Old Friends & Family part 2

Chapter 55-1

Old Friends & Family

Part 2

 

Darrald’s family was the last to arrive, by then the excitement was more than over watching the officers head back to their cars to wait if they needed further assistant. I knew my parents were angry and should be, while they sit outside on the front porch getting “some air” or to avoid everyone that was content and happy. No one spoke to them or mentioned anything regarding why I was here or why there were police cars outside watching the house.

Darrald asked, but grandma gave him the same fish tale that she been telling the neighbors. He wasn’t in our circle of trust so he didn’t need to know what had taken place. Grandma introduced him and his family to my two proctors. Stating she had struck a deal with my foster parents and they were part of the conditions. Nothing more needed to be said, like the rest of my family I was invisible and not their concern. It was and will always be “out of sight out of mind.”

That’s how they think about me and my brother. To this very day it disgusts me how they can think that my parents are not the abusers that they truly are, but actually parents. Even more so when it comes to my father when they great him as if he had done no wrong.  I had personally vowed that when he’s dead I would spit on his grave, and never call him Dad. For that title, he had never earned and never will.

It is strange to use the word “Thanksgiving” when you share it with a family that doesn’t feel that you belong; thinking you should be thankful because you share a simple meal and their lives around a common table, but when it comes to you it was better than you didn’t exist at all. The only pictures you will find of me and my brother are hung on my grandmother’s wall. You won’t find them in my parent’s home or my relatives, and in some ways, I am thankful for that and sadden as well.

But the things I am really thankful for are my grandmother and friends that stand by my side every day, but most of all I am thankful for my brother. Even though my parents were sitting at the other end of the table, I didn’t spare them a single glance. Mostly because I was terrified and angry, and that I was very much afraid and knowing someday soon we were going to come to blows, but not today and not tomorrow. I was safe in grandma’s house with my true friends, my protectors.

My parents were angry, as they waited sitting on the couch watching me and my brother. My sisters sat together being still and quiet. Considering none of us wanted nothing to do with them. Waiting for everyone to leave and go on their merry way. Brother Nile's and Mr. Whitmore took seats in the kitchen while the rest of us kids helped put the dishes away. As the hours got late Mr. Whitmore and brother Nile's never moved, it became a Mexican standoff wondering who was going to make the first move.

To kill the time grandma brought out board games when came to dark and cold to play outside. She made leftover turkey sandwiches for everyone; I watched from a safe distance seeing them decline the offer. Grandma shrugged her shoulders and left them to their silence. When two more hours passed Mr. Whitmore told his wife to take the kids home and he would call her when to come back. Either way, he wasn’t leaving until my parents did.

It was an hour later when the storm broke, my father growled and stood and started to head for the bathroom and suddenly he was there grabbing me by the shirt, lifting me off the ground and about to punch me in the face. Only too find that I had slipped through his fingers, feeling the empty shirt in his hands. A trick brother Nile's taught me when facing a bully bigger than me. All I had to do was raise my arms and let gravity do the rest.

My father was furious as he threw my shirt onto the floor. He reached for his belt finding it missing and turned around finding me standing in a corner about to escape the room he thought he had me pinned in. His fist came up but didn’t make contact as brother Nile's was standing in his way; taking the full punch in the middle of his chest. The room was in total panic as things were happening quickly.

My mother was dealing with Mr. Whitmore watching me and my brother escape into the kitchen. Grandma was on the phone, but it was quickly taken out of her hands by my mother and yanked off the wall. Grandma ran to the door only to be stopped by my father; Mr. Whitmore lying on the floor trying to gather himself from being kicked hard in the balls.

My mother lunged for me with the phone cord in her hands. I quickly slid on linoleum floor under the kitchen table, feeling the burn against my chest; and slid into my father while he grabs me only to lose me as I slammed him back against the door. With a wild back kick to the knees, only to be free once more. I quickly grabbed my brother and fled into the bathroom and locked the door.

I watched the door shake as he tried to break it free, having us backed up into the tub and hugged my brother close, while we watched the door. I felt something wet and warm around my bare feet. I looked down seeing that Aaron had pee’ ed his pants and hugged him closer. It seemed like hours, but it was minutes when the house became silent and the door was no longer shaking.

Neither of us moved from the tub, none of us dared to find out was happening on the other side of the door. Dad had taught me a hard lesson, not to be afraid of the lesser monster; when there are bigger ones like him.  I felt calm and yet terrified hearing the silence of the house. Wondering where Don was, last I had seen him, he went out to feed the rabbits and take his dog for a walk.

I heard the front door slam shut hearing voices, but I couldn’t make them out. They grew closer and the door rattled and we both screamed in total panic. We watched the door being pried open and hearing the wood snap where the chain lock snapped away from the wall. The door opened and we both screamed seeing our father with his belt in one hand and cattle prod in the other. The room grew dark as the single bulb in the basement had flickered then gone out above my fathers head. I felt the belt strike my skin while I pulled my brother behind me to protect him from my father’s wrath. The belt kept digging into my skin as I huddled over my brother.

My brother screamed, feeling him being pulled away from me, while my mother tied my hands and feet with my father on top of me holding me down while he tightened the belt around my neck and punching the air out of my lungs. I turned my head gasping for air as I watched my mother drag him out the door, watching him cling to the sides only to be struck over and over again with the cattle prod until he let go screaming all the way up the stairs by the hair. I kicked and bucked trying to get free and get away from him, but his grip was tightening around my neck and I was running out of air. It wasn’t long before I blacked out from the lack of air, and felt my life slipping away.

When I woke I felt dizzy and warm and someone was laying next to me and my hand in someone’s palm, I tried to move and found I wasn’t tied down and felt the soft warm bed. I breathed deeply letting the dream wash over me and letting my body relax and wake up. I knew what happened feeling the dizziness slowly leaves me, someone had tranquilized me. I opened my eyes seeing my grandmother sitting next to me with a worried look on her face, and then she smiled at me said. “Welcome back EJ. I was so worried that you wouldn’t wake up. You gave us quite a scare.”

All I asked. “Are they gone?” Grandma nodded stating they had been escorted off the property and were spending some time thinking about their actions. Nothing more needed to be said on how and who escorted them out. I jerked up and quickly and threw the covers off me, searching for any marks, bruise or anything, not finding anything but slight burn were I slid on my stomach, and that too was fading. I turned and saw Aaron starting to wake up and knew I wasn’t the only one that had been tranquilized.

Brother Nile's walked into the room seeing me finally awake. Breathed a sigh of relief and quickly came to my side. Apologizing for knocking me out, but I didn’t respond so it was the only option and nearly gave my poor grandmother a heart attack when it knocked me and my brother out so quickly. One minute I was a holy terror and the next laying in the tub like a dead fish. Which caused my brother to panic, even more, having him knocked out to thinking they had killed me. I nodded and tried to stand, but my legs weren’t quite awake yet so I fell back onto the bed. Aaron screamed thinking I had just died right there on the spot. Until I rolled over grabbing his hand then he stopped looked at me then lunged for me hugging the stuffing out of me.

It wasn’t long before Mr. Whitmore came in closing the front door stating that everything was back under control, but they want to check me for sure so they can determine that I was unharmed or could be their jobs if they didn’t. I said it was fine and crawled out of bed, feeling my legs wobble a couple of times like I was drunk. Decided it was best just to sit on the bed. It didn’t take long for them to search me considering I was already stripped down to my boxers. The only damage done was the phone in the kitchen and the bathroom door. I was told to call home so my foster parents would know I was alright considering they had been notified that there was a disturbance.

I nodded and slipped back on my boxers and picked up the phone in the bedroom and waited for Dad or Mom to pick up the phone. It only rang a couple of times even though it was almost midnight. Dad answered asked if I needed to come home. I said no that I wasn’t hurt thanks to Brother Nile's. I didn’t mention Mr. Whitmore because he wasn’t so supposed to be here; considering he was an old friend of mine and my doctor during the time I was with Downing’s. What Dad doesn’t know wasn’t going to hurt him. He asked to speak with the officer to confirm I was alright. Once he was satisfied he told me if I needed anything all I had to do was ask. Once again I said I was fine and told him goodnight and hung up the phone.

Nothing changed according to the deal that Grandma and I had struck with Dad. We said goodnight to the officer’s, grandma giving them two turkey sandwiches and two pieces of pumpkin pie; sending them on their way. And made two beds for my proctors even though they both tried to decline the offer, but grandma wouldn’t hear of it. Stating she would feel better if they were here in case my parents decided to come back; even though that was unlikely to happen, but grandma always wins.