The Closet

I recall sitting at the top of the stairs with my ears
covered as i heard the incisive screaming from my mother. At first I thought
they were playing but it became apparent that my father was beating her.

Being around 7 this was first time I heard anything
like this. It was around 11:25pm and we had just come back from the local
watering hole. As I sat at the top of the stairs my mind began racing as to why
this was happening? Why would he want to hurt my poor defenceless mother?

My other siblings were in bed, I was the only one
awake as I found it hard to sleep during that time.

About an hour passed and my mother emerged. I
scattered to my bedroom and climbed into my bed to avoid detection, I didn’t
want to get told off for listening in.

She finally got to the top of the stairs and stopped.
I crept out my bedroom to see her. As I looked up to see her face she was unrecognisable.

She had a bleeding nose, a huge lip and blackened
eyes. I immediately filled up and gave her a hug. She told me to go back bed
but I didn’t want to let go, I was thinking of a million different ways I could
help her but I knew I was defenceless against my father.

Suddenly the lounge door swung open, my father
irrupted up the stairs and my mother pushed me back in my bedroom.

“What the fu*k are you doing standing there you sl*g”
he said in a violent voice. My mother barely had the chance to say anything before a loud “thud”.
I heard my mother crying “please no you’re hurting me” in her bedroom.

I peered round my door and looked into her room. There
he was forcing my mum into a tiny closet, I saw the look on her face and it saddened
me. I wanted to shout and scream get off her but I knew it would upset my mum
and possibly make the situation worse.

I went back into my bedroom and sat on my bed. Around
5 minutes of loud shouting and crying passed then suddenly it went quiet. Then
my father came out of the room and went back down the stairs and into the
living room slamming the door behind him.

I once again crept out of my bedroom and made my way
into my mums room. She was laying on the bed , motionless as if the life had
been beaten out of her. Looking on the floor I seen locks of hair and smashed
glass. I didn’t walk no further. I quietly asked her if she was ok, she replied
“yes im fine”. I knew she wasn’t, but I simply told her I loved her and I went
back to bed.

I lied there for around an hour in silence waiting for
him to come thundering back up the stairs. It truly was the longest hour of my
life. It must have been 2:00am at this time and everyone was now asleep,
including my mother and father.

As I was just going to sleep the electric went. So I layed
there all night in the pitch black staring at my watch waiting for the
morning to come.

Morning arrived and I found I fell asleep for a few
hours. I made my way down the stairs to see my mother and father on the sofa
hugging and kissing as if nothing happened. I was extremely confused as to why
this was going on. I waited until my mother went into the kitchen and asked her
if I was dreaming the previous night’s events.

Turns out I wasn’t, she had just applied a substantial
amount of make up to disguise the beating. My mother told me it would never
happen again so I simply took her word for it.

Every weekend for the next 10 years, it happened. I
lost faith in my mum and began to hate my father. At the age of 18 I developed
schizophrenia and it is down to my childhood at home.

Well im now 20 and living on my own. I also study law
at university. I still hear the screams of my mother but I try to block it out.
I’ve now moved on with my life as have the rest of my family.

Domestic violence is a serious crime and must be reported.
Please do not suffer like I did, speak up.

Contact woman’s aid on 0808 2000 247 or
your local policing unit.



Thanks
for reading.

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