Could It Be True

Dear Diary

One day Brittany decided to write a diary because she felt that if she died from the beatings-which were getting so bad she cried and whined during them-that someone, hopefully her mother would find it and put her beater in jail. He did not just beat her with his hands he now used belts with massive brass buckles. She wanted to tell someone, anyone but she feared for her life. The first entry was like this:

Dear Diary,

I am not even sure I can call you that you are more like the thing that helps imprison my beater a.k.a step dad.  I should have written this earlier I could have secretly sent it to the police or something but my life was so full of fear and pain, I could not bring my self to write. These days the beatings are so much worse, he makes me tie my hands and feet so I can not escape and if I so much as scream  he beats me even harder. It is not just my body that is beaten it is my lips too —I bite on them so hard to capture the scream that lies in my mouth— that sometimes they bleed so much I can’t describe. I feel like I can trust no one in my life except Jamario my great boyfriend he looks after me cleans my wounds and makes me feel better. I love him, he loves me too, and I plan to spend the rest of my life with him even if it is short. I have tried to commit suicide to escape the pain but then I think of my self as a coward and give up. I also picture Jamario’s face when times are ruff; I know every line every freckle on him it is almost as if he is with me. I think I should end hear my step dad is…

Her step dad burst in at that moment but luckily, she threw the diary in her bag just in time for him not to see.

‘What are you doing in here, crying, oh poor poor Brittany, as long as you keep your mouth shut you can cry all you want darling.’

He retorted in a mocking snarl.

‘Oh leave me alone you idiot, do you get some kind of happiness from seeing me sad, I don’t even have to listen to you, you are NOT my real dad, your nothing to me and one day my mum will see what a good for nothing loser you are!’

She said nothing short from a yell. She got up, grabbed her bag and barged past him

‘I’m going OUT’

However, he did not let her go that easily he grabbed her already aching arm and twisted it.

‘No you are NOT.’

 He exclaimed. Brittany felt strong and she yanked her arm away from him, stormed like lightning down her stairs, and shouted

‘Bye mum, don’t wait up’.

 She slammed the door shut escaping her mothers’ angry words telling her to come back. She knew her mum had given up on her and that made Brittany sad because she loved her mum it was her step dad who was ruining their relationship. She ran most of the way to Jamario’s, to find him on his front porch smoking as if waiting for her. She ran to him hugged him with all her strength and gave him a big kiss.

‘What was that for, even though I’m not complaining?’

He said with his signature smile which Brittany had seen so many times before but never got bored of.

‘A sign to say I love you… Oh yeah and I’m staying for the night’

She said sweetly with a hint of cheekiness. They were just about to go upstairs to his bedroom when Tania called out to them

‘Hey Brittany want something to eat, I made your favourite Fried chicken and macaroni cheese.’

It sounded so good to Brittany her mouth watered she hadn’t been eating properly and she could not resist the smell that now reached her nose. She said yes to Tania and went to eat with Jamario in toe. They had a lovely chat during dinner and Brittany felt all her worries disappear; she didn’t have to pretend when she was there and she saw Tania as a second mum and loved being with her. Once dinner was finished Brittany was very tired and decided to go up stairs to lie down. She liked to lie on the blow up bed on the floor next to Jamario’s and look at the stars through his glass roof and gaze at the stars bright and free. Before they went to bed they would lie next to each other and cuddle and occasionally kiss. She whispered to him about her day and the good things that happened and the bad things too.

‘I wrote a diary, I want you to take it to the police if I ever get really hurt, but you can’t tell anyone about it not even your mum I know she doesn’t like me saying things like this, you have to promise’.

 She whispered suddenly serious.

‘I’ll never tell but you really need to get it sorted, I hate seeing you so upset, your step dad deserves to be in jail and you know it so why protect him.’

There was a sudden silence and Jamario knew that was the end of the conversation. She stayed in his bed that night and was happy to feel safe and warm with no worries about her. That’s when she decided she was going to find a way to beat her step dad but she had to do it on her own. She was not going to sit back and take the pain she was going to fight back, no matter what it took.