Twisted Nerve

Father? • 4

Manou walked into the house and something in the air unsettled her breath. As she continued further inside she could understand why.

A man with curly black hair and black skin sat at the coach. His face looking at the phone in his hands. He looked up and their eyes met. He had brown eyes. They had similar features.

Manou turned and walked toward the stairs.

"Is this how you greet your father"

The man reached her before she could escape. He tightly held her elbow squeezing the bones possibly cutting circulation.

She flinched and held onto her arm.
"Let go"

"You impudent"

He raised his hands and smacked her. The force sent her falling at the edge of the stairs. Anymore her head would've hit the sharp edge.

"What is all the noise"

Her mother came from the kitchen to see the scene. The red on her daughters cheek and the husband that stood above. Her eyes turned cold.

"Manou go to your room"

She stood from the ground and turned to leave.

"Impudent this disrespectful thing didn't care to greet me. Her father."

"When have you ever been a father"

She whispered and he heard. She heard his footsteps running up the stairs but before he could reach her she reached her door and shut it close.

"Open this door right now"

He banged on the wood. His belt on his hands
"You ought to be taught a lesson with the way you speak to me"

"Honey calm down"

"How can I calm down. How did you raise this daughter. This women that disprects man. How dare you tell me to calm down"

"Fuad please"

"I swear if you don't teach that thing by tomorrow I'll deal with her myself"

He hit the stairs angry.

"Manou"

Her mother called.

"Please open the door."

Silence

"Manou it's mami open the door"

As she saw her daughter not opening the door.
"We'll speak the next morning"
the women turned around and left.

Manou loved everything about her mother. How could she hate the caregiver she'd known her entire life. The women raised her with sweat and tears. And a hard working nurse at the nearby hospital. She grew up sheltered even when she wasn't privileged all because of her.

But her biggest fault was her relationships. She was not a good judgement of character. She valued love so much that she remained married to her cheating abusive husband.

Several times she was advised to leave the man. She finally did when Manou was eighteen recognizing the bad environment her daughter would be raised in if she'd stayed. That change only lasted for a while before the man begged her to have him back.

Her poor mother with terrible relationship judgement took him back thinking he was a changed man. It had been ten years. The man had cheated. Has several wives in each state. And comes back to her when he felt fulfilled.

Usually Manou and her mother got along fine. But when the man was around he would pollute her. The women would completely change becoming a different person. Appeasing the abuser and often punishing manou to please him.