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All You Did Was Save My Life

A Narrative By Kennedi McClain

After school I threw my backpack on the ground and plopped on my bed and turned on the radio. I grabbed a picture of my "long lost" dad and stared at it for a while. I miss his scruffy beard and lovable eyes. Mom said he left us when I was 7 and never mentions anything else about him. And if I bring anything up about him in front her ill get slapped.

I went downstairs hoping to see if there was anything in the fridge but, as usual, there was only two six-pack of corona. So I just sat on the couch in the living room and listen to the melody of my rumbling stomach. Then, from upstairs, I heard my mother's footsteps.

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She let out a sort whisper, "Come to my room." I quickly got up and went upstairs to her room. It was very dark. she had a brush in one hand and a cigarette in another. The T.V. was on and it was what looked like a 1998 news broadcast. There was an airplane crash with no survivors. My mom turned the T.V. off and gestured me to sit on her bed. I sat down and she slowly brushed my hair, I can tell something was wrong. "You see that airplane crash honey?" she smiled and brushed harder, "that was your daddy's plane 7 years ago." I held my hands to my mouth and warm tears quickly ran down my face. I got up and tried to leave but my mother forcefully grabbed my arm and pulled me back. She pushed me on the bed and said, "Do you miss daddy? Would you like to see him again?" She then shoved her lit cigarette into my arm and she reached in her back pocket. I let out a earsplitting squeal.

I didn't want to believe it but I think I knew where she was going with this. I cried harder. "Please mama, don't!" Then, I could see what she had in her back pocket in her hands. It was a pocket knife she got last Tuesday. She cut down my cheek bone. I screamed but she swiftly put her hand on top on my mouth. "You want to see daddy don't you sweetheart? I can help you be with him again and forever so he won't leave us again." I shook my head and couldn't stop crying. She cut more and more making the crimson color of my blood turning a dark maroon color. That's when I passed out.

When I came to there was some sort of a bright light above me, and tons of commotion. I looked around and saw 4 doctors in the room. I scanned the sterile room, shaking, realizing my fear of hospitals. "You're going to be okay now Hun," Said the only girl doctor in the room. I just kept the dumbfounded look on my face. "You were in a coma for 2 weeks," said an awfully familiar voice. I sat up and saw my 22 year old brother sitting on the chair by the T.V. I smiled, and he got up and gave me the best hug I ever gotten from him. I felt very comfortable in his warm arms. After that moment, he pulled back and the doctors left the room. He sat on the bed and said, "She did it to you to huh?" I was a little confused and I couldn't remember anything that happened. I was very overwhelmed by just being told I was sleeping for two weeks in the place I'm most scared of. He started taking his shirt off and my face flushed. Then I realized what he was talking about. He had several burns and large cut marks along his stomach. "She tried to kill you like she did me." I raised my eyebrow and looked at my body. I let out a yelp to the look all the raised slash marks on my arm and I was too scared to see what was underneath the gown I was wearing. "Police think that woman stabbed and killed herself after thinking you were dead but you just passed out… You never really did like blood." I chuckled at my brother, he never called our mom, mom or mother, it was always just she or that woman. Then, my smile turned into a frown quickly at the thought of the whole 'my mother trying to kill me and my dad died tragically and I didn't know it' incident. I burst out crying and suddenly noticed my brother letting out a few tears. He grabbed me then kissed me on the forehead. He held me tight and smiled. "Dads proud of us sis, we made it though this, Now that she's gone we can live our new life, together."