Revelations
Then
Dad went to rehab for almost two weeks before he came home. He was even angrier than when he'd left. He yelled, saying he didn't know why his own children would have put him in that place. He wasn't sick, he just liked to drink.
"You let them do this to me!" he screamed at Mom. "How could you?"
When he raised a hand to hit her, I grabbed his elbow. I wasn't strong enough to stop him, and everyone knew that.
He turned and shoved me against the counter, and my head struck the cabinet. I winced as I slipped down the floor, my hands in my hair, looking for any sort of injury.
"Nina." Dad's voice was weak as he came forward. "Oh, are you hurt? I'm so sorry. But you know you shouldn't grab me like that, not when I'm—"
Drunk?
A monster?
"in the middle of a conversation. You know better."
You know better.
He was in the middle of aconversation with my mom. Was he kidding me?
I blinked at the figure in the hallway—Kayla. She was in her pajamas, her hands shaking as she gripped the wall.
"Dad." Her voice. "Stop doing this. We asked you to get help because you needed it. Look what you're doing to Mom. Look what you did to Nina."
He glanced at her, and I thought he looked like his old self. Until he walked over to her, wrapped his hand around her wrist, and applied pressure until Kayla cried.
I looked away when I heard something snap.
Kayla screamed, cradling her wrist.
"Who are you?" she whispered through gasps.
That's what I wanted to know.
"You let them do this to me!" he screamed at Mom. "How could you?"
When he raised a hand to hit her, I grabbed his elbow. I wasn't strong enough to stop him, and everyone knew that.
He turned and shoved me against the counter, and my head struck the cabinet. I winced as I slipped down the floor, my hands in my hair, looking for any sort of injury.
"Nina." Dad's voice was weak as he came forward. "Oh, are you hurt? I'm so sorry. But you know you shouldn't grab me like that, not when I'm—"
Drunk?
A monster?
"in the middle of a conversation. You know better."
You know better.
He was in the middle of aconversation with my mom. Was he kidding me?
I blinked at the figure in the hallway—Kayla. She was in her pajamas, her hands shaking as she gripped the wall.
"Dad." Her voice. "Stop doing this. We asked you to get help because you needed it. Look what you're doing to Mom. Look what you did to Nina."
He glanced at her, and I thought he looked like his old self. Until he walked over to her, wrapped his hand around her wrist, and applied pressure until Kayla cried.
I looked away when I heard something snap.
Kayla screamed, cradling her wrist.
"Who are you?" she whispered through gasps.
That's what I wanted to know.