1
Smack!
I look up at my father, holding my stinging cheek, tears welling in my eyes.
“Daddy! Why did you smack me?” I ask.
I was four at the time, so I couldn’t comprehend what just happened.
“I told you this before. Don’t ask for your mommy!” He screamed at me.
I cower back in fear. No mommy?
“Johnathan Benard! What have I told you about yelling at my grandchild!”
“Shut up, mother! This does not concern you!” My father yells at her.
“G-grandma! Daddy hit me!” I yell, hoping she would help me.
My father growls and backhands me again.
“JOHNATHAN! HOW DARE YOU HIT KENDRA! I RAISED YOU BETTER THAN THIS!” Grandma yells, getting in his face.
He turns on her and pushes her into the wall
A loud crack sounds when her head makes contact with the wall. She drops like a ton of rocks.
“GRANDMA!!” I sob
My grandfather runs into the room then.
His eyes widen when he sees grandma on the floor.
“JOHNATHAN BENARD OSCAR! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!” my grandfather yells.
My eyes widen. Grandpa never yells.
“ITS PRETTY OBVIOUS JACKASS!” my father yells back.
“Kendra, come here.”
I shuffle to grandpa. He pulls me behind him.
My eyes feel heavy. I tug on grandpas shirt. “Grandpa, I tired.” I yawn and rub my eyes.
“OK, sweetie, go to sleep then.” He tells me softly.
I shuffle to my room and climb into my bed.
I close my eyes and fall asleep to the sound of the fan blowing.
Present Day
Hi, as you can tell I never had the best childhood. You only saw the start of something that..... should have my dad in jail.
Lets move on shall we?
This is my journey through life.
“Kendra get up. Your going to miss the bus”. My mom yells for the 50th time in a row.
“Oh fuck off mother. No one actually gives a fuck. Leave me alone.” I yell back in the same annoying tone.
The blankets are ripped off me then. “Get your ass up. I’m not dealing with this anymore. If you miss that bus you will have no phone, no tv—“ I interrupt her, “ Mom I don’t care. Leave me the fuck alone” I yell.
I hear my mother walk into the kitchen and grab a cup and start filling it with water. My eyes snap open.
“Don’t you fucking dare bitch.” I call out to her.
“Then get your ass up. I’m tired of yelling at you” she snaps back.
“Can I smack you right across the face and break your jaw?” I ask menace and promise lacing my voice.
She takes her glasses off and comes in my face. “ Go ahead, I dare you” I stare into her hazel eyes and my resolve hardens. I rear my hand back and smack her across the face.
I hear the sickening snap of her jaw. He eyes widen with disbelief and then flash with gut wrenching pain. No sound comes out of her but a gurgle. She makes a move for her phone, but I deftly grab it befor her.
“Ah ah, karma is a bitch isn’t it?” I ask her laughter rising in me. I calm down just enough to not look like psycho.
I look at the cable box. The blue numbers show that it’s 5:55 a.m.
I then realize what I have done. Shit! My eyes dart around the room in a panic. They land on the door to the back room.
I rush back there, grab my messenger bag and start stuffing it with clothes.
When I come back out I see my mother on the floor with the house phone in her hand. I quickly grab it and smash it on the ground making it unusable.
My mother’s eyes have hardened into a constant fury.
“Well I’m going to be on my way now. Toodles.” I tell her and purposely leave my phone in the house. They can track me with it.
As I leave the house and walk up the gravel road, I realize that I have no place to crash.
Well I’m 18. I can leagally get my own place. Under a different name. What will my name be though, I wonder.
Little did I know that my life would go down hill from there.
