather than any sort of real attraction or, much less, love. When my parents were 16 they went to a party that a freind of theirs was giving at the end of their junior year in 1972. They went separately. As the night progressed and the hard liquor shots took over they found each other. For some reason my mom thought the nerd was cute in her drunken state and of course my dad was in front of a cheerleader. They went to a bedroom and got it on. Unfortunately, or fortunately for me, they wore no protection and mom was not on the pill. They were both 17 when I was born. They did the right thing and got married and lived with mom's parents for the first couple of years. Dad finished high school and mom eventually did also by taking night classes. As time went on we moved into our own place. But mom and dad never got along. I remember one night, I was about 5 years old, and my parents were fighting like crazy. I don't remember what was said but the next thing I knew mom and I were moving back to her parent's house and my dad took off. I didn't see him again for years. He sent mom money when he could and always sent me presents for my birthday, Christmas or whenever he felt like it. He was in my life as much as he could be without being there physically. The only picture I had of him was the picture of my parents wedding day. Mom obviously knocked up and my dad looking like the typical high school nerd. Time went on and when she was about 24 mom met another man. Thomas was a good guy and had a good job as a sales rep. for a drug company. He was on the road at least once a week for 2 to 4 nights. Mom would go with him once in a while but not often. I would stay with my grandmother when she did, as my grandfather had died soon after my parents broke up. One of these out of town trips, when I was about 17, mom went with Thomas. He was flying to Tampa with a fellow worker and his wife for a conference. They took a small Cessna like plane as Thomas' co worker had a pilo's license. My grandmother had just moved to a retirement center and there was little room in her downsized apartment so my mom and Thomas figured it was about time I could stay on my own, with a bunch of rules of course. They left the house about the time I went to school on that Friday morning. Their flight plan had them leaving about 9:30 from the local airport. My Friday at school had been typical but I was itching to get out of there. I had the house free and to myself until Sunday. After wrestling practice I was on my own. At about 1:30 in the afternoon I was practically nodding off in Algebra when the assistant principle, Mr. Andrews, came in the room with a weird look on his face. He quietly went over to our algebra teacher and whispered something in her ear. She turned white as a sheet then looked directly at me but then just as quickly diverted her eyes to the floor. I wonder what that was about. It was during that thought that Mr. Andrews said, "Ryan, could you come to my office with me?" I was kinda taken back. What did I do? "Sure, I ah...guess so." I replied. All eyes in the class were on me now. What the fuck was this all about. I gathered up my stuff and went with Mr. Andrews. "What's going on Mr. Andrews?" I asked. "Not here Ryan, wait till we get to my office." He said as we walked towards the administration offices. When we got to his office my grandmother was in there and she looked like she had been crying. "Gram, what you doing here? What's wrong." I was really concerned. This was a first. My mom never even showed up at school much less my grandmother. "Oh Ryan..." She got up and threw here arms around me and started crying again. What the fuck was going on. "Please sit down Ryan, you too Mrs. Clark. Please, I know how difficult this is for the both of you." I looked at him and asked, "Difficult? What's difficult?" My voice was cracking. My grandmother answered, "It's your mother and Thomas dear. The plane they were in fell off of radar an hour into the flight. They can't find them. They have no idea if they crashed or what. It's been hours and there is no sign of them." It was hard for her to get that last sentence out but she did. Mr. Andrews then added, "The Coast Guard has been searching the Gulf of Mexico for the past couple of hours Ryan. There is still no sign of the plan where they think it went down. I'm sorry. I don't know what to say of what to do." "Dear," my grandmother began, "I didn't know what to do either. But your mother always made me promise that if anything ever happened to her that I would call your dad. I tried getting a hold of him when I got the news, but he's out on a rig in the Gulf and they could only get a message back to him by radio. They are going to put him on a boat as soon as they can." "My dad? I haven't seen him in years. Don't even know if I'll recognize him, or will he recognize me?" My mind was full of sludge at that moment. Kinda on overload. My dad? Where could that plane be? My dad's coming? Part 2 on its way.