Her Mother woke her -the sleeping 7 year old girl- around midnight on December 23rd. She woke the child, gathered some clothing and lead her from her room telling her that they were leaving.
They walked into the living room and HE was there. HIM, with that ugly baby of his...
and the girl's baby brother. Apparently they were leaving with this man.
The girl's father waved his arms, drunken and screaming, so close to tears.
"I'm leaving."
The leaving persons walked into the kitchen where the girl saw her big brother.
She respected him.
She admired him.
and she couldn't recall a single time that she'd ever seen him cry...
But there he was; half-drunk and crying.
Loudly.
His tragic, weeping moan cutting the smokey air
"Why are you doing this? Why?
Why are you doing this to me?"
It was his birthday.
The little girl was horrified and her own tears came.
Silently.
They left the house, the girl, her mother, her baby brother, that man and his ugly child
with her father yelling out the door
all sorts of insults and obscenities.
They left that house where her brother was crying and her father was screaming
and they spent the night in a cheap motel.
As the girl drifted into sleep, she noticed her mother and that man sleeping in the same bed
and being mature for her age, she wondered how long they'd been sleeping together.
When they woke the next morning and went to McDonald's for breakfast
for some odd reason-
for some unknown, peculair reason-
that 7 year old girl felt strangely homeless.
A heartbroken child on Christmas Eve.
I know it wasn't that big of a deal.
I know it was certianly for the best...
but the images and feelings still stand out
Hideously vivid in my mind-
and always will, I suppose
when Christmas time rolls 'round.
---
Merry Christmas,
-Sara
