Remember Death

Chapter 2. Aftermath

Three years have come and gone since that fateful day. Our mother has changed a lot. You could tell she was very depressed, and we knew that she was not the same person, she once was. She stayed strong and copped the best she could for a while. About a year ago she started going out every weekend and drinking with friends. She would bring a new man home often. All of which were trash, but some were worse than others. They used her and abused her, sometimes right in front of us.

Not long into her party phase, she met a man named Craig. The first couple of months seemed fantastic, he was funny and delightful. He always wanted to take us out for dinner or to a movie. He convincingly seemed to be a perfect fit for our family, and we let him move in. No sooner than he unpacked his bags, things took a much darker turn. He transformed our living room into his drug sanctuary. Strangers came over all hours of the day, even while Mom was gone. They left beer bottles, rolled up dollar bills, and powder on the table. I hate him. He is a self-destructing animal that will tear this family apart. Mom pretends it is not happening, but we know she is under his drug induced spell.

I came home from school a little early today. Craig was passed out on the couch with two, half dressed women, neither of which was my mother. Seeing him there sent a rage through me; all I could see was red. I dropped my backpack and grabbed one of their beer bottles. I smashed it against the table with every bit of might I have and scream at the top of my lungs for them to wake up.

"AH! WAKE UP YOU ASSHOLES BEFORE I KILL YOU!"

They all woke up, astonished by my outrage. They sat there for a moment, staring at me fearfully. I stepped closer while pointing the bottle at them.

"Craig, get these fucking lot lizards out of my mother's house!" I demanded. "Escort your way out, while you are at it!"

He laughed, mockingly amused by my threat. The women left, but he stood up and stared me in the eyes. It was like making eye contact with the devil, and I was ready to put him back in hell. I pushed the jagged edges of the bottle against his abdomen. He stepped forward, causing the broken glass to pierce his body slightly. A tiny bit of blood started to trickle down his stomach.

"Back up or I will kill you! You are no good for this family and you need to leave!" I shouted at him.

"It feels good hurting people, doesn't it Adi?" He said. "It makes you feel powerful, untouchable even. You are no better than I am, little girl." He started to chuckle.

"Adi?!" I heard someone yell.

Surprised, I turned around to see my brother. At that moment of distraction, I suffered a strong force striking my face, knocking me to the floor. I don't know how long I was out for, but it seemed like hours. I opened my eyes to see Mom and Aiden by my side.

"Craig punched you and knocked you out!" Aiden blurted as quickly as he could.

"Don't listen to your brother," Mom said, slapping his arm. "Oh, Adi, I am so glad that you are okay. You fell down the stairs and hit your head pretty hard."

I laid there for a moment trying to collect my memories.

"I remember, mom." I said confidently. "I remember confronting Craig and his whores."

Mom snarled, "Adi, that never happened. You must have dreamt that."

Aiden stomped off and slammed his bedroom door. He and I are growing tired of our mother, always protecting Craig. He hurts our mother, he threatens us, he does and sells drugs in our home. Yet our mother continues to make excuses for him. We cannot fathom why she is more protective of him than her own flesh and blood.

Mother stood up and walked away, but not to check on her son. She went to help the monster come back inside the house. Craig had returned home with a cheese pizza. Apparently, his alibi is, it took him 2 hours to go 3 blocks down the road for one large pizza. Somehow it convinced our mother, but Aiden and I knew better.