I stared at the solar system poster my mom gave me for my 4th birthday. Mom was cooking dinner while I sat on the kitchen dinning table staring at my gift. I had wished for the Children's illustrated encyclopedia but she had told me she could not afford it. That my birthday gift would have to wait again. She promised that it would get better each year she could not give me one. This year however she had told me that Mrs Wesley's granddaughter no longer wanted her poster which was fine by me because I loved it. If she did not want it I could have it. I loved the planets and the sun.
There are eight planets in the solar system.
Mercury is the closests to the sun. Then Venus is the hottest. We live on earth. Mars is our neighbour. Jupiter is the biggest planet ever. Saturn has rings. Uranus is lazy because it lies on its side. Neptune has a spot. Pluto is a dwarf planet and the farthest away.
The sky held all of this and it was amazing. I want to go there someday, and mom said I could when I grew up.
Bang! the door echoed.
I stopped what I was doing and looked at the frozen form of mom. "Hooney!!" Dad slurred. She always seemed to be more fragile whenever dad was present.
Mom paused her cooking, looked at me and told me to go to my room.
I planted my feet on the floor and my bum on the chair hesitating, knowing that Dad never hurt mom when I was there. I was his favorite son after all.
"Sebastian go to your room. I'll be there later, just have to tend to your dad, it's one of his nights" She strained a mile that did not fit her face.
I slid off the chair and reached for my poster, carefully carrying it so I didn't fold it. I liked my paper flat.
Dad barged in through the doorway, a bottle in his hand. He looked and me smiled a drunken smile and then turned to mom. He frowned and signalled me away. I hurriedly went up the stairs and locked my room. A habit my mom told me to do whenever dad got home with a beer in his hand.
I did not hear anything from the kitchen which was surprising. Usually dad would scream at mom by now.
I was worried. I wanted to make sure mom was alright today. But mom always said that having bruises after arguments were normal so I believed her.
Sure that tonight will be a quite one I sat on the floor, and continued to admire my poster.
1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1
