Creepy - Promises We Make In December: Part 2, Chapters 2-4

Episode Date: December 30, 2021

Written by: TW Grim and Narrated by: Joe Stofko***Find our reward tiers at patreon.com/creepypod***You can also subscribe to us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/creepypod***Sound Design by Pacific Obadiah***Title music by Alex Aldea***Intro/Outro Narration by Joe Stofko Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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The promises we make in December by T.W. Grimm. Part 2, Chapter 2. Dan wasn't around when I got back to the house. I found my mom stuffing her blankets and bed sheets into the washer. I watched her for a moment, then manufactured a little cough and said, and hi, Mom, I'm home now. Good for you, she snapped. Go fix yourself something to eat, or don't.

I don't care. Leave me alone. I was taken aback by the unexpected savagery of her response. I realized that her eyes were puffy and red, as if she had been crying. Cautiously, I asked, Mom, are you okay? Did I do something wrong?

Do you know where Dan is? She asked. and she gritted her teeth. Have you seen him? In my mind's eye, I saw Dan lean down to stare me in the face, his eyes blue and hard and completely without empathy. You didn't see anything. I squirmed uncomfortably beneath her gaze and looked down at my feet.

Nope, no idea. Sorry, I just got home. Then what good are you? She yelled and, she gave me a disdainful shove towards the kitchen. I told you to leave me alone. Go on. Get away from me. I took a box of crackers and a package of sliced ham to my room and ate as I read and reread my father's note over and over again.

In the end, all I could think of was, why did you promise to come home for Christmas? Why did you say that? You knew that it was a lie. Why would you do that to us? Of course, I was just a kid, and I didn't understand yet that dying people say things they don't mean, and they make promises they can't keep. We do this to ease the burden of our own conscience as we slip into the December of our days here on earth.

When time grows short, and we are faced with the horrible reality that despite our best efforts, we will soon no longer be able to protect our loved ones from the harsh world we are leaving behind. So we say the things that we don't really mean, and we swear the oaths that will never be fulfilled, and we do it with the understanding that the promises we make in December will die along with us. I didn't know this as a boy, but now that I am in the December of my own existence, I understand it all too well. Part 2, Chapter 3

I fell asleep clutching the note to my chest, and I woke up just after 2 a.m. to the sound of the front door slamming shut. I scrambled out of bed and listened at my door. I could hear Dan coughing his raspy smoker's cough as he fumbled to kick his boots off, undoubtedly three sheets to the wind and spoiling for a fight a glow appeared at the bottom of my door as the overhead light clicked on in the front hallway and dan croaked what's you doing still up it's late go to hell to bed bed speaking of the bed i have a question for you mom's voice sounded harsh and tight like she'd been crying do you happen to know what i found

in the bed. Nope, and I don't care. Go to sleep. Well, I found someone's panties in our bed, that's what? Little red G-string. There was a pause, Dan said. And what? I don't know nothing about that. Maybe it's yours. They are not mine, and you know it, she hissed. How could you do this to me? While I am at work and Johnny's at school screwing some flusy in my home in my bed? Jesus, Dan, What are you thinking? Dan brayed out a donkey-like peal of laughter and said, This is your house, is it? Seems to me this is the bank's house.

And I've been paying your mortgage for you. Ain't that right? In fact, have a look around. What do you see? I bought all this shit, all of it. This ain't your house, you mouthy bitch. You don't got a pot to piss in, let alone a fucking house. Mom yelled.

I can overlook the other things you do. But not this, not this, not in my house where my son lives, not in my own bed for Christ's sake. You'd better turn it down over there, bitch, Dan snarled. I don't put up with that kind of shit from nobody, let alone abroad. You keep yipping at me a little twat and I swear to gut. Mom screeched. Don't talk to me like that. And there was a flat, meaty whack that made me flinch.

Feet stumbled and someone fell against a piece of furniture. before hitting the floor with a bone-rattling thump. Mom sobbed, Don't you hit me? And Dan laughed again. I tensed behind my bedroom door, nerving myself to bolt down the stairs and jump on his back. I tried to open the door and found that I couldn't move.

I was rooted to the spot with fear. Dan scared me very, very badly, far worse than my father had, far worse than anything. I burned with shame at my cowardice, but I simply couldn't muster the courage to open the door. You just tried to slap me, didn't you? Well, that's what happens. I don't take none of that from nobody. I fucking told you already. If someone comes at me, I show him what the fuck is what. Now get up, you stupid bitch. Get up and tell me you're sorry. No, she groaned.

Go fuck yourself. Get out. I'm calling the police. Dan let out a low whistle, and mom cried out in pain. You're going to call the cops. Is that right? You're stupid fucking cow. You ain't calling nobody. You ever call the cops on me? You know what I'll do? I'll walk up those stairs and I'll take this knife. You see it? This knife right here. I'll take this knife right here, and I'll cut you. your little bastard's motherfucking ears off.

I heard Mom gasp. My blood seemed to freeze in my veins. A cold sweat popped up on my brow. Mom whimpered. You wouldn't do that. You wouldn't dare. Dan snarled. I'll do whatever I got to keep my ducks in a row.

You call the cops and the shit will hit the fan. I'll be back in the clink faster and you can say parole violation. Even if I got kicked out of here because of some domestic bullshit, I'll be in hot water for not having a fixed address anymore. You knew all that when I moved in, Nora. So don't think you're coming out of this clean somehow, because you ain't. I didn't fully understand everything he was saying,

but his last statement was a punch in the gut. I hadn't considered that my mom could potentially get in trouble for her involvement with Dan. It seemed crazy that such a thing might be true. I leaned against my door and stifled a groan. The situation just kept getting worse and worse. If I get picked up by the cops, Dan continued, I got two options.

I cop a guilty plea or I get fucking killed. You think Moses and his boys are going to let me go to court? I'd be dead in a week. I'll tell you right now that I'll do any goddamn thing to prevent that shit from happen, and don't you doubt it for a second. I'd kill you if that's what it came down to. I'll kill you both, and I'd fucking bury you. I can't believe you, Mom choked.

How could you even think such a thing? Because it's a tough old world out there. You better learn your role, Nora. And I mean right fucking pronto. You're a supporting character here, get it? Like in a movie, you support me and what I do out there, and I make sure you're taking care of here at home. But if you forget your place and get out of line, I'll be there to smack you down. And if you really get out of line, I'll go up there and turn your baby boy into a Picasso painting.

See? You see how it is? Please, Mom sobbed. Please don't hurt him. I'm sorry. I won't ever do that. I swear I won't. "'Let's get something straight,' dance lured. "'You don't ever challenge me on nothing, not ever. "'What I do is what I do.

"'It don't concern you. "'You keep this house clean. "'You go to your shitty little job "'and keep your brat under control. "'That's all you've got to do. "'You behave, and you'll live good. "'But if you start getting stupid ideas in your head "'like calling the cops, then God help you.'

There was a moment of silence, and Mom repeated, "'I won't ever do that, okay? Just, listen, you've been drinking. It's really late. Maybe you should shut the fuck up,' he snapped. "'You don't tell me shit all. Go up to bed. I'm done talking to you tonight.' Mom did, as she was told, and scurried up the stairs. After her bedroom door thumped shut, I lay back down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. The power shift was now complete. Dan owned us.

We were his to command, and if we objected to his tyranny, there would be dire consequences. There would be the knife. I clenched the note to my chest. I thought, when the time comes, and even though the phrase was meaningless, it gave me comfort. Despite all the sordid and awful things that had happened that day,

I slept more soundly that night than I had in almost two years. Part 2, Chapter 4 Grandma didn't like her daughter's new man, not at all. She constantly demanded to come visit us so she could make sure that, quote, things are right over there, and Mom kept trying to put her off. In November, Grandma finally declared that enough was enough and threatened to call the police if Mom didn't allow her to come over and see her grandchild. Dan was forced to give in, and he was beside himself with rage. Dan didn't like prying eyes, and he didn't like to lose.

Dan was the textbook definition of a sore loser. As she pulled up in front of the house, he turned to us and said, Do you love your granny? Do you want her to see the new year? Yeah? Then don't breathe a single word about how things get run in this house. Do you hear me? You mind me now? I mean what I say. The visit was short and tense. Mom fended off grandma's pointed questions over a cup of tea. She'd brought me some homemade cookies, and I listlessly pecked at one to humor her. My interest in cookies was at an all-time low. Grandma was no fool. She knew that something was very wrong in our house, and she knew who was responsible. Unable to make my mother crack under her gentle interrogation, she finally threw in the towel

and announced that she had to go. She paused at the door and said to me, "'Mond of new stuff here, isn't there? Furniture, television? Must be nice to have all this new stuff. I nodded mutely. My grandmother eyed me shrewdly and added, With all this nice new stuff in the house,

you'd think that a boy who'd had a rough go of it would be looking a little happier, wouldn't you? You don't look very happy, Johnny. I said, I'm fine. And she nodded. Dan looked on with a lopsided, shit-eating grin on his face. There was murder in his eyes. She patted my shoulder and crooned.

Of course you are. But come and see me any time, ma'an. You're always welcome. Ah, thanks, Granny. We sure do appreciate that, Dan boomed. Well, I suppose you've got to get going. It was nice to see you. Yes, the two of you are welcome to come and see me any time,

Grandma said, and she gave Dan a look that wiped the fake smile off his face. Don't let anyone tell you any different. You have options. Don't forget that. I could see that Dan was having a hard time containing himself, and I started to get worried. Grandma was a tough old gal who could hold her own when tangling with the average Joe, but Dan was on a different level entirely. "'And no need to be rude at all, is there?' he snapped. "'I welcome you into our home, and you got to be like that.'

"'Grandma curled her lip in disdain. "'I don't know what you do to make the money you flash around, "'but I know it's illegal. "'You're a scumbag. "'Do you hit her? Do you hit my grandson? "'I promise you that if I find out you're hurting them in any way, "'I'll do everything in my power to have you thrown in jail. "'Mark my words, boy.

"'I'll see you locked away for good.' "'Dan's face flushed an ugly ray. "'Grandma dismissed him with a muttered curse, and gave my mom and I a big hug. "'I should go now. "'Take care. Call me if you want to. "'Call any time, day or night.' "'I was worried about her. "'But as the days marched onward towards December without incident,

"'I chalked it up as a win for Grandma. "'However, as explosive as his temper was, "'dan Tully could be a... patient man. He waited a full three weeks before he struck back. In the beginning of December, we received a call from the hospital. Grandma had been involved in a serious traffic accident. Her car was totaled, but she made it out alive with three fractured ribs, a cracked pelvis, and a badly broken nose. Mom told Dan the bad news with a careful, neutral expression. He grunted at her not bothering.

to look away from the TV. Yeah, that's too bad, he said. She should be more careful out there. Mom and I drove to the hospital and stood at opposite sides of her bed, each of us holding one of her hands and ours. Didn't see who it was, she whispered. Both of her eyes were swollen shut.

They came racing up and ran my car from behind, pushed me into the ditch. I'm quite a vessel. over here, aren't I? Doesn't look that bad, Grandma, I lied. You can hardly notice. Grandma laughed, then winced,

and let out a small moan. Don't make me do that. It hurts. Is there anything we can get you, Mom? Grandma licked your thin, dry lips, and said, No, I'm fine. You don't worry about me. They got me all drowsy on pain medication.

I just need to rest. We stood over her in silence for a while. I thought she'd fallen asleep, but as we stepped away from the bed to leave, Grandma said, It was him that did this to me. Maybe he wasn't the one behind the wheel, but it was him. He's rotten to the core, that one is. You need to get away from him as soon as possible.

Tonight even. Just wait for him to go to sleep and run for him. it. Mom looked stricken. She said, "'I'm so sorry this happened to you. I really am, but we can't do that. We can't leave.' "'Are you in trouble?' Grandma weaves. She winced and touched her ribs. "'Does he have something on you?' I blurted out. "'We didn't do anything wrong. It was him. We should just call the police right now.'

Mom's face crumpled. She wiped her eyes and muttered, We have to go. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Mom dragged me out of the hospital at a brisk march, ignoring my protest as we half-jogged across the parking lot to the car. When we were both buckled in and driving towards the exit gate, she turned to me and said, Do you want to get us killed? I looked at her in shock. What? Do you want to get Grandma killed? No, why would you say that?

How about jail? Do you want to see me go to jail? No. I was aghast. Mom, in jail? I couldn't imagine such a thing. Why would that happen? What did you do?

It's not what I've done exactly. It's what I haven't done. I haven't reported a serious crime, even though I've known it was happening for a long time now. Do you understand what I'm saying? The dots were easy to connect. but I was having a hard time accepting the picture they created. I stubbornly shook my head and looked out the window.

We stopped at the gate to pay the toll and drove on in silence until we passed the town limits. I watched the barren fields and naked trees flash past my window, a tortured landscape of dead earth and skeletal figures reaching up to the forbidding gray skies above, legions of lost souls begging for redemption and finding only indifference. If we go to the police about Dan,

you'll get in trouble too. If you don't tell them what you know about Dan, you'll go to jail. If you do, he'll want to kill us. Mom bit her lip and quietly, she said. At first I told myself it was all for you so you could have a house to live in and food to eat. I knew it was wrong, but providing for you was all that mattered.

The only thing is I was lying to myself. I did it for me, too. I wanted nice clothes and new furniture. I wanted danger and adventure. Your father was a good man, but he could never give me those things, and God helped me how I wanted them. I wanted more than just financial security. I wanted to be better than other people, more glamorous and sophisticated.

I'm ashamed. Shame is a difficult burden, Johnny. It's hard to bear that weight on your shoulders and carry on, like everything is normal day after day. I hope you never have to feel what I'm feeling right now. I hope you'll grow up to be a better person than me. I had nothing to say to that. My eyes flooded with tears. We were trapped in a prison of circumstance and bad decisions, and there was no way out. I turned back to the window so that mom wouldn't see

me cry. I couldn't hate her anymore, but I knew that I would never trust her again. It was the death of my childhood innocence, the end of the blind. faith we all have when we are young, that no matter what happens, everything will always turn out okay in the end. It was December, and the time of hollow promises was drawing to a close. I could taste it in the air, a bitter taste like cold dust and tears. It wouldn't be long before the snows came to bury us beneath the weight of our secrets. Johnny? I felt her touch on my shoulder and I flinched away. Just drive, I said.

It doesn't matter anymore. Just drive, and don't look at me. Staring out the window, I vowed that this would be the last time I would cry out of sorrow, and it was. I haven't shed a mournful tear since. I don't think I have anything left. For even more from creepy, including how to submit your own story, for consideration, please visit creepypod.com.

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