manity!" the voice was trembling yet it was firm. It was my mother Rub

I'm made of!" That was her husband talking back-Cameron, my biolo

meron would hit her hard on the face and yank her towards their matrimonial room, lock the door firmly(I always heard the sound of the lock and it made my heart cold) and then he'd beat her ruthlessly. And that is exactly what he did to her. The most

o reach the switch on the wall because it was so high, Cameron's silver belt(the one I feared so much even though I've never been hi

my room and block my ears but I could still hear the tussle in my head and I wou

king her go through emotional and physical pain all the time. Sometimes I look at the wall of my room to distract my mind from everything. The walls of my room bore several wallpapers of pet animals of different colours. Pets and Wild animals. Mom put them there. For m

many good things for me but everytime her husband hit her, she'd still go back and sleep in his room at nighttime. She'd do his laundry like a maid, and kiss him

e height and had a lever that could be pulled down to make it low, or higher. It was completely gold and had beautiful white patterns on it, and it had a wide enough round top.

he squandered money on unimportant things like alcohol, parties and other women. Cameron had a unquenchable thirst for money. I

seductress or a gold-digger; she was very diligent in the business she controlled. Yes, mom had her own job. She was a seamstress in a fashion designer store near our estate. But Cameron always co

lained that he was madly in love with kangaroo babies and animals of this family, I still found it strange. He even designed our front door with the shape of a pregnant kangaroo. It was sick. I thoug

tears. Was I strange? I didn't know but no matter how much I wanted to cry, my eyes would remain as dry as the leaves

g washed I opened them. My mom slapped my buttocks but I still didn't cry. I merely smiled. She said I have(because I still do) the smile of a contented princess. So I don

n'. They always argued and you never know what it is they are arguing about. Might be his promiscuity because Mom would be a fool not to

iage? Or did he force her into dating him? Or impregnated her against her consent so that he could have her forever with him? Yes I know that is called rape, but I do not want to call it

humanly speaking, he'd never have gone for mom. Not that she was not beautiful, in fact she was very beautiful, and it was the only one good thing he told her every time, but mom was gentle-spirited, decent, homely, and very warm-heated, not social and very simple. She didn't wear makeup, she did

rchards and pets in their family house. They were good painters too. Mom painted beautifully well too but I never saw her put out her painti

but maybe he didn't like it

ype to do it, and her parents weren't poor. They weren't as rich as Cameron's late parents bu

when everything gets

their only child. It was until an incident h

the sitting room with the TV on, and mom was in the kitchen preparing lunch because Cameron hated to have his lunch late. Mom would prepare us lunch and pack his portion and then hire a cab to his office to give him. He didn't buy her a car, even though he could and she n

chicken casserole. She cooked this every Friday afternoon. Most of the things we did on routi

d asked me to play safe and off I went. I hadn't played too long when I heard a shriek from our apartment in the estate. I ran

she was not responding. She kept rubbing her forehead and it was only whe

ned?" I ask

ther is here" she mum

e room but didn't

ama. What are yo

ling to stand up. It was then she noticed the blo

d Cameron hit you?" I as

to her tummy. She looked like she was about to cry unco

e, okay? just a bit upset. Go back to the playground. I'll c

ould make him change his mind if he did come back. Like I even mattered at all. I didn't matter, I knew that. Not to Cameron anyway. And he showed me that in every way possible. I knew he had come home to argue about something again, probably about the delay in his lunch delivery or something else I'll never

even), I knew what it meant; She had lost a baby. And her tears after I left the room, "Oh my baby boy,

t. Don't judge a book by its cover, my class teacher always said, and it was true. Cameron looked healthy and handsome physically but he

fect for him. She deserved a good man, who'd love her and treat her well, and take her to f

needs prayer. I think he needs some punishment. But I do not say these out, they r

l and graceful in her well-starched T-shirt and matching shoes in the morning on her way to work and they're like, "Oh she's so beautiful, so peaceful, married to a rich handsome man with a pretty little daughter" but it is way more than that. Viol

of things and it worries m

ouched me or play with me. I see how other kids' parents call them 'sweetie' 'darling' and hu

, and even though I acted like I didn't care, I was hurt. I didn't know exactly why he lo

about my body, and I knew instantly he didn't hate m

my legs, hands, and almost everywhere. Mom said that was how she looked at my age. She said it is the genes that make me grow fast. I agree with her but I also believe it is the stuffs I ate--we had too many fast foods and milkshakes because Mom was mo

ousehold jobs she did in the house. She always wasn't able to de-stress because she was always anxious and sca

bathrooms. What more co

r assisted her with any work. I think husbands should assist their wives so that they'll not

mom, during bedtime, he goes like "Have you tucked your little witch to bed so she doesn't disturb our love game tonight?" An

eavesdrop. I did it innocently. And I made sure I heard the lock from inside before I felt at home by their door. I hated the sound of

e. But the violent love-making every night, did she endure that for me as well? The "keep your eyes on the wall" and "I gotta tie you up first" and

no physical contact. My mom didn't like this, so she would make me hold his laundry that had been done by her

d he'd take them from me without batting an eyelid. The longest word he said was "O

never changed. The best he did was when on his birthday, he shared food for e

ses and cuts on her body but they were at coverable areas of her body or people outside would have suspected the truth

er" she would say with a s

re suffering so much" I would

? We have all we need for a lifetime he

om's surprised expression whenever I uttered these words. She was surprised because I was only seven,

and I would feel like slapping her hard in the face and screa

God is love, and you told me there's a God

ve me that surp

and give you money. I can't do much because I'm only seven but I promise, I'll not let us st

t mode, I would go over to mom all of a sudden w

en between couples, and they settle it after. Yo

es you bleed and cry. Why should he do it then

right. Second shows you're a dummy mom" but I dare not say it out. No one should have as much anger that'll make them cause two miscarriages and frequ