AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (2) Here To There (Short Stories) windows into my life [3,712 words] Single Mother (Poetry) - [121 words]
Christmas 88 Francine Lofton
It was a cold and dark winter eve. School was providing me with a form of normalacy but it was time to go home. I wasn’t looking forward to it because I never new what condition I would find my husband in. Despite the frigid winter air I walked slowly home from the bus stop. We lived in a 3 room apt in the bottom of a house. I entered in the back door and sat my books down. I hear arguing in the living room. I just couldn’t deal with this not again. My heart was pounding and tears were welling in my eyes. I stepped into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I didn’t recocnize the young woman staring back at me. Her face looked so tired her hair lacked luster. Tears ran down my face. As the arguing excellerated I recognized the voices of his parents. I looked up and prayed good God remember me. I realized no one knew I was there. All I wanted to do was run and hide. But where? it was late and to cold to go back out. I turned and looked at the shower stall and decided to hide in it. I climbed in and drew the curtain closed. I pressed up against the wall of the stall holding onto the wall as if for dear life. The voices got louder they moved into the bedroom. His father asked him what have you done that was so bad to punish himself like this. When wasted he would take any sharp object he could find and slice himself with it. They were trying to convince him to go to the hospital. I hear something smash against the bedroom wall and I jump but careful not to make a sound out of fear Id be found. A scuffle is going on. Swearing lots of swearing. My heart races. The edge of the shower curtain I see him standing at the bathroom sink. Blood is running down his arms and his jeans are soaked in blood. He goes to take a swig of a 40 once. His father comes in and grabs the beer from him. He is angry, asks him are you crazy. He wrestles his dad for it. Without knowing I was in the shower, his dad throws the bottle into the stall missing my head by inches. I scream, my hiding place discovered I jump out of the stall. No longer quiet I hurried from the room. OMG Francine I didn’t know ……his dad said. ran tword the bedroom adrenaline pumping Barry and his father in pursuit. I rip off the wall the paper Christmas tree I made because we couldn’t afford a real one. All the money went for drugs and alcohol. Barry grabbed me I yelled to let me go. He tried to say he loved me and I struggled. His father pulled him off me my husbands blood now covered my shirt. Reality began to set in and he left with his parents to go to the hospital. The house all quiet I look around. The bookshelf had been knocked over knick knacks smashed on the floor. Defeated I went into the bedroom , sat on the bed , hugged a pillow, curled up in a ball and prayed for sleep.
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