“Go now. Go run to the stables Mia. Your dad is on his way”.
I looked at my mom with my big, frightened eyes. “Please don’t, please don’t tell me he is on his way?”
“Yes, Mia he is now run”.
With adrenaline running through my veins, I stood up from my bed and ran as fast as I could out of the door. Almost losing my footing when I exited the back door. I shrank back in the corner of the stables trying to make myself as small as possible. I could hear him screaming in the house at my mom.
“WHERE IS SHE”! My dad screamed.
“Richard, please don't. She is not here, please don't hurt her!”
Slap, I could hear the loud smack he gave my mom. I started sobbing softly. Why must my life be like this, why must he hate me so much? Why does my mom love him so much that she does not take us away from here? Why does she love to torment herself? My sister is the one the whole town knows. She's the one who always makes trouble for us. I know this is her doing, I know she told him something to make him this mad. I do not understand why she gets joy out of hurting me and my mother. I try keeping to myself. You can see me as the plain Jane and invisible. If I don’t get seen or heard, I will be fine. That is what I keep telling myself... Yeah not like if that ever worked. The last thing I want is for anyone to know me, to know what hell I live through every day, and most important I don’t want anyone to know who my sister and father is. I don't want anyone’s pity. I just want to live my life like an ordinary teenager.
“I told you long ago, to keep your daughter in check, Isabel.”
” She is your daughter too Richard.” “What did she do now?”
“Does it matter, call her here right now and tell her to get her ass here now?”
“Please Richard, why can’t you speak to her tomorrow? You have drunk a lot today, can't you please go and rest first.”
Smack, “Do not tell me what I should and should not do woman”. “You will do what I tell you to do”
Everything went silent. My mom would rather get beaten on my behalf. Once he hit me so hard, that I could not walk for a week. My dad only beats us. He would never touch my sister, she is his previous gem. You see my sister is only my half-sister. She is my dad's first love child. Her mother Rebecca died in a car crash when she was small. My dad met my mom 3 years later. My mom fell in love with him at first sight. I can't say the same for him, you do not treat someone you love like he treats my mom, but my mom loves him with her whole heart. I think my dad only married my mom to look after his precious daughter. A year later my mom got pregnant with me. I can't say my dad was not happy, because he wanted a son. Well, here I am. 'n GIRL who looks nothing like my dad or mom. My dad hates me because I am not a boy and because his precious daughter hates me too.
My mom told me before “Mia never leave the stables before I come to get you. You must remember NEVER.”
So here I was waiting. It soon started getting dark. It was in the middle of autumn, so the air was starting to get cooler. I only wore my normal faded jeans and a black t-shirt. I did not have time to put on shoes. I was really starting to get cold. We lived on the outskirt of town on a small range. With no neighbors nearby. I wrapped myself in my arms and slowly started to drift to sleep.
“Mia… Mia wake up”
I slowly opened my eyes and saw my mom kneeling in front of me.
“Mom?”
“Yes darling, your dad is sleeping come back inside.”
“Mom are you alright?”
She had a dark red handprint on the right side of her face.
“Mom, why do you always let him do this to you, to us? Why can’t we go live with grandma and grandpa?”
“No Mia we can't.”
“Why not mom?” I asked her with tears running down my face. I hate seeing her like this.
“Mia, you will never understand you are still too young.”
“Mom, I'm 18, I know right from wrong, and this is wrong. Dad does not love us. If he loved us, he would never treat us like this. This… this is not love mom this is… I don’t know even what this is. Do people even have a word for this kind of living. Haven’t you had enough mom?”