Lies My Parents Told Me

Chapter Five

Sang

The day after we moved He went away on a business trip. When I came down and saw his bag next to the door I felt as though a large weight had been removed from my chest and I took the first deep breath since he had appeared in my room. The visit had left me so unsettled I had dreamt of snakes and teeth dripping with blood, with thorns pulling at my limbs and hands ripping through my skin. Nightmares were a common occurrence for me; however, I had woken with tears streaming down my face and the fear that usually eased within a few moments of waking stayed with me while I showered, dressed, and began the day.

She had written a list of chores for me to complete in the new house which was almost identical to the one from our last house with the very unusual omission of taking the bins down for collection and bringing them up. When I asked her about it she told me that the less I was in the yard the better. I assumed this was a consequence of the boy visiting. This was a consequence I didn't mind, apparently Marie would be picking up this slack. In the weeks that followed I moved into a routine, my morning chores of breakfast, dishes, laundry and tidying of the kitchen, and bathrooms. I knocked on Her door and helped her dress for the day and doled out her medication. I would start my routine by 5 and be finished by 7.30, ready for when I would need to go to school. I then moved to unpacking and organising the house. Room by room I pulled items out of boxes and waited for her to approve placement.

On her good days she worked for two hours or so before retiring to her room for a nap. I would then cook her lunch and she would spend the remainder of the afternoon in bed watching television. On her bad days, she spoke only in threats and refused to leave her room. When she was busy in her room, I was free to read. I took my battered copy of Jane Eyre out into the trees behind our house and relished my small amount of freedom.

There was a perfect tree. Branches low enough that I could climb it easily, halfway up was a forked section with a small platform. The remnants of a tree fort past. I settled into the spot I had claimed as my own with a small pillow borrowed from my room and sat listening to the birds and the trees. I figured come summer break there would be children running and playing in the forest. But for now it was mine. There was a bus stop I could see from my bedroom window and a hoard of preteen children gathered before school and after school they flooded out of the bus giggling and screeching while they fled to their respective homes. Once I heard the school kids returning to the street, I wound my way back through the trees to my house and slipped through the sunroom into the kitchen to start dinner.

While dinner cooked, I vacuumed, set the table cleaned up lunch dishes from Marie, ventured into Her room to collect any plates, yogurt containers or cups and washed another load of laundry. I straightened the living room and made sure the floors were swept and tidy. I decided that I would do the mopping on Sundays and strip the bed linen on Saturdays. At 6.30 both She and Marie appeared at the table waiting to be served. I cleared the table when they finished, washed the dishes. I cleaned the kitchen and dining room. I went upstairs to help Her bathe endured her slaps and insults and helped her dress for bed. So far, the only infraction had been for leaving glassware on the sink on the drying rack. It was futile to point out that it had been Marie, but I had earned a few hours kneeling in rice.

Almost three weeks had passed by the time He returned. It was instantly worse. There were infractions to pay for every night. I had the belt, the switch, no water, no meals. My skin was raw, and I struggled to climb the trees. My nightmares were filled with clawing animals that tore me apart. I would wake suddenly in the night convinced someone was lurking in the dark. I felt the shifting of air as I held my eyes closed tight. I tried to devise a lock for my door, but I couldn't find anything to use in the garage. There was however a small door in the back of my wardrobe. I had opened it, inside it led to a cavity a small part of the ceiling there was so much dust and cobwebs. I needed time to look inside with a torch, but I hadn't found one yet in my unpacking. I couldn't ask for a torch and I was worried about what dangers might be lurking in the darkness. But I knew there was one thing that could drive me to risk unseen nails, exposed wiring, and hidden crawl spaces, if that was to happen the darkness would be the least of my worries.