"I don't want to go," I said, stomping my foot.
"Stephanie Michelle Plum, you will do as I say," my mom, Helen, screamed before slapping my face. The sting of her hand brought tears to my eyes. I hated crying in front of people, but her slap hurt too much to stop them from falling.
"I want my daddy," I cried before throwing myself on the floor. I beat the linoleum with my fists. My mom rolled her eyes as she raised her hands, balancing herself while pulling her foot back. I felt the kick in my stomach as she continued to hurt me.
My dad had left a few days ago for another Post Office conference. He would be gone for a few weeks. I hated how horrible mom treated me while he was away. Why couldn't he take me with him? I was ten years old and didn't need him to watch me while he attended meetings.
"You're an ungrateful little bitch," Helen snarled. "I knew you'd be trouble the first day your father brought you home."
"Maybe daddy shouldn't have brought me home," I screamed. Wait. What? Daddy brought me home? What does that mean? Where was I before? My mom wasn't my mom? The tears dissipated as quickly as they had appeared. However, the look of horror on mom's face got me thinking she said something that was a carefully guarded secret.
Getting answers from my mom wasn't possible. Her mouth twisted before she kicked me once more. "You will learn how to cook. You will learn how to clean. You will dress like a young lady. You will go to Sunday school. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, mom," I replied. I didn't like going to Sunday school for an hour before mass. Grandpa and grandma Plum's church doesn't have Sunday school. Nonna told me Catholic Churches have liturgy for children, where they learn about the scripture without having to sit through the homily. Two hours of church weekly seemed like too much religion for me.
When daddy was home, we didn't have to attend Sunday school. I got off the floor and went to the washroom to wash my face. Maybe I could live with Uncle Joe or my grandparents.
My mom's handprint on my face slightly lessened from the cold water. When I got back downstairs, I heard mom on the phone. "Yes, sweetheart. I'm dropping the girls off at church soon. Is Angie teaching the class today? She is? Thank you. I'll be there in fifteen minutes," my mom said before hanging up.
I wondered what my mom was doing. She had a few friends named Angie. There was Angie Morelli, Angie Durham, Angie Springer, Angie Tahini and Angie Dundalk. But who was she calling sweetheart? Daddy was gone, so it couldn't be him. I pulled on my Mary Janes and met Valerie, my perfect sister, outside. I've got a mystery to solve. Everyone knows how much I love mysteries. Nancy Drew has got nothing on me.
Valerie sat in the backseat with her hands folded perfectly in her lap. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her blatant display. She was not nearly as innocent as she portrayed. The kids at school mentioned that Valerie liked to touch boys' privates. I was always amazed that mom never punished Valerie for her actions. It was almost like mom didn't believe her perfect daughter would ever do something so despicable.
However, should someone accuse me of the same behaviour, my mom would have no qualms about believing I was capable of being lewd. But I couldn't blame her since I got caught in the Morelli garage with Joe looking up my skirt when I was six. His mom stopped him from touching me. My mom punished me for a few weeks after the incident. Once again, daddy was at a conference with the post office.
"You should do as you're told," Valerie whispered when we saw mom lock the front door.
"Why? It doesn't make mom less mean to me," I snapped. "If I'm going to get punished anyway, I may as well have some fun while I'm at it."
"Why me? Why does my stupid sister have to ruin everything for me?" Valerie whined. Saint Valerie made it all about her. Again.
"Girls, behave," mom said as she got into the car. She glared at me in the rearview mirror, silently telling me to smarten up or suffer the consequences. I noticed mom give Valerie a loving smile. For once in my life, I wished someone could show me that much love. I shook my head and remained silent. It never helped to feel sorry for myself.
One day, I would find someone to love me. Until that day arrived, I would keep my head low and toe the line. Who was I kidding? I was having too much fun getting mother dearest worked into a tizzy. I know dad made me promise to behave, but I couldn't help myself. Pissing off mom was too enticing to ignore.
My mom parked in the church lot near the door. She said there were a few errands for her to run before mass. I was too curious about who she was meeting that I slipped back into the car unnoticed and hid inside the trunk. My mom never remembered to lock the car. Before closing the hatch, I checked for the screwdriver daddy stashed with the spare tire. I closed the lid when my hands clutched the tool.
When my mom got into the car, she started talking to herself. "I've been looking forward to this for months. Thank God Frank had another conference. I didn't know how much longer I could wait until Tony fucked me hard. The Italian Stallion knows how to play my body like a piano or is it play my body like a fiddle? It doesn't matter how the saying goes. It all boils down to he can play my body until I sing or scream."
I was shocked. Only Angie Morelli was married to a man with that name. Anthony Morelli, the Burg womanizer. He had sex with most of the women in the Burg. I felt sorry for Angie. Whenever she confronted Anthony about his cheating ways, he'd beat her. The kids at school said he hit Anthony Jr, Joe and Cathy too. They avoided crossing his path.
What did my mom see in the abusive man? I couldn't understand why she would do something so horrible to her husband and friend. Cheating was wrong. When my mom stopped the car and turned the engine off, I climbed out of the trunk, stashing the screwdriver back into its hiding spot. I'd need to get someone to drive me back to church.
The tree behind the Morelli house was tall enough to see inside the master bedroom. I smiled when I saw the treehouse with wooden straps attached to the trunk to use as a ladder. It didn't take me long to climb up the tree to spy on my mom. The sun shone brightly in the sky, but the inside of the treehouse was surprisingly dark. Nobody would catch me spying on my mom.
My hand brushed against a pair of binoculars as I felt for the bench. Smiling, I placed the item up to my eyes and focused on the couple inside the bedroom. I swallowed a scream when I saw Mr. Morelli strip my mom and press her against the wall. It wasn't something I should be watching, but I couldn't pull my eyes away. I was equally intrigued and horrified. It was like that porno flick Carl Costanza found in his dad's den. We watched it in the basement when Mr. and Mrs. Costanza were outside with the other parents. The porno made my panties damp, though I was not sure why. But watching my mom with Mr. Morelli did not moisten my underwear. It was gross. Bleh. I thought I was going to be sick.
He grabbed some scarves from the dresser and tied my mom's hands to her ankles, leaving her bare ass exposed. I couldn't stop myself from watching him place his large penis where it didn't, or shouldn't belong. Tears ran down my face as I focused on my mom's face. She clearly enjoyed everything the man did. What about daddy? Doesn't mom love him?
Mortified, I jumped from the treehouse, not caring if I got caught, and ran through the back alley. My feet didn't stop until I bumped into Eddie Gazarra, the boy who lived a few doors down from my house. "Hey, Steph." He grabbed my shoulders to gently push me back. "Are you okay?"
"No," I stammered. "I just saw my mom having sex with Mr. Morelli."
Eddie narrowed his eyes before hugging me. "That's a hefty accusation. Are you positive you saw them have sex?" he asked, eerily sounding like his dad. He'd make a great cop when he got older.
It felt like Eddie didn't believe me, but when I looked into his pale blue eyes, I saw concern. He wanted to be sure I knew what I had witnessed. "Yes. It was like that video we saw at Carl's house," I whispered. His eyes flicked to the house. I looked over my shoulder to see his mother, Winnie, watching us. She motioned for us to come into the house.
"What's wrong, sweetie?" she kindly asked.
I told her everything I witnessed. Her lips formed a thin line as I saw the rage cross her face. My mom and Mrs. Gazarra had been friends since they were children. She was appalled that my mom would cheat on my dad with Anthony Morelli. "Oh my God!" I shouted when I noticed the time. "My mom's going to be at church soon. If I don't get back to my Sunday school class, I'm going to be in trouble."
"I'll take you to church. Eddie, get your father," she ordered, then brushed the twigs and leaves from my dress. Eddie nodded and ran towards the basement to call his dad. Mrs. Gazarra knew my mom hit and kicked me whenever my dad was gone. She had seen enough bruises on my body to not accept the klutz explanation that my mom spread through the neighbourhood.
I sat beside Eddie in the backseat. Mr. Gazarra said, "Eddie, make sure you tell Mrs. Plum that Stephanie was in Sunday school with you." He parked in the lot behind the church.
"Yes, sir," Eddie replied. He grabbed my hand to drag me inside the building. When we got to the room, I saw Mrs. Gazarra slip into the room to get Mrs. Molnar to say I was in Sunday school the entire time if my mom asked. Mary Lou, my best friend, hugged me when I sat beside her.
"I'll tell her you were here the entire time," Mary Lou whispered in my ear. I was thankful that Sunday school was sorted according to your grade, so I didn't have to be in the same room with Valerie. Had she been in the same class, I would be in more trouble than I could handle today. Little did I know that things would get much worse.
"Thanks, Lou. I knew I could count on you," I quietly replied. I could see Eddie whispering to Carl Costanza and Lenny Stankovic. They nodded and smiled at me. My friends were amazing.
After mass, I went straight to my room when we got home. I couldn't stand to look at my mom. She was an awful mother and a cheating wife. Valerie was furious because we didn't stop for donuts on the way home. Our mom said I was disrespectful and blamed me for the lack of our sugar fix today. It provided Saint Valerie with another reason to hate me.
I closed my bedroom door to change out of my dress. When I looked at my reflection in the mirror on the back of the door, I saw my body covered in dark bruises. "Thank goodness I'm a fast healer," I mumbled. I wondered why I was a fast healer.
An hour before dinner, someone rang the doorbell. I opened my curtain to look below. Mr. Costanza and Mr. Gazarra stood on the porch with a woman in her forties. She looked around before catching my eye. I grimaced as I finger waved. The woman smiled before hiding her emotions.
"May I help you, officers?" I heard my mom greet the men.
"Mrs. Plum. We're here to take Stephanie into custody," officer Gazarra announced.
"You can have her," mom snarled. I heard her heels clack across the floor leading to the stairs. "Stephanie, it's time to go to juvie where you belong." She sounded pleased to be getting rid of me so soon.
I grabbed my journal and backpack before looking around my room. My jewelry box caught my eye. I used my long hair ribbons to tie the wooden box closed, securing the contents inside. My dad gave me a gold chain with the lightening bolt medallion on my tenth birthday. I didn't want to leave it behind.
"Good afternoon, Officer Gazarra and Officer Costanza," I politely greeted when I got to the front door. Eddie and Carl's dads were waiting outside. I slipped on my running shoes without untying the laces. It always pissed off my mom, but I didn't give a shit. She was always kind of angry at me.
"Are you Stephanie?" the woman asked.
"Yes, ma'am," I politely replied.
"I'm Tara Holden from the children's protection service," she said. I wasn't sure what to say. "We're going to my office until I find you a suitable foster home."
"I don't want to go into foster care. Can I stay with my uncle Joe?" I asked. "He's my godfather."
"We'll see," she replied noncommittally.
It took forever to get to the CPS office. I was exhausted and hungry. My ribs hurt from sitting for so long. "What's wrong?" a young woman asked when I moaned.
"I'm hungry, and my stomach hurts," I replied.
"I'm Nancy. Do you mind showing me your stomach?" she asked. I was hesitant to show a stranger my body. "Sweetie, I'm a nurse. You don't need to be afraid of me."
Nancy laughed when I made her show me her ID badge and medical credentials before showing her my stomach. My dad said I should always ask for proof. She gasped when I showed her the bruises. "Who did this to you?" Nancy asked.
I brushed a tear off my face before whispering, "My mom."
"Does she hurt your sister?"
"No. Saint Valerie is perfect. My mom never gets mad at her. It's always me," I replied honestly. "Are you going to put Valerie into foster care too?"
Nancy was about to reply when Tara entered the room. She sat on the couch across from me. Leaning forward, she said, "No. We removed you from your foster family. Or I should say, your Aunt and Uncle's house."
"Aunt and Uncle? Who are my parents?" I asked.
"Your mother was Sheila Plum. When she died during birth, your uncle Frank took you home from the hospital," Tara replied.
"Who called?" I asked.
Tara smiled at me before replying, "Mr. Larsen." I didn't know the man, but I was thankful he got me out of that horrible house.
"What about my clothes?" I asked. All of my clothes, except underwear, were Valerie's hand me downs. Helen didn't care that I was several inches taller than Valerie.
"We can find clothes to fit at the consignment shops," she replied.