I was seven or eight. Remembering which rent house we lived in helps put a date on it.
It had been an up and down day. Daddy had been drinking – again – out of work – again – my sister and I were quarreling – again. He’d had enough. Sent us to bed. We fussed. He heard.
Mom came to us. Whispered. “He wants me to spank you. You’re just little girls. I won’t spank you. You must be brave and cry when I tell you to.†Then, as she lovingly tucked us into bed she slapped her own bare legs. “Cry now, girls.â€
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The 100 Word Challenge this week is TUCK. This is written in honor of my mother who suffered unthinkable things at the hands of my father. She protected my younger sister and me many times. This is a true story. My mother was a survivor. I wish I could tell her how much that night meant to me, even though I did not understand it at the time.
My father wasn’t physically abusive and he didn’t live in the home when I was born but he was an alcoholic and I had 9 siblings that had to live in a home where my mother was the only thing that kept it together..she sounds much like yours’…Diane
A mother’s love… nothing like it… Sad but beautiful..x
I think your Mom knew she was thanked…
This truly breaks my heart. Your mother was a brave woman.
This is saddening and yet so beautiful because of your mother. I have two daughters in elementary school and I can understand your mother’s love and bravery.
You tell this tale ideally. Not maudlin or overly dramatic. You just tell it; and this is prefect because the simple facts move the reader.