Broken
Karen stood in front of the full length mirror in her bedroom, staring at her reflection. Her long brown hair was thinning and her green eyes were sunken in. Her weight was dropping rapidly and her bones were beginning to show. Glancing at her wrists for a moment, she winced. The scars hadn't healed yet. The broken girl in the mirror disgusted her.
She heard screaming from outside her door. Her parents were fighting again. She tried desperately to block them out but their curses haunted her. Things had really gone downhill. Once upon a time, they were one big happy family and Karen loved her life. Since then, everything changed. Her father developed a drinking habit, her mother had an affair with their stock boy and Karen was suffering with depression.
"You know what you are?" She heard her father slur. "You're nothing but a tramp! That's all you've ever been."
"And you're nothing but a drunk!" Her mother shot back. "All you ever do is sit on your ass and drink all day! You expect me to want to be with you? I'd sooner sleep with a harvest sprite!"
Karen's hands shot up and plugged her ears. She had enough. She couldn't take it anymore. The verbal abuse had to stop. Karen wasn't just irritated, she was hurt. Their fighting had really taken its toll on her. The more they screamed, the harder she tried to ignore them.
"I bet you would!" Her father shouted. "You'd sleep with anyone!"
Keeping her sanity proved to be a difficult task living in their house. Nothing was sacred anymore. Her parents resented each other and fought all the time, neglecting their daughter. What did she have to do to get their attention? What could she do to make them stop? Karen quietly fumed. She knew she was going over the edge.
"Anyone but you." Her mother countered. "You're the most disgusting man I've ever met!"
Her parents were stuck in a loveless marriage and she was forced to watch them take out their frustrations on each other. Karen clenched her fists, tears streaming down her face. She just wanted them to be quiet. One day of peace and quiet was all she was asking for.
"And you're one to call me disgusting?" Her father bellowed. "How many STDs do you have, Sasha?"
Karen was near her boiling point. She reached for the doorknob and paused, thinking. Did she really want to do this? What other choice was there?
"I hate you."
Storming out her bedroom door, Karen marched into the shop where her parents were bickering. An audience of customers watched horrified. Normally Karen would've been embarrassed. Not today.
As if not even noticing his daughter's presence, her father continued. "Sasha, I-"
"SHUT UP!" Karen screamed, interrupting him. The room fell silent. All eyes were on her. "Will you two shut up? For once?"
Karen's mother shook her head and sighed. "Karen, this doesn't involve you. Now go back to your room."
Karen's face was red with anger. "What do you mean this doesn't involve me? I'm your daughter! Do you know how sick and tired I am of hearing you two argue? Do you have any idea what this is doing to me?"
Karen's father rolled his eyes. "Stop making a scene."
"I'm the one making a scene?" Karen blew up. "You two are fighting in front of customers! How do you think that'll affect our business, Dad?" She took a deep breath. "Neither one of you even acknowledged me this morning. Not a 'Good morning' or a 'hello'. Neither of you could give a flying fuck about your only daughter. Just this week I tried to OD on pills, I cut myself and I cried myself to sleep every day. That was my cry for help. My cry for attention. And you two were too wrapped up in your bickering to notice or care! Did either of you ask if I was okay? Did either of you support me? Hell, even an 'Are you still alive?' would have sufficed."
Her mother looked down at the floor. "Karen, we'll talk about this another time."
"No. We won't." Karen said, now sobbing. "I'm so drained. This place just sucks the energy right out of me." Looking at both of her parents, she continued. "So I think it's best if I leave for a while."
"Karen, that's not the best idea." Sasha warned.
Karen rubbed her eyes with her fists and smiled. The first smile she wore that day. "Yes. Yes it is. I'll be staying at the Inn with Ann's family."
"Karen, you're overreacting." Jeff said sternly.
"No. I'm finally standing up for myself. All these years… I let you two get the best of me. Not anymore. If you want me to come back, then you better start acting like a family." She paused. "And if you two really bother each other that much, get a divorce!" Her parents gasped. "Maybe you guys just need to reconnect. Work out your marriage. Until then, I don't want to be a part of this environment."
Karen headed out the door, head held high. Her parents stared after her dumbfounded. She tried to make things right, she really did but she knew this explosion was inevitable and unavoidable. She smiled, free from the burden of her parents bickering. She could finally be happy again, and no longer be that broken little girl.
