Through The Eyes of The Innocence

The door slammed shut. Daddy was storming off into his office, while mommy chased after him begging for his forgiveness. She had a new bruise just under her eye today.. a bit of blood spilling out from under her nose. I sat with my barbies laid out in front of me, watching silently as daddy slammed his office door shut as mommy caught up to him. She was leaning up against the door now; her fist pressed up against it as she pleaded for him to open the door. She kept promising that she was "over it" and that she wouldn't fight with him again.. the way she always did after every fight they had.

A couple days later, mommy and daddy had the same fight. Daddy stormed off into his office as mommy tailed behind with a new mark imprinted across her face, and a small bit of blood splattered down her shirt. Once again, she pleaded for his forgiveness as she pressed up against the door. I walked over and tugged at her pant leg, "Mommy?"

"Get back, Maci," Mommy responded quickly, "Go back to playing. Everything's fine."

Everything did seem fine. For the next few days, mommy and daddy seemed distance but they weren't fighting as often. Daddy had to work late almost every night, so mommy was mostly taking care of me by herself. When daddy did come home, he usually just either went back into his office or went to sleep. I went to enter his office once, to show him the drawing I drew for school, but mommy pulled me away. I still never understood why.

That fourth day was different. Daddy came home in the worst possible mood and of course, took it all out on mommy. He stormed past me and grabbed mommy by the hair, yelling something about how she was such a bitch. He grabbed the utensil off the counter that she was using to make dinner and threw her against the counter, claiming that he was going to teach her how to respect him under his roof. She was pleading for him to stop. Mommy tried to tell him not to do it in front of me, but daddy told me to go into my bedroom. I couldn't. Usually I stayed silent when mommy and daddy fought, but today felt different.

I ran to mommy's side and tried to push daddy off her, "Daddy, stop!"

But daddy was stronger. He raised the utensil and smacked me across the face before telling me that I needed to learn to mind my own business.

My hand rubbed my cheek, "Daddy?"

"Carl!" Mommy shouted but he struck her across the face.

"Shut up."

The second daddy stormed off into his office, mommy wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me tightly. She kept telling me how she was sorry and that she should've stepped between daddy and I when it happened. She proceeded to tell me that this was the last straw and she was going to get us out as soon as possible.

But that was five months ago. Mommy tried. I know she tried. She got herself a part time job for when I was at school and daddy was at work.. she got herself a secret bank account to put her paychecks into so that daddy couldn't find them.. she was really trying. Things just seemed too good to be true. Daddy came home early one day when mommy was in the shower, and found mommy's work uniform laid out on the bed.

My aunt was standing in front of the house by the time I got home from school. Daddy was sitting in the back of a cop car, and the paramedics were wheeling a covered body into the back of an ambulance. I stood in disarray as I took in the environment around me.

"Where's mommy?" I asked my Aunt, who was currently holding a tissue in front of her face.

"Maci," She pulled me to the side away from daddy's view, "Maci.."

I stared blankly at her in confusion, "Is mommy at your house?"

"Maci.." She paused to dab her tissue against her eye before speaking again, "Your mother's dead, Maci."

"No she's not."

"Maci."

"No she's not!" I screamed out. I tried to run back into the house but my aunt held onto me tightly. She can't be gone. She just can't be. I found myself crying into my aunt's shoulder as the two of us knelt on the grass. "She was trying to get out." I cried out.

It's been a year since my mom's death now. My Uncle had stormed off into the guest bedroom as my Aunt chased after him, begging for his forgiveness. I tensed up. She had a bruise placed just under her eye and a bit of blood dripping from her nose. I watched silently as the image of mommy and daddy replayed over and over inside my head. Not again..