They said it wasn’t his fault. That he was sick in the head. Perhaps it was true, but I never believed them. I knew the truth. The dark, fearful truth.
THURSDAY
Ruby kissed her mother goodnight and walked up to her bedroom. Although her pyjamas were warm and fluffy, there was a chill inside, under her skin. Her father wasn’t home yet, and it was approaching nine thirty. He was almost always there to give her a goodnight hug, except for when he was interstate for work. She tried to brush the worrying thoughts away and crawled under the protective covers of her bed, trying to get to sleep.
All of a sudden, she woke with a start. It was about twelve thirty at night and her face was hot, her eyes alert. At first she felt relief, hearing her father’s voice echoing up the staircase. But then she realised her father was yelling aggressively at her mother, and dark worry filled her mind.
They were fighting; arguing furiously. And it sounded very serious, not like the playful arguments about who was a better cook. Her eyes welled with tears. Mum and Dad had never acted like this before. Her mother’s voice quavered with distress and fear, whilst her father’s seemed weary and slurred. He definitely wasn’t himself tonight. Ruby squeezed her eyes shut and ducked her head under the pillow, trying to block the ringing noises out.
She was almost asleep when an unpleasant smell filled her room. It smelled musky… stale. It smelled like that drink that her mother had some nights… the red liquid that smelled strong and disgusting. But this new smell was much stronger - it made Ruby feel like choking. She breathed heavily and pretended to be sleeping, while stealing a peek from under her pillow at the shadowed figure. Her father’s long face and broad shoulders were unmistakable. But he was moving differently, swaying slightly. His face caught the light of the doorway and Ruby had to keep herself from flinching. Her father’s eyes were bloodshot, with pupils much smaller than normal. He had a faraway look to his face. His chin was unshaven and Ruby was almost certain that the stale smell was coming from him. This man wasn’t her father. This man was a stranger.
That was the first night that Ruby’s father was home late. Little did she know that the nights would become longer and her life would soon be pulled apart before she was even 12 years old.
FRIDAY
In the morning, Ruby woke up and enveloped herself into her cosy dressing gown. It was fluffy and smelled of soap. She dragged herself downstairs. The event that had taken place last night was forgotten in her sleep. Her mother was in the kitchen with her back turned. “Morning, Mum” Ruby said cheerfully. Her mother spun around and Ruby was startled. Her mother’s forehead was creased with stress and her eyes were red and puffy, as if she had been crying all night. Ruby just buried the thought and pretended her Mother had been cutting onions. Though she was painfully reminded of the encounter with her ‘father’ last night. “Good Morning sweetheart” Ruby’s mother sounded tired, weak even. Ruby gave her a half smile and made her breakfast.
It was obvious Ruby’s father wasn’t home, and Ruby was relieved. She felt she had to protect her mother from that man, that stranger. But she also felt like a helpless eleven-year-old girl who had a scary Dad.
When she got to school, Ruby was greeted by her friends Bridgette and Lily, who both had pretty light brown hair. “Are you okay?” asked Bridgette, cocking her head to one side. Lily just rolled her eyes and looked away. “Uh, yeah. Sure” lied Ruby, though her voice wobbled slightly. Bridgette looked at her in concern. “She said she’s fine, okay?” Lily said rudely, “So lets go”. Though Bridgette was being nice, Ruby knew that neither of her friends would understand if she told them what was going on at home. It put too much pressure on her, and at the moment, Ruby definitely didn’t need any more weight on her shoulders than there already was.
