For my eighth birthday my mother thought that she and my father would take me out to the nicest restaurant in Dublin. My father was an alcoholic but he had never gotten violent. That night when we got home I heard my father tell my mother that he had gotten fired today he said it was her fault then all I heard was my mother cry out in pain I came out of the shadows and my dad picked me up and said “you don’t tell anyone what you saw” and then he threw me against the wall. This is how it started.
I slowly got up and felt a sharp pain coming from my forehead I touch softly were it hurt and brought my hand down it was now covered in sticky red blood. I had known that in the cupboard there was a bandage but I didn’t dare go to get it because my dad was in the way. He had never hit me or mummy before what had started this. So instead I just hoped it would stop bleeding soon and went to bed the next morning I think that if I am nice to daddy that he wont hit me so I make him a coffee and bring it to him while he is watching the news but instead of a thank you I get what is this I don’t drink coffee I drink tea and then he throws the hot coffee at my feet I had only just boiled the kettle so the water burnt my legs. I hissed out in pain. As my mother walks in she sees the broken cup at my feet and that my legs are bright red she picks me up and carries my out of the room.
My mum tells me it will get better but I see her black eye I ask her what happened she just smile weakly and makes my dad a tea and tells me to go play. After a while my dad goes for a walk I know he wont be long but I think that I have to be good so I go up to mum and say if I am good will daddy hit me tonight her answer is kind but I know its not true “ well honey of course not daddy is just worked up because he got fired he will calm down after his walk no come on we can bake him some cookies” I help mummy measure out some flour but then the door slams and dad burst in to the kitchen my mum stands in front of me to stop him but he just pushes he out of the way and yells “ WHAT ARE YOU TWO THINK YOUR DOING” my answer was weak as he was crushing my lungs “we thought we would bake you cookies”. He didn’t like that answer so he throw me against the wall and then he starts yelling mean words at mummy she doesn’t get up. She knows that if she did she would surely get a slap. I crawl to my room hidden in the shadows. I stay here for the rest of the day. My dad finds a job but he hates it more then his last so the beating get worse and more frequent my bones start to break, but my mum still took me to the doctors I was in cast after cast .
The year went by but it felt like ten by the time my birthday came around again I had broken nearly every bone in my body at least once. I didn’t expect anything for it but a beating so I was surprised when I got a card from mum. I knew she did this against daddy’s wishes I knew she would get a beating tonight. Again and again I get thrown against the wall the but the bigger I get the hard I am to throw so he starts to hit me with a whip in stead time after time. I have multiple scar and welts on my back until just before my tenth birthday I decided that I am going to have to run away I will wait for my birthday but then I still have to go through with two weeks of whipping. I try to make the most of the time left with my fragile mum over the last two years she has endured more whippings and beatings then I have so my once jolly happy mum is now fragile and miserable. I tell her my plan and she says she will help when his is past out drunk she will help me pack and then give me directions to somewhere safe although anywhere is safer then here. Finally my birthday comes around and I get ready to go
