Chapter Ten-New Beginnings

Chapter 10

            I couldn’t sleep that night. The nightmares from my life were real, and kept haunting me. It wouldn’t leave me alone, the nightmare in my head was real, very real.

           

            I had been hiding in my room ever since I had gotten home. Why? Kirk had been gone since the night before, and I knew that when he got home, he would reek of the poison and want to beat it out of himself. I wished to god that mom would come home first. There would always be a moment before when you would know what would happen but yet not know.

            There was the seal of the car tires, my heart pounded faster knowing that Kirk would come stumbling through the door at any moment. I was 10 at the time, and this was the last time Kirk would ever hurt me.

“Milo!” he shouted from the doorway. I didn’t move from my seat on the bed I was thinking maybe he would think I was gone, and leave me. But the uneven stomping coming down the hallway was my assurance that he was coming for me, “Milo!” he opened the door, as it slammed into the wall I shuddered but didn’t move, finally fed up, “Where ya been boy?” he sneered at me.

“Here.” I said quietly, as I stared at the floor in front of me not wanting to look up. I could see his feet in front of me and the tips of his hands that held an empty beer bottle. I kept my eyes steady on that while he swayed.

            The next thing I know I’m on the living room floor by back was aching and I couldn’t get up. I couldn’t hear anything but mom was home. I could feel her presence, that was all I knew or could remember that day. But the next thing I knew was that Kirk was gone.

            For a few months it was hard to move regularly, in a mirror there were two scars that ran down my back. I thought thing would be different after Kirk would leave and they were, just not the way anyone would expect them to be. While my mom had to take on two jobs to be able to pay for Carmen and I. While mom was more stable than Kirk, there were always the nervous habits that one would pick up just as Kirk had, mom had gotten into smoking which had killed her.

            Since the state still thought that my parents were with each other they didn’t put me or Carmen in some home.

 

            While the moonlight shone through my bedroom window my mind raced not knowing what to focus on. I sat up uneasily, sore from the rumble. It was nearly three in the morning, you think one would be able to fall asleep in an instant. There was silence except for my heavy breathing.

“Milo?”

“What?” I asked Carmen.

“Look, I know you hate Kirk’s guts but he’s my father too. You should have seen him when I came in this afternoon, he just seemed like he wanted to help.”

“Carmen, can’t you see-“

“Milo, just listen to me for once, trust me.”

            I sighed, “Fine, you talk to him all you want but I want nothing to do with him.”

“Milo-“she stopped, “Fine, have it your way.” She left the room and it was silent once again.