Still. . .Thank You

Chapter 6

True to my words, I did choose my words carefully. Maybe it wasn't the best thing to say as it could've gone the wrong way. I hoped that he had enough humanism left in him that he'd either realize what he's done or break down. So I did what I thought was the best option - Give him a piece of my mind.

It took everything in me to ignore the warning in my brother's eyes and look directly into the glazed over look that the man had. I looked deeper and I saw that glint at the edge of his eyes. That's the sign that I looked for - I took a deep breath and decided to follow my 'gut feeling'.

" Yeah! I might not be your baby girl but I'm someone else's. Hurting any little girl - anybody's child - is like hurting your own Baby girl," I started to get dizzy and my vision had started to blur for all the oxygen that I had used. He let go of me as I started to visibly gasp for air.

Three minutes. Anything could happen in 3 minutes.

" Mister, if you hit defensihles kids then your a scary monster! Do you think your Baby girl wants to be close to her scary daddy? I know I don't right now."

He softly let go of Eros, closed his eyes, and fell to the floor. He looked straight into my eyes as he started crying, gripping my shoulders.

" I'm sorry, I-I'm so sorry. Please forgive me," He said in the softest, most regretful voice we've heard since he came. His grip tightened and I flinched and mumbled " Mister, you're . . . um. . .it's a little too- "

"L-l-look Mister, I g-get that your sorry and all b-but . . . Don't.Touch. Her," Eros said, pulling me towards him as the police came in and handcuffed him.I only focused on the man's heart-broken, tear-streaked face. I felt my family's embrace but I couldn't turn away.  That moment would most likely - and still does - Overshadow my life,  the scene playing perfectly clear over and over until I had the strength to let it go.

   I remember that I had mouthed "Not yet",  I don't really know why I said it but I did it. Thinking about it now,  six years later, It've been the same for that man, too.
     But the one who was really traumatised was my brother, who was so broken that he didn't even remember the incident at all. It wasn't fair that he had to work so hard to become normal when he couldn't remember what got him that way. For everyone, he smiled and laughed,  showing emotions that were nonexistent.

    He did everything that everyone wanted him to but he didn't let anyone but me touch him, didn't talk to anyone but me. I took care of him and kept my promise. When: everyone lost hope - I worked extra hard, my mother broke down - I bathed him, cleaned after him, and practiced with him everyday,  when my mother worked overtime in order to pay for all his therapy and medications - I was the one who lulled him to sleep and (no matter how tired I was) listened 'till late at night to his simple baby-like sentences of his day.

  I know that this was supposed to be an Essay about me but it really was because ever since the 'Bad thing' happened, my world revolved around him. I know that I everyone views me like 'the victim', but I don't care how people view me. The reason why it doesn't bother me is because my brother views me as the 'Kindest, Greatest, Prettiest Big sister ever' and for me, his view is the only one that matters.