I was a Mistake

Gram's Gone

Two Weeks Later

"Wake up, Eden! Put this dress on and then come upstairs." I sat up gingerly and started the awful task of taking my clothes off and putting on a new dress. The 2T dress had fit me so much better than my older ones.

I had turned four over the weekend. Momma told me as she brought me my food that night. Maybe this was what four-year-olds were supposed to be wearing.

I pulled myself up the stairs and looked around to see where Mommy and the twins were. They were sitting in the living room, Momma fixed Gabriella's hair and Gabriel read a book, eating a bag of chips. I was scared of the twins.

I tried to hobble into the living room without being noticed. Gabriella looked up and laughed. I winced. "Mommy, look how silly she looks in her baby clothes!" Gabriel guffawed with her and my momma chuckled.

Momma shook her head. "Come here, Eden. I have to do something to your ratty hair." I slowly walked up to her and she pushed me to the floor and started tugging at my hair. A grunt of pain erupted from me before I could stop it.

"Listen here, brat. You are not to let on that you are in any pain today, got it? Normal mommy's don't send their kids to school with bruised ribs, but that's why I'm the best mommy because I care so much for your education! Also, I can't be bothered thinking about what you're up to when I'm at work." She said the last part under her breath but I still heard it. I nodded sweetly to my pretty momma. She was wearing a pretty dress and her hair was done really nice and curly.

"Right, so let's go, children. Get in the car. Move, Eden!" The twins jumped up and ran to the red car in the driveway. I did my best to keep up, but I hurt really bad. I tried to crawl into the car, but it was high off the ground.

I wished for my basement boxes to lift me up. I struggled for a while trying to jump off the ground or use my arm strength. I pulled hard on the rug on the floorboard and finally lifted myself into the car, a groan of pain escaping before I could stop it.

Now the car seat. I grabbed onto the buckle and pulled hard lifting my body onto the chair, only hitting my side a little. I tried to buckle myself in, but I messed up.

"Four years old and can't even buckle a car seat." Momma shook her head at me before getting in the driver seat and driving to the school without fixing my restraints.

❃ ❃ ❃

"Eden, I don't think I need to tell you to keep your mouth shut today. You seem to be doing quite well with that. No friends, just school. No one will want to talk to a tiny, mute girl anyway," Momma whispered to me when we arrived at a large doorway down Pre-K hall.

We walked into the room with a lot of kids that looked only a little bigger than me and Mommy dragged me to a lady with pretty brown hair and blue eyes. "Hello, what's your name?" the pretty lady asked my name with a large smile, but I stayed quiet.

"This is Eden. I signed her up two weeks ago. She doesn't talk and she's quite the handful, so good luck with that." My momma sounded kind of mean to the pretty lady. "She has three bruised ribs, her brother got a little too aggressive. She shouldn't be any trouble and they'll heal soon, just sit her out at playtime or something," The lady looked shocked but kept the smile on her face.

"We've got a little boy with a broken arm. She can play with him. No need to keep her isolated," the lady insisted.

Momma smiled, but I saw right through her. Momma grabbed my shoulder and squeezed really hard making me flinch. I looked at the nice lady and hoped she wouldn't be like my momma. I stood quietly by a box of dress-up clothes while Momma talked to the teacher privately. She left without so much as a look in my direction.