Baby

spirits crushed by taxes and burdensome regulations. Everyone needed capital to survive. No capital in the U. S. The government would spend, spend, and spend on the populous. Surprisingly, the world’s super powers, China, Russia and Iran still allowed the U.S. to borrow money; even though repayment of the principal appeared unlikely. And the interest sure was a doozey.
    Then chinks appeared. Every year the rationing guidelines became more restrictive, free education became the most expensive in the world with the lowest rate of success.
    And then the polio came; the U.S the hardest hit. Over ten million children and four million adults died in the U. S. The highest percentage of adults came from minority communities, mostly immigrants from third world countries. Another three million left maimed and crippled to one degree or another. Urgent medical care meant emergency rooms came under siege; the doctors, almost nonexistent. Too many hospitals closed for lack of operating funds; too little reimbursement.
    It didn’t come as a surprise to many to learn the United States Health and Human Services Department quietly stopped budgeting for the creation and implementation of the polio vaccine in 2013. They took responsibility for vaccines and immunizations away from parents that long rejected the poisons in the makeup of the vaccines. The Boards of Education, no longer monitoring the children’s vaccination requirements, demanded congressional investigations that went nowhere. Conspiracy advocates abounded. The most popular theory postulated the virus, deliberately released by the government, would serve to thin the ranks of the entitlement classes. Abdicating responsibility to deadly disease; clearly far easier and more expedient than Congress risking reelection in a controversial attempt at fiscal responsibility. C’est la vie. Massive riots in the streets enabled citizens to vent but the efforts for change advanced anemically.

    Scotty grew hungry for his dinner, waiting for Germaine. If his best buddy didn’t show soon, they might lose their prize to the big kids. He didn’t want the big kids to spot him without Germaine for back up. The last time that happened, they held him down and pulled off his pants. They jeered and taunted him, calling him Scotty-Watty Tissue Paper and worse yet, Ass-Wipe. They left him pantless on the pavement to slink home in disgrace. His mommy held him and shed tears with him. His daddy made fun of him and called him a sissy boy. He didn’t think sissy boy sounded nice from his daddy’s mouth. Now his daddy referred to both he and his big sister as parasites.
    He smiled the first time he heard it. It sounded like a big important word. He loved the way it rolled off his tongue. He liked to repeat the word over and over, enjoying the syllables that popped out of his mouth so satisfyingly. Then he noticed his mother’s face after his father said it. It looked crumpled in. That’s when he realized it must be a bad word. Now, the word just slithered out of his mouth like a venomous snake looking for prey to strike. He developed trouble sleeping, nightmares a common occurrence. He never remembered any of his nightmares but he knew they always contained a big dark murky figure that resembled his dad. Unfortunately, Scotty easily developed into a suspicious defensive little boy, trusting only his mother and his sister.
    He loved his half-sister, Abby. Abby’s daddy and his mom never married. Everyone said young and foolish made a bad combination for marriage. That’s what Abby said, too. He didn’t think his mom ever behaved foolishly. If she had been his age he would have made her his very best friend. Even though playing with a girl made you look like a loser.
    Thirteen-year-old Abby became Scotty’s strongest advocate. Whenever Scotty refused to go outside for fear of bodily harm, Abby would sit him down and spin stories of imaginary worlds, fantastic creatures and handsome brave little boys. He loved hearing Abby’s stories even more than playing with Germaine.
    That’s why he couldn’t understand why his daddy ignored Abby. His mommy said sisters and brothers must always protect one another. But he knew his daddy didn’t want to protect Abby. Late one night when he got up to go potty, he heard his parents fighting. He heard his father shout something about Abby hanging around his neck like an anchor. He heard his daddy call Abby a bad name. His daddy said he didn’t want to