Happy Endings Don't Exist...Do They?

Chapter 4: Dinner Mishap

I made it through the rest of the school day without much to note. Everyone left school faster than normal, as it was Friday, talking about their plans for the weekend. I sighed,my only plans was to avoid getting hit. I made it home and cautiously entered. I made it all the way to the kitchen before he appeared. I froze stopping my journey to my room as I waited to see what he would do. Father made his way to the freezer plopping ice cubes to his amber drink before making his way back to his office. I wasn't going to taking this reprieve lightly and quickly scurried to my room shutting the door softly behind me. 

I stood there leaning against the door trying to breathe through the pain of my ribs. Once I got my breathing under control I took stock of the sounds around me, deeming it safe I quietly made my way to the bathroom tapping out two Advil and swallowing them dry as I walked back into my room. I did as much homework as I could before I went to make dinner. I stealthily got to the kitchen cooking and serving dinner without incident. Going back up to my room I resigned myself to spending the weekend basically cowering in my room. At least I got a new book from the library today before I left so I would have something to do beside homework. 

Friday night came and went with the only noteworthy thing happening was my father passing out by 9 pm leaving me to clean up the various bottles of alcohol at an earlier hour than normal. Saturday I was left alone, not seeing or hearing anything from my father the whole day. My ribs were in that ugly green/yellow stage of healing but not having to do anything all weekend had them feeling almost normal. 

It was Sunday night when I walked into the kitchen and started cooking tacos. It wasn't long before my father come out of his office; I stiffened when he came into the kitchen. This was the first time I had seen him since he passed out on Friday."Where is my dinner?" he questioned. I plated two tacos and set them on the counter, then went back to cleaning up the mess that was made in prep. I waited to see if he took the food keeping one eye on him as I cleaned up. He ate the food at the counter, that's never a good sign. 

Father usually takes his dinner in the den so he can watch the news while he eats. I finished cleaning up and was waiting for him to finish eating wanting to go back upstairs to the relative safety of my room. That didn't happen. Soon after finishing the first taco, father knocked back the rest of his drink and threw the glass at my head. I was able to duck and miss the glass but not the plate he threw right after. 

"You stupid, stupid girl how many times do I have to tell you something in order for you to get it right," father shouts. He stalks toward me where I laid stunned on the floor, blood starting to run down my face. Father stands over me anger clear on his face, his eyes bloodshot with alcohol, uhoh this is not good. 

"You are a worthless excuse of a girl," he grabs my hair and starts dragging me, "I told you last night my dinner must be hot." I grab his wrist to try to ease the pain as I am dragged to his office. Once at his office he slings me into the room where I slide till I hit his desk and lay there trying to make sense of this. "I-I-I-t-t wwaaass hhhot" I stutter out. "Are you saying I'm lying? Is that what you're saying?! That I am too stupid to know what is hot and what is cold," he spats. 

  Stupid stupid, you know better. Don't talk back. Don't make a sound, stupid stupid. 

As I am having my internal monologue my father is taking off his belt and pulls me up to his desk. "Since you seem to have no respect for me or what I say I will teach you some respect, take off your shirt" I still, not knowing what to do. 

This was apparently the wrong thing to do, as it earns me a kick to my knees causing me to fall onto the desk hitting my head again. I groan in pain trying to get upright again. "NOW ARYN" he says seething. I shakily remove my shirt and place it on the desk. 

No sooner to I put it down do I hear a slap and feel a burn travel across my back. It happens again slap, his belt hits my back again and the pain starts to make itself known. Again and again he belts me sometimes in the same place as the one before causing the pain to be unbearable. I loose count of how many times he does this as my vision starts to turn black around the edges. Close to passing out he finally stops.

 I slump onto the desk my legs unable to hold me up. "Get out", he says "next time my food better be hot or it will be worse" I grab my shirt as I try to move out of the room, my legs shaking barely holding me up. I make it half way across the room when I feel hands across my back causing me to cry out in pain.

Soon I am falling as those hands pushed me forward; I wasn't moving fast enough I guess. I land outside his office in a heap, tears streaming down my face as the door slams close behind me. I stay where I fell unable to move without pain shooting through my body. The tears stop and I know I need to get up before he comes out and sees me here. 

It takes some time, and pain, but I finally make it to my feet and head to the kitchen. I know that if I do not cleanup it will cause another 'lesson'. A lot longer than it should but I finish cleaning the shatters glass and plate, throwing it along with the discarded food into the trash and make my way upstairs to my room.

 Moving like an old woman I am finally in my room with the door locked. I don't bother doing anything I simply collapse on my bed and allow myself to pass willingly into the darkness.