Family Matters Chapter 7
"C'mon Mo, wet's go wet's go! I wanna see the bears!" My sister called out to me. She was wearing these blue overalls over a pink T-shirt. My Ma had her hair up in piggy tails. She pulled on my arm. "Let's go already, get Mikey and lets go!" She said pulling on my arm.
I smiled down at her. "Okay we're goin' Mercedes." I told her as I help put on her coat. She was excited. Her cheeks her so rosey and her eyes were so wide with excitment. "Mikey! Let's go! Come on!" I yell to him.
"Where they hell are you going!" My old man snaps, a can of beer in his hand.
"OOOOOO you said hell." My sister said covering her mouth.
"Mercedes, shhhh." I look at my old man. "I'm takin' Mercedes to the zoo."
"Yeah? Why?" He asks.
I shake my head. He doesn't even realize it's his daughters sixth birthday. "Because it's my birthday present to her." I say to him as my mom walks into the room. She looks at him.
"Leave them be would you Michael, just let Maurice and Mikey take Mercedes to the zoo." My Ma says to him.
My old man stands up. I can see he's mad now. "They ain't goin'. It's February damn it, ya don't go to the damn zoo in the middle of winter."
"Please Daddy?" My sister begged him.
"NO! You ain't goin' to that damn zoo, take her damn coat off!" He said pullin' at her coat shakin' her around.
My mother tried to stop him but he slapped her across the first.
That's where it went wrong my sister tried to stop him, but she was so small she couldn't. He took her by her coat an' ripped it off her, he then took his belt off. I knew what was goin' to happen, my sister knew what was goin' to happen. "Ya know what to do, girl." He said to her.
He wanted her to pull her pants down so he could swat her.
Tears rolled down my sisters rosy cheeks. She was so scared. Her whole body was shakin' "Daddy peas, I sowwy Daddy, I sowwy." She cried.
I felt so bad for her. As I watched my Dad put her over his knee, and not once, not twice but hit her with that leather belt. Five times. So hard, that it left welts for a week and half. He pushed her off his knee an' on to the floor. She curled up into a ball cryin' an' shakin'. I knelt beside her. Tryin' to make sure she's okay an' looked up at my old man. I stood up. Standin' toe to toe with him. I shoved him as hard as I could pushin' him back into the chair.
"Mo!" I heard my sister crying out for me. By this time Mikey had heard everything and was down stairs watchin' "Mo peas stop. Peas." Her little scared voice cried.
"That's it boy!" My Dad said standing up. Before I could react he had hit me across my face with a closed fist. I could taste the blood in my mouth as I wiped my hand across my face. He hit me one more time. "You should learn to stay out of it!" He said.
I hear Mercedes cryin' for me. I hear Mikey tryin' to comfort her. "I hate you Daddy!" She says. Only pissin' him off even more. He pulls her from Mikeys arms and hits with the belt 3 more times, just as hard. My mother stands back screamin' at him to stop. Usually thats all she did was scream at him to stop. She watched my Dad beat her daughter. For nothin' jus' kept hittin' her. I didn't know how much her small, little body could take. He took my sister by her arm and dragged her to the basement door.
She tried to use dead weight to stop him, to keep him from taking her there. He always would punish her by puttin' her in that closet. He was to drunk to fight with her. Taking her to the door her opened it and jus' pushed her down the stairs. Her small, little body fallin' down them. Bouncin' around. I hear her let out a shrill scream. I knew she was hurt. I could tell by how she was cryin' how loud it was, they way her voice was crackin' in between screams.
My Dad pounded down the stairs an' picked her up from the floor by her arm. Causin' her to scream out even louder. My mother stood at the top of the stairs yellin' at him. There was no use, my old man didn't care. I heard the door slam close an' my sister bang on it. Then my Dad come up the stairs an' leave out the front door. I quickly ran down the stairs, followed by my brother and Mom. I could hear Mercedes cryin'. Tellin' me her arm hurt.
"It's okay hun." I say. "It's okay - Mo's here." I tell her as both Mikey and I try and pick the lock. It always took time cus' he and I were scared our old man would come back and see us.. Finally we got it an' I opened the door, she holds her arm close to her. I can clearly see it's broken. I take her into my arms gently an' hold her as she cries. "It's okay, it's okay baby." I said kissin' the top of her head. "It's okay." I look up at my Ma who's cryin' then over at Mikey who's jus' as mad as I am.
"Next time I'm kicking his ass!" Mikey yells.
"OOOOOOO Mikey said the A word Mommy." Mercedes says through sobs, still holdin' her arm close to her.
"There ain't goin' to be a next time." I say knowin' there will be. "I'm jus' tryin' to stop a war.
My Ma takes Mercedes, gets her coat. Mikey an' I grab ours. Instead of goin' to the zoo for her birthday, she's goin' to the ER.
I woke up sweatin' my heart racin' a mile a minuet. I look down at Mercedes, thank God she's still alseep. I watch her sleep while I collect my thoughts. " Take her arm in my hand. The same arm she broke. I Then kiss her hand softly. "All she wanted to do was go to the zoo for her birthday, instead her very own Dad broke her arm." I say to myself. "Jus' wanted to see the bears at the zoo."
"C'mon Mo, wet's go wet's go! I wanna see the bears!" My sister called out to me. She was wearing these blue overalls over a pink T-shirt. My Ma had her hair up in piggy tails. She pulled on my arm. "Let's go already, get Mikey and lets go!" She said pulling on my arm.
I smiled down at her. "Okay we're goin' Mercedes." I told her as I help put on her coat. She was excited. Her cheeks her so rosey and her eyes were so wide with excitment. "Mikey! Let's go! Come on!" I yell to him.
"Where they hell are you going!" My old man snaps, a can of beer in his hand.
"OOOOOO you said hell." My sister said covering her mouth.
"Mercedes, shhhh." I look at my old man. "I'm takin' Mercedes to the zoo."
"Yeah? Why?" He asks.
I shake my head. He doesn't even realize it's his daughters sixth birthday. "Because it's my birthday present to her." I say to him as my mom walks into the room. She looks at him.
"Leave them be would you Michael, just let Maurice and Mikey take Mercedes to the zoo." My Ma says to him.
My old man stands up. I can see he's mad now. "They ain't goin'. It's February damn it, ya don't go to the damn zoo in the middle of winter."
"Please Daddy?" My sister begged him.
"NO! You ain't goin' to that damn zoo, take her damn coat off!" He said pullin' at her coat shakin' her around.
My mother tried to stop him but he slapped her across the first.
That's where it went wrong my sister tried to stop him, but she was so small she couldn't. He took her by her coat an' ripped it off her, he then took his belt off. I knew what was goin' to happen, my sister knew what was goin' to happen. "Ya know what to do, girl." He said to her.
He wanted her to pull her pants down so he could swat her.
Tears rolled down my sisters rosy cheeks. She was so scared. Her whole body was shakin' "Daddy peas, I sowwy Daddy, I sowwy." She cried.
I felt so bad for her. As I watched my Dad put her over his knee, and not once, not twice but hit her with that leather belt. Five times. So hard, that it left welts for a week and half. He pushed her off his knee an' on to the floor. She curled up into a ball cryin' an' shakin'. I knelt beside her. Tryin' to make sure she's okay an' looked up at my old man. I stood up. Standin' toe to toe with him. I shoved him as hard as I could pushin' him back into the chair.
"Mo!" I heard my sister crying out for me. By this time Mikey had heard everything and was down stairs watchin' "Mo peas stop. Peas." Her little scared voice cried.
"That's it boy!" My Dad said standing up. Before I could react he had hit me across my face with a closed fist. I could taste the blood in my mouth as I wiped my hand across my face. He hit me one more time. "You should learn to stay out of it!" He said.
I hear Mercedes cryin' for me. I hear Mikey tryin' to comfort her. "I hate you Daddy!" She says. Only pissin' him off even more. He pulls her from Mikeys arms and hits with the belt 3 more times, just as hard. My mother stands back screamin' at him to stop. Usually thats all she did was scream at him to stop. She watched my Dad beat her daughter. For nothin' jus' kept hittin' her. I didn't know how much her small, little body could take. He took my sister by her arm and dragged her to the basement door.
She tried to use dead weight to stop him, to keep him from taking her there. He always would punish her by puttin' her in that closet. He was to drunk to fight with her. Taking her to the door her opened it and jus' pushed her down the stairs. Her small, little body fallin' down them. Bouncin' around. I hear her let out a shrill scream. I knew she was hurt. I could tell by how she was cryin' how loud it was, they way her voice was crackin' in between screams.
My Dad pounded down the stairs an' picked her up from the floor by her arm. Causin' her to scream out even louder. My mother stood at the top of the stairs yellin' at him. There was no use, my old man didn't care. I heard the door slam close an' my sister bang on it. Then my Dad come up the stairs an' leave out the front door. I quickly ran down the stairs, followed by my brother and Mom. I could hear Mercedes cryin'. Tellin' me her arm hurt.
"It's okay hun." I say. "It's okay - Mo's here." I tell her as both Mikey and I try and pick the lock. It always took time cus' he and I were scared our old man would come back and see us.. Finally we got it an' I opened the door, she holds her arm close to her. I can clearly see it's broken. I take her into my arms gently an' hold her as she cries. "It's okay, it's okay baby." I said kissin' the top of her head. "It's okay." I look up at my Ma who's cryin' then over at Mikey who's jus' as mad as I am.
"Next time I'm kicking his ass!" Mikey yells.
"OOOOOOO Mikey said the A word Mommy." Mercedes says through sobs, still holdin' her arm close to her.
"There ain't goin' to be a next time." I say knowin' there will be. "I'm jus' tryin' to stop a war.
My Ma takes Mercedes, gets her coat. Mikey an' I grab ours. Instead of goin' to the zoo for her birthday, she's goin' to the ER.
I woke up sweatin' my heart racin' a mile a minuet. I look down at Mercedes, thank God she's still alseep. I watch her sleep while I collect my thoughts. " Take her arm in my hand. The same arm she broke. I Then kiss her hand softly. "All she wanted to do was go to the zoo for her birthday, instead her very own Dad broke her arm." I say to myself. "Jus' wanted to see the bears at the zoo."