Chapter 5: A Pinky Promise
She rests in her armchair, battered and bruised. Her thin frame sinks into the chair until she is nearly devoured by the monstrosity. She sighs in pure agony. It's clear that she is exhausted. It is a statement of the inevitable. Her left arm is tediously wrapped in a linen sling.
"Ow..." She winces. Her blonde locks gently cascade to her shoulders. Mascara is smeared from the relentless tears. Eye shadow mingles with bruises and coagulated blood. As she leans forward, she sobs. It's controllable. Her body shudders in the violent movement. She's in shock that she did it. She went through with it. He's dead... She thinks. He's dead. The thought replays over and over in her mind.
She had been recently discharged from the hospital. GenTerns had quickly set her arm, barely acknowledging her shattered state. They had other things to worry about. Society overlooked most forms of abuse. The tears eventually turn into joyful ones. She's happy. I'm free... All these years... I'm free...! Her sobbing converts into laughter. Put a gun to his head and now he's dead.Her husband was abusive and reckless. She hopes that he burns in Hell. She wishes that he is tormented. She'll feel more satisfaction if the Devil shows no mercy to his dark soul.
"Mom...?" Her teenage daughter steps tentatively down the hall. The maniacal laughter from her mother frightens her. She can't admit that. I must be brave...Her slender hand rests on the white wall that is mingled with crimson splatter. The fifteen year old appears to be a younger version of her mother. She has the same blond hair and blue eyes. She, too, is battered and bruised. It's the result of her deceased, drunken father's ways. Her arms are bandaged due to the sharp glass of a beer bottle. It needed stitches, but she brushes off the idea. The scars would be a reminder to her.
"Yes, Kat?" By now, her fit of laughter begins to diminish. The mom shakily rises from the battered chair. She sways from the previous blood loss.
"Mommy..." She feels terribly childish for saying such a thing. Kat can't help it. She's frightened. She's at her wit's end. She has been quite for so long, too long. Every time she goes to school, she is brave. She puts on a bright face, suggesting that nothing is wrong. Nothing has happened. Everything is well at home. It's not. She needs her mom right now and vice versa. For years they have suffered. Now they are survivors of that abuse.
"Yes, Sweetie?" She walks to her daughter, wrapping her still functioning arm around her in an embrace. A hug. A reassuring one to guarentee their safety. Kat sobs against her mother's shoulder, whispering inaudible words. She needs the comfort.
"Promise..." She can't finish her sentence, because of her sobbing.
"Promise? What promise? Kat?" Her mother looks worried.
"I saw the- the news and-"
The mom frowns before arching a brow. What.... The news?! All of this is on the news?! She's shocked and horrified. This could ruin their lives... or save them. It depends on the swinging pendulum. But this also means... that the offer is on the broadcast as well. She has every reason to be frightened and nervous. She calms down her daughter with more comfort before tuning into the news.
"...And now comes a rather frightening tale." It wasn't a god-damned tale. It was real, for Christ's sake! She angerly thinks to herself. The reporter shuffles his stack of papers. "After years of abuse, Stacy Poe puts an end to it. Her husband, Mack Poe, had verbally and physically abused her nearly everywhere. Surprisingly, when this happened in public, friends and relatives did not take action to help." No one helped, because they were scared of him. "On this particular night, her husband, Mack, had been drunk just like many nights ago. But when their daughter, Kat, had been hurt... had enough." Sounds like a shitty soap opera. Her thoughts were glum.
The reporter continued, "Being fatally injured, Stacy put a .44 caliber to his head...." It went on. "Stacy will not be charged for her crimes. This was seen as an action of defense against domestic violence. Let this be a lesson of abuse..."
Mother and daughter remain silent, listening to the broadcaster.
"Due to the violent nature her husband had delivered, Stacy was in dire need of a kidney transplant. Rotti Largo, head of GeneCo, showed great sympathy as he offered a transplant free of charge. This goes to show the wondrous man's giving nature. Not only did he offer a free transplant but a makeover as well for a small added fee-"
Stacy quickly flicks off the television. She hopes her daughter did not catch the last two sentences. No, she praysto God her daughter didn't hear those two lines. She hangs her head in shame, blond bangs hide her overbearing emotions.
"Mom...! Surgery?!" Kat knows her mother's opinions about surgery. Don't get it unless you need it or else you might become a Scalpel Slut. A kidney transplant was understandable because of well, everything... but a makeover as well? Cosmetic surgery does nothing good for you. It's vain. It displays a false image. A good seventy-five percent of the time, you tend to be beautiful before pursuing the knife.
"Kat," She begins slowly. "I'm a single mom now," Her voice is strained as she speaks. "I need this kidney transplant desperately. GeneCo just happened to show me sympathy. Don't worry about the small added fee-"
But I'll look smashing on live TV... Stacy silently muses to herself. She's changed. In such a short amount of time, she had undergone change. She feels like she needs this surgery. She needs to feel beautiful again. It's more so out of necessity than luxury. Her daughter will understand. If not today, tomorrow. If not tomorrow, some day. Some day she will understand.
"I don't care about that. It's the makeover I care about. Don't do it, Mom. Please don't. You'll end up like the people on TV."
But that's what I want. She thinks. Stacy sighs, "I won't. I promise."
"Pinky promise?" Kat's body still quivers from the adrenaline of tonight.
"Pinky promise." She agrees. They lock pinkies in this oath. Neither can sleep. They know that everything will change.
Note:Where did I come up with the names? The woman who plays Single Mom is Poe, a phenomenal singer. So, I took her name is used it as the basis of their last names. The names I thought suited them. Wow. I think... that this was the hardest story for me to write, emotionally. It was emotionally exhausting and painful. I don't believe that I can write another story about this harsh topic. But I felt that I needed to. This is an issue in our daily lives. Domestic abuse is not okay.