[CLOSED FOR SUBMISSIONS] Stronger than You 2017

Part 12: 11 PM

Written by: Anonymous  

There were two sides to every parent. The side they showed around their children and the one they wanted to be kept a secret.

It wasn't a secret anymore.

I can remember small details of every fight, from the time he threw my baby sister's milk at her to the night he called her names.

And I was just 4 or 5 at the time.

They say that when you're that young, you can't exactly remember those things.

But how could I NOT remember?

The worst night.

The worst night of my life was March 2nd, 2011. I didn't even realize what was happening until I saw her yelling at him, telling him to get out.

The rest was just a blur, so vague and hazy.

The police asked us questions, like our age. If we saw them fight. If they scared us.

My heart was hammering inside, my mind drifting back to the memory of my father walking out, screaming in Spanish to my mother.

I answered. And we had to go with an aunt that night.

Because they both were in jail for the night.

That night, as I fell asleep on the ground of my cousin's room, my heart hung heavy. All I could think about was if I'd ever see them again. Being young, I didn't really know at the time that abuse was going on.

And to this day, my mom tells me stories about him. How he hurt her. And how they constantly fought.

My father repented and they got divorced.

I still see the both of them.

But I can never forget that night, no matter how hard I try.

I was the eyes in our family. I saw things that nobody payed mind to.

My mother said she married young, not knowing what she got into.

But she didn't regret it because she had us. My siblings. And me.

Abuse happens behind closed doors. And if everyone just opened some doors, they could see what happened behind the wooden doors. And we can stop it.

I may not have been abused like my mother. But I saw it through my own eyes.

And I'm glad I don't see it anymore.

But people still see it. And if we all just tried and united against the deadly force that is abuse...

Maybe the doors could remain open