Status: completed :)
Battered Bananas
Battered Bananas
Miranda
SMACK!
The punch came from nowhere and I fell to the floor. I tried to sit up, but received another punch and I fell backwards with my head hitting the hard floor, and I stayed lying this time. My head was pounding and I breathed heavily.
"I fucking told you not to come back! Didn't you hear what I said? I said that the next time you came back here, you're dead. Get it? DEAD!" Dad kicked me in the stomach and left the room.
I lost my breath and tears flooded down my cheeks. Why had I thought that he was sorry? That he didn't mean what he had said? Why?
Dad came back to my room, and this time he held a baseball bat with him. He looked at me on the floor with disgust and raised the baseball bat.
I crept up and protected my head with my arms.
Now, I thought, now it's all over.
7 hours earlier
Lucas
I had prepared myself big time. Three layers of thick, warm clothes dressed my body. It was January, 14 degrees cold and it was a snowstorm in Stockholm. It had snowed and blown continuously in 3 days. School was cancelled thanks to this terrible weather, which I thought was great, but now we didn't have any more bananas at home. I am crazy about bananas, so I decided to defy the weather Gods and walk to the nearest food store and buy myself good banana storage. Mom had forced me to out on every single item of clothing she had found, so that I wouldn't freeze. I looked at mom begging her to drive me, but she only shook her head and gave me a "you-want-bananas?-you-buy-them-yourself" look and pulled up my jacket over my chin.
I sighed, opened the door and threw myself out in the storm.
Miranda
It was a 7.45 in the morning and I could not sleep. I haven't been able to sleep during the night ether. Dad had been drinking. So I locked myself into my closet and listened for any sound that Dad did. I had been afraid and I had hoped with all my heart that Dad would not find me.
I had made up my mind to go out, so I opened my door quietly, looked at my father who was laying in a very strange position, (half on the floor, half on the couch and half on the sofa table) and I went out to the hall. When I took my jacket, the whole jacket stand fell down with a load crash.
- Goddamn. Mirre? Stop being so fucking loud! Dad had woken up and walked into the hall where I was standing, stiff with fear. In his hand he held an alcohol bottle. He put it to the mouth, drank and continued;
- And where the hell do you think you're going?
- I am going out dad. And stop drinking; it's not even eight in the morning.
- You! You will not tell me what to do, and what not to do, understand!? Understood!? He pressed me up against the door, hard, and slapped me across my cheek. He let go of me and I fell to the floor. Suddenly he raised one leg, and I knew that he would kick me. So I stood up quickly, opened the door, threw myself out of it, hit the door hard back in dad's surprised face and ran down the stairs. After every breath I took my lungs were screaming for help, after every movement I did, made my tears fall down my face. But I refused to stop running down the stairs, until I got to the front door. I stopped and hesitated. Outside, it was a snowstorm and I had only a thick sweater and a pair of jeans on me. But my dad to open our door and yelled:
- Do you ever dare to return here again, I will kill you! Do you understand that? I will kill you!
I didn't hesitate anymore; I opened the door and ran straight into the snowstorm, and ran as I had never run before.
Lucas
The snow whirled around me and the wind were pulling and tearing my clothes. It was hard to see where I walked, the snow reached me to my shins and occasionally I tripped when I stepped on a pavement or on a big rock. I sent a silent thank you to my mom for forcing me to wear all these clothes. The trip to the food store was difficult and when I finally arrived I was exhausted. Walking in head wind, with snow up to the shins took a lot of energy. But now I was finally here. I went in, collected a large bunch of my beloved bananas, paid and went out again. Yikes, now it had become dark as well, so I decided to take a shortcut home. I would just have to walk around to the back of the store, across the street, then cross in front of a mosque, then three more blocks and finally I would be home. Or so I thought…
Miranda
where would I go? I had nowhere to go, no one to go to. It was freezing too. Would I freeze to death before I could come up with a place that could warm me?
My teeth chattered and I froze so much that I could not breathe normally. I sat down in a snowdrift behind a car which was parked at the sidewalk. I close my eyes, warmed my chest so that my heart wouldn't stop. The tears on my cheeks were cold and the flooded down continuously.
Lucas
The shortcut was a good and quick way home. Soon home, I thought and hurried on my steps when I saw the mosque. Suddenly I saw something lying in a snowdrift in front of me. I stopped, and looked curious on the dark figure a few feet farther away than where I was standing. Suddenly I realized that the dark figure in the snowdrift was a girl wearing only a thick sweater and jeans. I quickly ran up to her, she was sleeping. I lifted her up in my arms; her body was ice-cold, but not heavy. I looked desperate for somewhere warm and safe place where I could warm her.
The mosque, I thought, and I walked towards the mosque with as big and fast steps as I could in this weather.
The mosque was empty of people and all quiet. I took her in a room and put her down on an old brown couch. May she not be dead; I thought and looked at her. Her body was blue from the cold, as well as her lips, but her hair was red as fire. She was very beautiful, apart from all of the bruises in her face and on her body. Her lips had a perfect shape and her nose was small and very cute. I could see that she had been crying by the marks on her cheeks. I felt a sting on pain in my heart thinking about what could have caused this beautiful girl all this pain and bruises. I found a blanket and I put it over her body. On her feet there was only a pair of wet and cold socks. I took of the socks and wormed her feet with my hands. Then I realized that all of her clothes were cold and wet, and that she had to get out of them to be able to get wormer.
I looked at her with an apology in my eyes for what I was going to have to do and hoped with all my heart that she would forgive me when she woke up, if she woke up.
Miranda
I felt a hand that gently strokes me over my face and I opened my eyes with horror. But what I saw was not what I had expected. The hands that had stroked me over my face belonged to a guy my age that quickly took his hands away from me and backed a few steps. He looked at me in the awkwardness off being caught touching me, and he became red about the ears. His hair was black and a little bit curly and he was very cute. I smiled at him curious and raised one eyebrow as a question.
- I ... um... eeh ... I ... you ... um ... oh ... Hs face got all red and he looked down at his feet. He looked up at me again, but quickly turned and looked away.
- Banana? He suddenly asked me and handed out a banana to me.
Lucas
Banana! BANANA! Of all the things I could have said, I said: banana! AH! Sometimes, I just get so mad at myself.
She would probably think that I am this huge idiot or moron or a pathetic little kid. Crap!
But she took the banana out of my hand, touching my hand as she took it. I became even redder in my face, and hated that she noticed it. But she only smiled at me with an amazingly beautiful smile and peeled the banana. When she had eaten the banana, she asked me who I was and what she did in this room.
I looked down at my feet when I explained that I had found her outside the mosque in a snowdrift, sleeping, and that I had taken her inside the mosque to save her. I told her that I had put her down on the couch and that I had found some blankets to put over her body.
I looked up to see her reaction so far, her face was calm and as stunning as it always was.
I understood that I had to tell her the whole truth before she realized what I had done before I could tell her. I took a deep breath and continued, still looking down at my feet and my face turned red.
- I also had to get you out of your own cold and wet clothes. So I took one of my sweater and a pair of trousers that I had on me and, well… they are on you now….
I hated myself at that moment, why on earth did I change clothes on her? Sure, she got worm again, and she is alive now, but I did not want to know how she would react to what I just had said.
I forced myself to look up at her. She was looking down on her body under the blankets, then back at me, and back to my clothes she was wearing.
- I didn't look. I swear! I started to panic a little, because her face was as if it had been cut out of stone. I hurried to her side. I promise you, I haven't looked at you, or touched you or anything like that. I promise, I am not that kind of guy. I would never do anything like that. I only did it because your body would freeze even more if you had your clothes on you, and I didn't want you to die. Please, believe me. Please, I am so sorry. You have to believe me, I am….
She put her finger on my mouth and I went quiet. I met her eyes, they were not angry, not suspicious, not scared, not anything. Her eyes just showed me gratitude.
- I believe you, she said quietly, and her hands stroke my cheek as a thank you.
Miranda
- Thanks Lucas! I gave him a quick hug before I opened the front door and walked up the stairs.
It had stopped snowing, and Lucas and I had sat for hours and talked about everything and nothing. He was a wonderful guy. He made me laugh, he made me feel good inside and he was easy to talk about. I had forgotten all about Dad. Lucas had followed me home, he had asked me a little about how I had it at home, but I avoided the subject.
When I left him outside the apartment, he had a small crease in his forehead, but he said goodbye and looked at me as I went up the stairs. When I stood outside our door, I remembered what dad had said. But it was not the first time he had said that he would kill me, and all the other times, he had said sorry when I came back home again. Perhaps it was the same thing this time. I opened the door and went quietly in. Directly the smell of alcohol reached my lungs and I was disgusted by the smell. I went into my room, I didn't see or hear my dad, maybe he was outside, or sleeping I thought when I stood in my room looking outside my window.
SMACK!
The punch came from nowhere and I fell to the floor. I tried to sit up, but received another punch and I fell back on the floor with my head hitting the hard floor, and I became lying this time. My head was pounding and I breathed heavily.
- I fucking told you not to come back! Didn't you hear what I said? I said that the next time you came back here, you're dead. Get it? DEAD! Dad kicked me in the stomach and left the room.
I lost my breath and tears flooded down my cheeks. Why had I thought that he was sorry? That he didn't mean what he had said? Why?
Dad came back to my room, and this time he held a baseball bat with him. He looked at me on the floor with disgust and raised the baseball bat.
I crept up and protected my head with my arms.
Now, I thought, now it's all over.
Lucas
I hesitated not a second when I heard the sound inside the door. I threw it open, and I saw a man walk into a room with a baseball bat in his hand and I ran as fast and quiet as I could towards him. The man raised the bad, and in front of him I was Miranda. I used all of my energy that I had left and tackled the man down on the floor. He fell prone and hit his head in the edge of the closet and became still on the floor.
Quickly, I ran up to Miranda. She was shaken of fear on the floor with her hands around her head and when I touched her back the switched and screamed with horror.
- Miranda? It is just me, Lucas, I said and tried to speak calmly and with a soft voice, but my voice betrayed me.
- Lucas? She turned towards me with concern and then she looked at her father, and then back at me.
- I could not just leave you until I knew that you would be safe. I had a feeling that everything was not alright at home, so I followed you and heard what was going on, so I came in, and ... my voice died out and I fell silent. The gaze of her eyes went from horror, to the surprise, the gratitude and tears.
- Thanks Lucas! She whispered.
1 year later
Lucas and Miranda are sitting on a meeting with the welfare authorities. It is now a year since Miranda and Lucas contacted them and so far, everything has gone well. Miranda's father is in closed mental health, Miranda has been put in a foster family, and Lucas and Miranda are best friends, but also are dating.
The memories will follow Miranda rest of her life, but thanks to Lucas, is life easier and she is forever grateful that she is alive thanks to him.
SMACK!
The punch came from nowhere and I fell to the floor. I tried to sit up, but received another punch and I fell backwards with my head hitting the hard floor, and I stayed lying this time. My head was pounding and I breathed heavily.
"I fucking told you not to come back! Didn't you hear what I said? I said that the next time you came back here, you're dead. Get it? DEAD!" Dad kicked me in the stomach and left the room.
I lost my breath and tears flooded down my cheeks. Why had I thought that he was sorry? That he didn't mean what he had said? Why?
Dad came back to my room, and this time he held a baseball bat with him. He looked at me on the floor with disgust and raised the baseball bat.
I crept up and protected my head with my arms.
Now, I thought, now it's all over.
7 hours earlier
Lucas
I had prepared myself big time. Three layers of thick, warm clothes dressed my body. It was January, 14 degrees cold and it was a snowstorm in Stockholm. It had snowed and blown continuously in 3 days. School was cancelled thanks to this terrible weather, which I thought was great, but now we didn't have any more bananas at home. I am crazy about bananas, so I decided to defy the weather Gods and walk to the nearest food store and buy myself good banana storage. Mom had forced me to out on every single item of clothing she had found, so that I wouldn't freeze. I looked at mom begging her to drive me, but she only shook her head and gave me a "you-want-bananas?-you-buy-them-yourself" look and pulled up my jacket over my chin.
I sighed, opened the door and threw myself out in the storm.
Miranda
It was a 7.45 in the morning and I could not sleep. I haven't been able to sleep during the night ether. Dad had been drinking. So I locked myself into my closet and listened for any sound that Dad did. I had been afraid and I had hoped with all my heart that Dad would not find me.
I had made up my mind to go out, so I opened my door quietly, looked at my father who was laying in a very strange position, (half on the floor, half on the couch and half on the sofa table) and I went out to the hall. When I took my jacket, the whole jacket stand fell down with a load crash.
- Goddamn. Mirre? Stop being so fucking loud! Dad had woken up and walked into the hall where I was standing, stiff with fear. In his hand he held an alcohol bottle. He put it to the mouth, drank and continued;
- And where the hell do you think you're going?
- I am going out dad. And stop drinking; it's not even eight in the morning.
- You! You will not tell me what to do, and what not to do, understand!? Understood!? He pressed me up against the door, hard, and slapped me across my cheek. He let go of me and I fell to the floor. Suddenly he raised one leg, and I knew that he would kick me. So I stood up quickly, opened the door, threw myself out of it, hit the door hard back in dad's surprised face and ran down the stairs. After every breath I took my lungs were screaming for help, after every movement I did, made my tears fall down my face. But I refused to stop running down the stairs, until I got to the front door. I stopped and hesitated. Outside, it was a snowstorm and I had only a thick sweater and a pair of jeans on me. But my dad to open our door and yelled:
- Do you ever dare to return here again, I will kill you! Do you understand that? I will kill you!
I didn't hesitate anymore; I opened the door and ran straight into the snowstorm, and ran as I had never run before.
Lucas
The snow whirled around me and the wind were pulling and tearing my clothes. It was hard to see where I walked, the snow reached me to my shins and occasionally I tripped when I stepped on a pavement or on a big rock. I sent a silent thank you to my mom for forcing me to wear all these clothes. The trip to the food store was difficult and when I finally arrived I was exhausted. Walking in head wind, with snow up to the shins took a lot of energy. But now I was finally here. I went in, collected a large bunch of my beloved bananas, paid and went out again. Yikes, now it had become dark as well, so I decided to take a shortcut home. I would just have to walk around to the back of the store, across the street, then cross in front of a mosque, then three more blocks and finally I would be home. Or so I thought…
Miranda
where would I go? I had nowhere to go, no one to go to. It was freezing too. Would I freeze to death before I could come up with a place that could warm me?
My teeth chattered and I froze so much that I could not breathe normally. I sat down in a snowdrift behind a car which was parked at the sidewalk. I close my eyes, warmed my chest so that my heart wouldn't stop. The tears on my cheeks were cold and the flooded down continuously.
Lucas
The shortcut was a good and quick way home. Soon home, I thought and hurried on my steps when I saw the mosque. Suddenly I saw something lying in a snowdrift in front of me. I stopped, and looked curious on the dark figure a few feet farther away than where I was standing. Suddenly I realized that the dark figure in the snowdrift was a girl wearing only a thick sweater and jeans. I quickly ran up to her, she was sleeping. I lifted her up in my arms; her body was ice-cold, but not heavy. I looked desperate for somewhere warm and safe place where I could warm her.
The mosque, I thought, and I walked towards the mosque with as big and fast steps as I could in this weather.
The mosque was empty of people and all quiet. I took her in a room and put her down on an old brown couch. May she not be dead; I thought and looked at her. Her body was blue from the cold, as well as her lips, but her hair was red as fire. She was very beautiful, apart from all of the bruises in her face and on her body. Her lips had a perfect shape and her nose was small and very cute. I could see that she had been crying by the marks on her cheeks. I felt a sting on pain in my heart thinking about what could have caused this beautiful girl all this pain and bruises. I found a blanket and I put it over her body. On her feet there was only a pair of wet and cold socks. I took of the socks and wormed her feet with my hands. Then I realized that all of her clothes were cold and wet, and that she had to get out of them to be able to get wormer.
I looked at her with an apology in my eyes for what I was going to have to do and hoped with all my heart that she would forgive me when she woke up, if she woke up.
Miranda
I felt a hand that gently strokes me over my face and I opened my eyes with horror. But what I saw was not what I had expected. The hands that had stroked me over my face belonged to a guy my age that quickly took his hands away from me and backed a few steps. He looked at me in the awkwardness off being caught touching me, and he became red about the ears. His hair was black and a little bit curly and he was very cute. I smiled at him curious and raised one eyebrow as a question.
- I ... um... eeh ... I ... you ... um ... oh ... Hs face got all red and he looked down at his feet. He looked up at me again, but quickly turned and looked away.
- Banana? He suddenly asked me and handed out a banana to me.
Lucas
Banana! BANANA! Of all the things I could have said, I said: banana! AH! Sometimes, I just get so mad at myself.
She would probably think that I am this huge idiot or moron or a pathetic little kid. Crap!
But she took the banana out of my hand, touching my hand as she took it. I became even redder in my face, and hated that she noticed it. But she only smiled at me with an amazingly beautiful smile and peeled the banana. When she had eaten the banana, she asked me who I was and what she did in this room.
I looked down at my feet when I explained that I had found her outside the mosque in a snowdrift, sleeping, and that I had taken her inside the mosque to save her. I told her that I had put her down on the couch and that I had found some blankets to put over her body.
I looked up to see her reaction so far, her face was calm and as stunning as it always was.
I understood that I had to tell her the whole truth before she realized what I had done before I could tell her. I took a deep breath and continued, still looking down at my feet and my face turned red.
- I also had to get you out of your own cold and wet clothes. So I took one of my sweater and a pair of trousers that I had on me and, well… they are on you now….
I hated myself at that moment, why on earth did I change clothes on her? Sure, she got worm again, and she is alive now, but I did not want to know how she would react to what I just had said.
I forced myself to look up at her. She was looking down on her body under the blankets, then back at me, and back to my clothes she was wearing.
- I didn't look. I swear! I started to panic a little, because her face was as if it had been cut out of stone. I hurried to her side. I promise you, I haven't looked at you, or touched you or anything like that. I promise, I am not that kind of guy. I would never do anything like that. I only did it because your body would freeze even more if you had your clothes on you, and I didn't want you to die. Please, believe me. Please, I am so sorry. You have to believe me, I am….
She put her finger on my mouth and I went quiet. I met her eyes, they were not angry, not suspicious, not scared, not anything. Her eyes just showed me gratitude.
- I believe you, she said quietly, and her hands stroke my cheek as a thank you.
Miranda
- Thanks Lucas! I gave him a quick hug before I opened the front door and walked up the stairs.
It had stopped snowing, and Lucas and I had sat for hours and talked about everything and nothing. He was a wonderful guy. He made me laugh, he made me feel good inside and he was easy to talk about. I had forgotten all about Dad. Lucas had followed me home, he had asked me a little about how I had it at home, but I avoided the subject.
When I left him outside the apartment, he had a small crease in his forehead, but he said goodbye and looked at me as I went up the stairs. When I stood outside our door, I remembered what dad had said. But it was not the first time he had said that he would kill me, and all the other times, he had said sorry when I came back home again. Perhaps it was the same thing this time. I opened the door and went quietly in. Directly the smell of alcohol reached my lungs and I was disgusted by the smell. I went into my room, I didn't see or hear my dad, maybe he was outside, or sleeping I thought when I stood in my room looking outside my window.
SMACK!
The punch came from nowhere and I fell to the floor. I tried to sit up, but received another punch and I fell back on the floor with my head hitting the hard floor, and I became lying this time. My head was pounding and I breathed heavily.
- I fucking told you not to come back! Didn't you hear what I said? I said that the next time you came back here, you're dead. Get it? DEAD! Dad kicked me in the stomach and left the room.
I lost my breath and tears flooded down my cheeks. Why had I thought that he was sorry? That he didn't mean what he had said? Why?
Dad came back to my room, and this time he held a baseball bat with him. He looked at me on the floor with disgust and raised the baseball bat.
I crept up and protected my head with my arms.
Now, I thought, now it's all over.
Lucas
I hesitated not a second when I heard the sound inside the door. I threw it open, and I saw a man walk into a room with a baseball bat in his hand and I ran as fast and quiet as I could towards him. The man raised the bad, and in front of him I was Miranda. I used all of my energy that I had left and tackled the man down on the floor. He fell prone and hit his head in the edge of the closet and became still on the floor.
Quickly, I ran up to Miranda. She was shaken of fear on the floor with her hands around her head and when I touched her back the switched and screamed with horror.
- Miranda? It is just me, Lucas, I said and tried to speak calmly and with a soft voice, but my voice betrayed me.
- Lucas? She turned towards me with concern and then she looked at her father, and then back at me.
- I could not just leave you until I knew that you would be safe. I had a feeling that everything was not alright at home, so I followed you and heard what was going on, so I came in, and ... my voice died out and I fell silent. The gaze of her eyes went from horror, to the surprise, the gratitude and tears.
- Thanks Lucas! She whispered.
1 year later
Lucas and Miranda are sitting on a meeting with the welfare authorities. It is now a year since Miranda and Lucas contacted them and so far, everything has gone well. Miranda's father is in closed mental health, Miranda has been put in a foster family, and Lucas and Miranda are best friends, but also are dating.
The memories will follow Miranda rest of her life, but thanks to Lucas, is life easier and she is forever grateful that she is alive thanks to him.