The Violent One
A blistering Saturday evening in the summer of
2003. The BBQ sizzling swiftly with the local supermarket’s cheap meat firing
away. Old friends clinking there beer bottles together with excitement while
cheering with delight for no expressive reason. Listening to the summer beats
playing in the background from the kitchen, while all the quests including
myself sat outside on the plastic garden deck chairs which the hosts of the
party owned. The summer breeze which spread rapidly as the evening progressed
into the late night, and the guests started to tire out. The 9 year old me was
exhausted, I sat on a garden deck chair with my legs tucked up to my chest with
my cardigan wrapped around me. As I was the only child apart from a new born
baby there that night I was getting bored as the night continued. The hosts of
the party were friends of my Dad and Step mum. They had invited my Dad, Step
Mum, Step Brother and myself to their summer party BBQ, although my Step
Brother was not able to go to the party as he was visiting his Dad for the
weekend.
As the party began to come to an end and people started to say their
goodbyes, I started to feel relieved that it was almost time to go home. I was
tired; irritated from being too tired and being a child adult conversations
tend to bore you, I was ready to leave. My Dad and Step Mum began to say their
goodbyes to all their friends, and the taxi the hosts had phoned for us had
arrived. My Step Mum had offered the taxi to a couple who she didn’t know but
they were good friends with the hosts of the party. As the couple had a new
born baby and wanted to get home as soon as possible, so they took the offer
and thanked my Step Mum.
The
fury in my Dad’s intoxicated face. His
expression said it all, he was angry. Angry that my Step Mum had offer our taxi
to someone else. We waited another 45 minutes for a taxi to arrive. By then it
was the early hours of the morning, and the 3 of us said our final goodbyes to
everyone and hopped into the taxi. The car pulled away from the host’s house
and set off for the journey home. I was sat in the middle of my Dad and Step
Mum in the back of the taxi; I just knew there was argument about to explode
between them. I knew the reaction in my Dad’s face wasn’t going to let it go.
Before
I knew it, he had turned to my Step Mum and shouted “You stupid cow, what the
hell did you let them take our taxi for.” “They have a little baby, you selfish
bastard “said my Step Mum. “ I don’t fucking care, I wanted to go home” said my
Dad. Stuck in the middle of them both I told them to stop fighting, while the
taxi driver awkwardly carried on the drive home. Both my Dad and Step Mum were
silent for the rest of the journey home. We paid the taxi man, got out the car
and walked up the pathway to the front door. My Step Mum opened the door and
took a stride into the hallway leading into the living room. The dog they both
owned who was called Jack came running out of the kitchen and jumped around the
living room with excitement that we were home. My Dad followed both myself and
my Step Mum into the house shortly after while leaving the front door open, my
Step Mum politely asked him to close the door and that is when the trouble
began…..
“Close
the fucking door yourself” he said. “What? Why are you acting like this?” my
Step Mum said. “Like what” he said while getting right up in her face. “ Oh
just get lost you prick” she said... He raised his fist to hit her and at the
same time my Step Mum swung her leg up and kicked him in the side of his leg to
defend herself. He screamed “you bitch” while grabbing her by the neck and
threw her to the floor. He sat on top on her and started choking her. She was
gasping for air, and struggling to move from under his heavy weight. I started
screaming “stop it, just stop it, get away from her.” I stood in fear,
speechless of what was happening. A hot summer’s night suddenly felt frozen,
turned to ice, the no existed chill in the air became real.
I
began to beg my Dad to get off my Step Mum; he wouldn’t listen to and started
to aggressively punch her in the face. Jack became fearful to the violence that
was occurring and hid behind the couch while squealing. I begged my dad again
to stop hurting her, but he wouldn’t listen. My Step Mum had blood running down
her face, a broken nose and a busted lip. I began to cry as I saw the blood
dripping onto the floor. My Dad carried on hitting her and hitting her, he
wouldn’t stop. I ran into the back room where a baseball bat was kept, I
grabbed the bat and ran back into the living room. I started to hit the bat as
hard as I could onto the side of the living room door to try and get my Dad’s
attention hoping it would stop him hitting my Step Mum. It didn’t work! So I dropped the bat to the
floor and jumped onto his back to pull him off my Step Mum. He struggled standing up with me on his back
but once he did he grabbed the side of arm and threw me across the room into a
brick wall. In the meantime my Step Mum had fought to stand up onto her feet,
covered in her own blood.
My Dad turned to me and told me to “Stay out of it or else.” He turned
back around and grabbed my Step Mum by the neck once more and pushed her threw
the open front door onto the grass in the front garden. She fell to the ground
once again crying with pain. The next door neighbours awakened by the screaming
and shouting started peeking through their bedroom windows. One neighbour came
outside and asked my Dad if everything was alright. He walked over to the fence
where the neighbour was to speak to him.
Meanwhile Jack ran out of the house and through the unlocked gate,
running away from the violence. I ran after jack chasing him down the street
shouting his name, but he was too fast for me and I lost track of him. My Dad
soon caught up with me, screaming “get back into that house you stupid girl.” I
ran back to the house out fear of what he might do if he didn’t. I got to the
end of the gate and My Step Mum was nowhere to be seen in the garden. I walked
up to the front door and she came rushing out, she kissed me on the forehead
with blood and her tears running down her face. She told me she was sorry and
she had to go , she can’t stay here. She had rushed into the house to get the
car keys, she ran to the car and waved goodbye to me. I started to cry again, I
was confused, I didn’t understand what had happened; all I knew was that it was
very wrong.
I
walked back into the house and shortly after my Step Mum waved goodbye, my Dad
came back to the house. He raised his voice and told me to go upstairs and get
ready for bed, I did exactly that and then I heard a barking. JACK!!! I ran
down the stairs, unlocked the front door and there he was waiting at the end of
the gate. I ran outside to get him; I picked him up, cuddled him and kissed him
on the head. I started walking back towards the house and there my Dad stood
staring at me… I gasped. He had a displeasured raged look in his eyes….. He was
not my Dad anymore…..
Love Ava
xoxox
