Joaquin

Chapter 15

When my dad got off of work supper was already ready for him I made him spaghetti.  I learned that if he drinks with a full stomach he won't be so angry and will usually go to sleep faster.  He sat down on the dining room table while I make him a plate.  I set the plate down along with the beer; I did everything quickly and quietly to make sure that I wouldn't set him off over something stupid.  He didn't say anything as I left and went upstairs to my bedroom and took a shower.  Once I got out I looked at my black eye, well not really black anymore more of like a yellowish color which is good because that means that it's going away.  Once I got into my comfy clothes I went back down stairs and and my dad was on the couch watching football.  I went to the kitchen and picked up his plate and put it in the sink.  Then I got one of the Tupperwares from one of the cabinets and put the leftover spaghetti in there and put it in the fridge. Once I was done I started washing the dishes and putting them away where they go. Once I was sure that the kitchen was spotless I was about to go back upstairs but my dad stopped me. "You need to start doing your fair share of the work around here. This living room is a pig sty.  Go get some cleaning supplies and start cleaning this place up." he says in a voice that was between a normal voice and a yelling voice.  I didn't dare argue wit him as I just nodded my head and turned around and got the cleaning supplies that were under the sink and some paper towels and started wiping off the windows and tables. 

 He was watching me intently and I was starting to get nervous.   Once I was done cleaning the living room he leans off the couch with a beer in his hands. "You missed a spot" he says as he pours the rest of his beer on the coffee table that was in front of him.  He smushes the can with one hand and and threw it to the side. "Go get me another one and then clean this up." He says with a small smirk and then leans back on the couch and continues watching the game.  I didn't say anything as I put the cleaning supplies on the ground and made my way towards the kitchen and got him another drink. I popped the can open as I wen back into the living and handed him the drink and started cleaning up the mess on the coffee table.  I could tell that he was still watching me out of the corner of my eye but I ignored it. "You know that's how every women should be" he leans up from the couch "on their knees." I know he is just trying to piss me off for his own fun and games so I decided to ignore him and just keep on cleaning.  

He stands up and kicks me in the ribs it knocks the breathe out of me as I fall to the ground. The pain was unimaginable, it was like somebody had went into my side and just started snapping my ribs in half.  I laid there trying to get breathe into my lungs and slowly but surly it started getting eaiser.  He throws the beer that was in his hands on the ground "Look at me when I am talking to you!" he yells at me on the ground. I could have stayed there for hours but I knew that I had to get up or it was going to be worse.  I get on my hands and knees and slowly stand up and I look at him.  I did my best to comply and hoped that this would all end soon "See. Was that so hard?" he asks me with no emotion on his face "No sir" I tell him mustering up all the strenth I had to sound like I wasn't scared.  My breath was still short and It hurt but I made sure that I didn't show it as I talked to him. "You're nothing but a worthless sack of shit.  You know that?" He says while pointing at me with a disgusted look on his face.  I didn't say anything and praying to God that it was a rhetorical question.  He started walking towards his bedroom "I want you to clean that shit up and if it's not clean by tomorrow morning" he stops and half way turns around to where I could only see half of his face "Well I really wouldn't want to be in your shoes." he then turns around and continues walkin and shuts the door.  As soon as he did I immediately held on to my ribs. There is no doubt in my mind that he broke at least one of them. The worst part is that he was wearing steel toed boots.  There is really nothing the doctors can do for a broken rib so I already knew that I wasn't going to the hospital.   In conclusion the spaghetti didn't work.

I slowly but surely went to the medicine cabinet and got a couple of Tylenols and popped them in my mouth and swallowed. I was never one who needed to take a drink with pills.  I decided that it would just be easier if I grabbed the whole roll of paper towels instead of just a couple and having to keep on getting up every time. So I grabbed those and some carpet stain remover and went back to the living room and got on the floor and started cleaning up the mess.  I was there for what seemed like forever until it was finally safe to call it clean.  I could feel the medicine slowly but surely start kicking in and I sighed in relief.  I looked up at the clock and saw that it was half passed 10.  I sighed and put away all the cleaning stuff and grabbed my phone off the counter as I headed back upstairs.   It took me a good 5 minutes to go up the stairs as painlessly as possible but once I did I laid down on my back an moved as little as possible until sleep was able to consume me.