"Life's never fair, son. You can give the world the best you have even when you have nothing left, and you'll get kicked in the teeth. All the best to keep moving forward and continue to give as much as they demand."

"The Lemmons legacy is all about perfection down to the wire. What we expect from you, you're required to give twice as much."

"I feel sorry for you, bro. Life's never going to be fair to you unless you play by Mom and Dad's rules."

"We only do this because we know what's best for you. Kendra and Sheila want you to follow our family's standards. Why be a nobody when you can live it up with us?"

I should feel so lucky to be reminded of my family's "pep talks" to keep me from following my dreams of going to NYU to study art and owning my private gallery.

Twenty years of being pushed to the background.

Endless days of having to settle for less, never enjoying designer clothes or having lavish birthday parties with real friends.

Instead, I was placed with the "mediocre kids" and nagged by Mommy Dearest on why I am such a failure as the middle child of the family.

And the one friend that I was allowed to have seemed to agree with everyone else. "They have to tear you down so they can build you up," Sheila would tell me. "All they ask of you is to fall in line or just settle for what they allowed you to have. You should be lucky, Ke'Andre. They love you, just not in the way that you wanted. And if you really love them, you gotta stop complaining and really put yourself out there."

When it comes to Kendra and her endless demands? "Come on, Lemonade! I wanna see you work your way up to the corporate ladder. You can't do that cleaning toilets and shit! Don't you think that I deserve to be like your momma and be the next supermodel of the world?"

Yeah, right! As long as Eddie McNeal is alive and breathing, I was never going to make it out of the janitorial game while trying to survive on minimum wage at Big Guy Burger. "We don't promote milk-drinkers like you, kid! We only allow real men to have more money and shit! Consider yourself lucky that you ain't even fired yet!"

Consider myself lucky.

That's the constant reminder of how I should be thankful that I'm a failure in a family of winners.

If it wasn't for my "mandated therapy sessions" with one of my Mom's friends, I would've gladly shot myself in the head back when I was pawned off to Kendra on my eighteenth birthday. Still, I keep my feelings to myself, grit my teeth, and just worked in silence in hopes to finally get out of this vicious cycle.

If only I had known that things would go down to shit that fateful day. Then again, I wouldn't be here to tell my story.

**************

"Sorry, Mr. Lemmons," Mr. Serenbetti, a gruff older man with Italian roots and a hard life, said as he gave me the letter. "Walton Place Arms is being decommissioned as of today and you gotta clear out by today. The building's being torn down tomorrow."

I sighed, already knowing that the decrepit apartment complex that my parents "allowed me to live in" was about to fall apart or be sold away at one point. "I kind of saw it coming, Mr. S.," I replied, already taking my now-packed things to my well-used Civic sedan. "With my salary at Big Guy Burger, I was about to be kicked out. Thank God for paying early."

The flabby man gave me a wan smile as he helped me pack my belongings. "You're actually one of the good ones who stayed out of the way and paid on time," he mused. "I kind of wished that there was some way to help you out, Lemmons. If it wasn't for your parents, I would've made sure that you got a nicer place."

I nodded, already knowing that Mom and Dad wouldn't dare allow me to have nicer things than my brothers and sisters. "I know that feeling."

"Look, I'm not exactly Kreskin or anything, but I know that guys like you have hearts of gold yet got treated like trash by your own family and friends," Mr. Serenbetti intoned. "And my nonna would always remind me and my brothers to be kind to those who are less fortunate. There's a special place in hell for your kin, Lemmons. And mark my words, they're going to wish they treated you better."

"I wish that was true, Mr. S. I really wish it was. But when it comes to my family, Sheila, and even my ex-girlfriend; they all want me to stay in the dirt while they get to live it up in their manors and condos. I'm used to it."

My now-former landlord shook his head. "This world today," he said before giving me a sad look. "How do you manage to last this long?"

I sighed as I got into my car. "God's grace, sir," I replied before gunning the engine and fastening my seatbelt. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to my job and find a place to stay for the night. God be with you, Mr. Serenbitti."

"Likewise, son."

I waved a final goodbye to my now-sparse apartment complex as I saw more tenants being led out of the building with their things. Some of them have families who will take them in. Mine? Well, it looks like a hotel stay would be in order.

But first, I had ten hours of cleaning, scrubbing, and mopping to do at a burger joint who hated me because I was a virgin and a faith-believing man. Yikes.

*************

"Lemmons!" one of the fry cooks hollered as I left the bathroom after de-clogging yet another toilet. "Boss man wants to see ya!"

Sighing heavily, I put away all the cleaning material before trudging my way into the small office of Eddie McNeal, a man who loved sleeping around and smoking pot as much as he hated me. I knocked twice on the door before being allowed in. "You wanted to see me, sir?" I asked.

Mr. McNeal sneered at me before motioning for me to sit. "How long have you been working for me, son?" he asked.

I inhaled sharply. "Since I graduated from McBain High," I replied. "Seven years, going on eight."

"And all this time, you haven't gotten any pussy or even taken a walk on the wild side." My boss shook his head. "Lemmons, you're a good kid and you've never asked for any promotions or raised even though you knew it wasn't going to happen with your caliber. But I can't allow you to work here, not with some changes going on."

That caught my attention. "What do you mean?"

"Sorry, Lemmons, but today's your last day here at Big Guy Burger," Mr. McNeal said. "We got new younger blood coming in and I'm working with those who are real men around here, those who think like me and all that. You just don't qualify."

I couldn't believe it. Then again, I should've seen it coming for a while: how I was getting paid less often and the mocking looks from the cooks and servers, how I had to work double shifts while everyone was either getting laid or wasted during the holidays. All I could do was nod. "I understand," was all I said. "Thank you for putting up with me for this long."

"Wish things might've been different, but it is what it is," Mr. McNeal said, handing me my last paycheck. Two-hundred dollars. "I know you're homeless with your place being decommissioned and all, so this could cover you for a while."

I stood up from my chair, turning in my badge, hat, and cleaning apron. "I appreciate it," I said before shaking his hand. With that, I left his office while my former co-workers were laughing behind my back.

I will not cry. I will not throw a fit. I will not risk prison time, I told myself as I wordlessly headed to my car and stepped inside. Just then, my cell rang. Mom. "Hello," I said, keeping my voice even.

"Ke'Andre, darling," the woman's voice said over the line. "I was hoping to catch you. Is it a bad time?"

I inhaled deeply. "I just lost my apartment since it's being decommissioned and I got laid off, so yeah. It's really a bad time," I began.

"Well, keep your chin up, darling. Just turn to Indeed or the employment agency and find a job. For now, the family would like to see you for dinner There's something that we've been meaning to discuss with you for a while. Kendra and Sheila will also be there, so make sure to dress nice."

I inwardly groaned, knowing that a trip to the mall was in order since I hardly had anything nice to wear. And knowing my family, they would be taping their reality show and I had to make sure that I was camera-ready as ordered by my brothers and sisters. "Give me an hour to find an outfit and check into a hotel," I said. "I'll be there after that."

"But of course. See you soon."

We disconnected.

Most people had caring parents who wanted to be there for their children when tough times hit. Mine just wanted me to grit through the pain and kowtow to their demands. With a loud groan, I gunned the engine and pulled out of the parking lot in search of a clean hotel with free-wifi. I had a strong feeling that things weren't going to be any easier today than it wasn't already.

Unfortunately, he's not wrong. Don't go too far because it's time for family dinner and a bombshell that seals Ke'Andre's worst day ever! It's coming up next!

Dedicating this out to melaynecholy and CBMokedi.

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