No, she had no idea how bad it was. Hearing the kids talk at school showed me that my father wasn’t like other dads. He didn’t buy me ice cream or take me to borrow a book from the library. He yelled. A lot. And he made me clean the house. I swear, he made messes on purpose for me to clean up.
For years now, Lisa had been coming by to keep the house tidy and in order. She’d pay the bills and cook a few meals while teaching me how to do it alongside her. She treated me like how I’d assume a mother would treat a daughter.
She must have seen I wasn’t willing to listen as she turned back around and finished putting the cake batter into a pan, then put it into the oven. I hopped off the counter and decided I’d get a head start on my homework.
It didn’t take me long to do, and it was pretty easy. To be honest, there wasn’t really a point to even try. I only did enough to pass by in school—a math worksheet and then an English paper for verbs.
By the time I’d finished and got a quick shower in, my father was home. I could smell whatever Lisa had made, too. My stomach growled, hoping I got to eat more than a few bites. My father had been hinting that I was getting fat lately. I was always so hungry at dinner time, and he’d only allow me to eat so much of whatever I made.
“A girl always needs to watch what she eats,” he’d say with a mouthful of food.
With a deep breath to keep my emotions in check, I made my way downstairs. I knew that if my father saw me upset, or showing emotion for that matter, he’d have one heck of time bringing me down even further. I hated it when Lisa tried to stick up for me. It wasn’t her responsibility to deter him.
I was a disappointment to the man that ran this house, and her stepping in only made it worse. Not that I’d ever tell her that.
I made sure to keep my footsteps light as I rounded the corner to the kitchen. Lisa and my father were talking quietly, but they both paused when they saw me. Lisa gave me an encouraging smile, while he only gave me a glare. That look alone told me that my life would suck twice as bad tonight.
Maybe I’d be lucky and a black hole would appear and take me far, far away into some other world. Yeah, right. I highly doubted that.
“I’m staying for dinner tonight,” Lisa said as she added the finishing touches to whatever she was making.
“You know you don’t need to do that,” my father said. “I’m sure Harvey wouldn’t want you to spend all your nights here.”
“He’s with some other woman, so I’d rather be here anyways,” Lisa said, the words filled with hatred. “He can survive on his own for another night if he wants food.”
“Hmmm,” my father said, not having anything to say to that.
Without being told, I began to set the table. It was a tough lesson, but I learned quickly that I should always pay attention to the time and make sure everything was ready before it needed to be. It didn’t always help save me any pain, but it lessened it once in a while.
Thankfully, since Lisa stayed for dinner, my father didn’t comment about how much I ate, and I got to eat an entire plate full.
The past few weeks, Lisa had started to stay one or two nights a month to have dinner with us. I didn’t know why, and I wasn’t going to ask. I sure didn’t mind. I wanted to think that maybe she was trying to make my father fall in love with her, but that just wasn’t possible. My father didn’t do love.
The two adults mostly ignored each other while we all ate. I kept my eyes trained to my plate, fearing what I’d see if I dared to look up. My little heart pounded in heavy beats and my nerves were boiling under my skin.
Shortly after dinner, and after everything was cleaned up to the perfect standards my father expected of me these days, Lisa left with a tight hug from me. I held on longer than normal.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” she whispered in my ear. “I’ll see you tomorrow to take you to school.” With that, she left, leaving me alone with the man I feared the most in the entire world.
He waited until the sound of Lisa’s car was gone, leaving the house quiet. So quiet, the air felt heavy with what was to come. My heartbeat was loud in my ears as my father turned to face me. His brown eyes were filled with so much hatred. He stalked towards me, showing off his white teeth between his thin lips. My back hit the wall as he caged me in. I was a predator’s dinner, and there was no escape.
“My sweet child,” my father said. The words filled with so much acid, my stomach dropped to my feet. “It’s such a special day for you. It’s not every day that a girl turns thirteen. And I have something extremely special just for you.” One long finger swiped down my arm, causing goosebumps.
“I…I don’t want it.” My voice caught in my throat.
“Oh, but I do,” he smiled, showing his teeth. “My room.” My feet were glued to the floor. There was no possible way my legs could move, even if the house was on fire.
“Now!” I jerked from his harsh tone as he stepped back from me, putting a foot of space between us.
With a gulp, I quickly dashed up the stairs. My legs felt like jelly, my chest aching with each breath I took. My head throbbed in time with my beating heart.
What was he going to do? What did he want? God, I hoped it wasn’t the belt again. I would forever have the scars across my back from the first time he’d used that thing on me.
My father was quick to follow me. The thumps of his work boots hit the floor with each stride. Tempted to hide, I dashed into my room, my eyes wild. Would I be able to stay hidden from the man who was my father?
Oh god.
“Scarlett,” he hissed, quickly grabbing my arm at my elbow. He could snap the joint out of place with a snap of his fingers.
