any contact with Dale Richard . My pulse was racing and I kept peeking at him out of the corner of my eye, waiting for a random punch or a tirade of insults to come at me.
“I’m in big trouble with your mother for getting you,” Dale Richard finally said.
“Why did you get me?” I asked.
“I don’t want you in jail. It’s not right,” he said matter-of-factly.
For a moment, I felt sorry for Dale Richard . I felt sorry that he had also been a victim of Mom’s for so many years. I wondered what kind of hell he had been put through, and how he would feel if he knew about all of Mom’s indiscretions. I thought of telling Dale Richard right then and there about everything I knew and had witnessed Mom do, but then I remembered the last beating I’d gotten from that and decided against it. I had no idea what was going to happen when I walked through the door to the house, and I didn’t want to add fuel to the fire just yet.
Not another word was spoken for the rest of the ride. We came to a stop in the driveway of the house, and Dale Richard got out and scurried inside. I took a deep breath, swallowed, and followed him.
When I walked through the front door, Dale Richard was already seated on the couch watching television. Mom was sitting across from him in the recliner, tapping her foot and glaring at me. Sitting at the top of the stairs were several garbage bags filled with my clothes and personal belongings.
“God damn you for coming back! GOD DAMN YOU!” Mom shouted.
Something inside me snapped. I thought of Matt, my other new friends, and the life I could have, and rage filled my body. I picked up one of the garbage bags and threw it out the front door.
“Why have me arrested? If you want me gone, LET ME LEAVE!” I screamed at Mom.
“You fucking piece of shit!” Mom yelled and jumped up out of the recliner. As she approached me, time seemed to slow down. I didn’t duck and cover as I normally did; I stood my ground, with my fists balled up at my sides. Mom looked down at my hands and stopped in her tracks.
“Oh, big bad druggie Sarah is going to hit me now? OOOH, someone thinks she’s strong!”
I didn’t budge or blink. I wanted Mom to come at me, wanted her to take a swing at me, because I was ready to fight back.
“I’M A DRUGGIE!” I yelled. I saw Dale Richard turn around on the couch to see what was going on. “Why don’t you tell Dale Richard what a WHORE you are?”
Dale Richard stood up, and Mom shot him a piercing look. “Don’t you dare listen to her, Dale Richard . She’s just trying to save her own selfish ass!”
I should have stopped; I should have left it at that, but I didn’t want to. I was done hiding my mother’s lies and being afraid. “The FS guy! The construction guy! The guy you bought the car from! The guy from the video store! COME ON!” I screamed back at my mother.
Dale Richard ’s mouth dropped open, and I saw tears in his eyes. “Not once, Mary Nancy , not once did I ever stray from you or even think of cheating on you for the twelve years we have been together,” he said.
Mom just stood there and stared at him with a look of shock on her face. Dale Richard looked at me, looked at Mom, and then turned around and went into the bedroom he and Mom shared and shut the door. I felt a rush of pride. I had finally done it! I had exposed Mom to Dale Richard . I had put my fear aside and gotten Mom where it really hurt.
Mom turned back to me, and in one fell swoop she was punching me in the stomach. I doubled over in pain, and Mom knocked me to the ground.
“Fucking bitch, fucking mistake, I SHOULD HAVE ABORTED YOU!” Mom screamed in my face. She grabbed my throat and started choking me and banging my head into the floor over and over and over. Then Mom started crying, “I hate you so much! I hate you so much!” and her grip grew tighter around my throat.
I was struggling to breathe, struggling to get Mom’s fingers off my neck, and trying to
“I’m in big trouble with your mother for getting you,” Dale Richard finally said.
“Why did you get me?” I asked.
“I don’t want you in jail. It’s not right,” he said matter-of-factly.
For a moment, I felt sorry for Dale Richard . I felt sorry that he had also been a victim of Mom’s for so many years. I wondered what kind of hell he had been put through, and how he would feel if he knew about all of Mom’s indiscretions. I thought of telling Dale Richard right then and there about everything I knew and had witnessed Mom do, but then I remembered the last beating I’d gotten from that and decided against it. I had no idea what was going to happen when I walked through the door to the house, and I didn’t want to add fuel to the fire just yet.
Not another word was spoken for the rest of the ride. We came to a stop in the driveway of the house, and Dale Richard got out and scurried inside. I took a deep breath, swallowed, and followed him.
When I walked through the front door, Dale Richard was already seated on the couch watching television. Mom was sitting across from him in the recliner, tapping her foot and glaring at me. Sitting at the top of the stairs were several garbage bags filled with my clothes and personal belongings.
“God damn you for coming back! GOD DAMN YOU!” Mom shouted.
Something inside me snapped. I thought of Matt, my other new friends, and the life I could have, and rage filled my body. I picked up one of the garbage bags and threw it out the front door.
“Why have me arrested? If you want me gone, LET ME LEAVE!” I screamed at Mom.
“You fucking piece of shit!” Mom yelled and jumped up out of the recliner. As she approached me, time seemed to slow down. I didn’t duck and cover as I normally did; I stood my ground, with my fists balled up at my sides. Mom looked down at my hands and stopped in her tracks.
“Oh, big bad druggie Sarah is going to hit me now? OOOH, someone thinks she’s strong!”
I didn’t budge or blink. I wanted Mom to come at me, wanted her to take a swing at me, because I was ready to fight back.
“I’M A DRUGGIE!” I yelled. I saw Dale Richard turn around on the couch to see what was going on. “Why don’t you tell Dale Richard what a WHORE you are?”
Dale Richard stood up, and Mom shot him a piercing look. “Don’t you dare listen to her, Dale Richard . She’s just trying to save her own selfish ass!”
I should have stopped; I should have left it at that, but I didn’t want to. I was done hiding my mother’s lies and being afraid. “The FS guy! The construction guy! The guy you bought the car from! The guy from the video store! COME ON!” I screamed back at my mother.
Dale Richard ’s mouth dropped open, and I saw tears in his eyes. “Not once, Mary Nancy , not once did I ever stray from you or even think of cheating on you for the twelve years we have been together,” he said.
Mom just stood there and stared at him with a look of shock on her face. Dale Richard looked at me, looked at Mom, and then turned around and went into the bedroom he and Mom shared and shut the door. I felt a rush of pride. I had finally done it! I had exposed Mom to Dale Richard . I had put my fear aside and gotten Mom where it really hurt.
Mom turned back to me, and in one fell swoop she was punching me in the stomach. I doubled over in pain, and Mom knocked me to the ground.
“Fucking bitch, fucking mistake, I SHOULD HAVE ABORTED YOU!” Mom screamed in my face. She grabbed my throat and started choking me and banging my head into the floor over and over and over. Then Mom started crying, “I hate you so much! I hate you so much!” and her grip grew tighter around my throat.
I was struggling to breathe, struggling to get Mom’s fingers off my neck, and trying to
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