Joyless was eager to see his father and for once it seemed as though it was to be a reality. Joyless was only 7 years old and his parents had been divorced for more than a year. Visits to his father were spotty at best. He was supposed to take him every two weeks but it often did not happen. He blamed his mother for his father's lack of attention. He knew his father wanted to be with him. This time he would prove it.
Joyless' mother had often said that his father hated him and did not want to bring him home from the hospital when he was born. That was a horrible thing for a child to hear. Joyless wanted to believe his mother was a liar but this night he was to hear the brutal truth.
His mother and new step-father were going to West Virginia for Christmas and had arranged for Joyless to stay with his father during their trip. At the last minute his father had called and said that Joyless could not come. His new wife's children would be there and he wanted nothing to interfere with his new wife and her plans.
This was not going as planned. Joyless did not believe his mother when she told him and he insisted on being taken to his father's house. The whole trip, Joyless seethed inside, just knowing that his daddy wanted him and would insist that he stay with him for Christmas.
When they got to the house, Joyless and his mother and step-father all went inside while his half-sister waited in the backseat of the car.
"I thought I told you when I called that he couldn't stay." His father made the statement as they stood at the door.
His wife asked them to come in out of the weather and told them to have a seat.
"I want to stay here with you!" Joyless was starting to cry as he spoke. His lip quivered as his voice choked back hot tears.
"You can't stay. We have plans and they don't include you." His father's voice was cold and harsh.
Joyless stormed out of the house and ran to the car. His sister was waiting in the back seat and she pulled him close to her. She tried to comfort him but knew that he was hurting too bad. She knew from her experiences with her own father that whatever had happened in that house would never be forgotten.
Just as the door was shutting behind him, the woman called to Three and handed the boy's suitcase to him and said, "Don't forget his things."
They never even gave him a Christmas present. The harsh reality began to wash over him like a warm evil cloak. He was unwanted by his own father. He told himself that it did not matter. He did not need him either. But the ugly truth was that he needed his father. He needed to know his father loved him. Joyless needed to know that this man who slapped him and called him names loved him. He wanted that more than breath itself.
That moment in time was a turning point for Joyless. It showed him that he would have to survive on his own without his father's love. He had his father's hatred and that would have to do. He would prove to everyone that he could live without love. Somehow he would find a way to get even with everyone.
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