Categories > Celebrities > Fall Out Boy > Seven Ways To Sunday
“How long has this been going on?” I just shrugged my shoulders. “Marcia never knew?”
“I would hide the bruises, I used to make her hide in the closet so he wouldn’t come after her. As she got older, I worked harder to make him not notice her. I would send her over Janay’s to stay the weekend I just did what ever I had to…”
“Okay, It’s okay baby,” That gentile caring voice took the place of the brash and abrasive one that had made me make my confession only moments earlier. It had occurred once to tell someone, but then I thought about what would happen if I did.
Firstly no one would believe me cause I was the screw up in the family. If they did believe me they would take us away from them and split us up. I couldn’t protect Marcia if she wasn’t with me that was a fact and I couldn’t be sure who would end up where. He smoothed down my hair and looked into my eyes. I noticed his face was wet with tears. He took off his sweatshirt and put it on me, then scooped me up into his arms and carried me into the living room. I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. Jepha was sitting on the couch and in front of him on the table Bert was cutting lines. I had to look away as Bert snorted the first one.
“Non,” Jepha called.
“Don’t Jepha, I’m not responsible for you and you don’t have to tell me anything.” I said not looking at him.
“Non I’m clean, I’ve been clean for a year now. I went into rehab a month after you left me and I swore that I would do this…”
“It’s been three years Jepha and your just a year clean? Why the hell are you even here then?” I said yelling. I made Pete put me down and stood there in his sweatshirt and Jepha’s boxers. “You shouldn’t be anywhere near him, or that,”
“This was the only place I could come since you moved.” He stood up and walked toward me. “I went to your old place looking for you. I had to look you up and it took me a couple of days. Nonnie I swear…”
“I don’t care.” I said. “I don’t care if you’re clean or not, I don’t care why you’re here. Thank you for… last night.” I couldn’t say it and an uncomfortable silence came over the room. I looked over at Marcia and Gerard. He looked uncomfortable, but I think it had more to do with Bert snorting line after line of coke. It was like dangling meat in front of a hungry lion. “Pete can we go?” I said turning to him. He just picked me back up and carried me out to Gerard’s car. Gerard and Marcia following close behind us.
“Gerard take us to the hospital,” Pete said once we had settled.
“No, please I just wanna go.” I pleaded.
“All you have to do is tell them what happened. I’m just taking care of myself,” he said to me.
“Please no, they’ll call the cops and cause problems. I just wanna go.”
“It’s a good thing I don’t care what you want. I only care about what I want and I want to make sure I’m not hurt.” He kept referring to me as himself, it was odd and I was happy that Marcia and Gerard couldn’t hear him.
Gerard obviously agreed with him though ‘cause not much later we pulled up to the emergency room. Pete carried me in and sat me in the waiting room. I sat there playing with the drawstring on the hoodie. There was nothing I hated more than doctors. I mean I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to one.
“Miss. Woods,” a nurse called. I walked back. Pete appeared out of nowhere and took my hand. They made me put on a paper gown that tied in the back. “So Miss. Woods what is the reason for your visit this morning.”
“She was attacked.” Pete answered when I just sat there sputtering for an answer.
“Oh,” the nurse said giving him a suspicious look. “Do you think I could speak to Miss. Woods alone?” She asked Pete.
“Yes, do you mind if I send her sister back though. I really don’t like the idea of her being back here alone.” she nodded and he left the two of us alone. She started to examine the bruises and scratches all over my body.
“He didn’t do this nurse. I know that’s what you’re thinking, I mean he’s not by far the nicest guy on the planet, but he wouldn’t ever hurt me like this…”
“Then who did cause the evidence is stacking up against him nicely.” I clinched my eyes closed. “If you don’t tell us, we will have no choice but to assume it’s him. They will arrest him and he’ll go to jail.” that couldn’t have been true.
“No, I would have to press charges.”
“You watch too much law and order, that’s not the way it works.” I wasn’t sure I believed her, I mean that had to be the way it worked right? “But if they had another suspect, they would leave him alone.” then Marcia came into the room. “I’m going to have to take pictures of the bruises.” the nurse said. I heard Marcia gasp when she saw the bruises.
“Please don’t send him to jail, he really didn’t do this,” I begged.
“We don’t have any other suspects and the way he was acting…”
“It was our father,” Marcia said through her tears. “He’s been abusive since we were kids.”
“How did this happen?”
“He broke into our house and Nonnie came home while he was there.”
“Did he ever touch you?” I asked this, I liked to think that I had kept her safe all these years, but I couldn’t be sure. That would make every beating I’ve taken over the years worth it.
“No, he never…” she started sobbing.
“Marcy, don’t…” I said. I didn’t want her to think any of this had anything to do with her. I have always been thankful that he came after me instead of her.
“She’ll have to tell her story to the cops. It has to come from her.”
“Is it okay if I come back?” Pete said stopping at the door.
“Yes, maybe you can convince her to tell the police what happened.”
“Just tell them to come in here, she’ll tell them everything.” two minutes later two officers came into the room.
I did, I told them everything that my father had ever done to me. It had started as just beatings and when I turned sixteen it turned to more. Frank noticed a change in me and that’s the only reason he even knew that it happened. When that kid got an idea in his head he wouldn’t let it go. The only reason he gave up on asking me who did it is cause I cried. He’d never seen me cry before and much like Pete hated it. Not long after that, I started using with Jepha. Frank was also the first one to notice that. I will never understand why he would hurt me the way he did. Then they left me to cry in Pete’s arms. He was being so nice and caring. He was doing what he said he would do. Taking care of me.
“I would hide the bruises, I used to make her hide in the closet so he wouldn’t come after her. As she got older, I worked harder to make him not notice her. I would send her over Janay’s to stay the weekend I just did what ever I had to…”
“Okay, It’s okay baby,” That gentile caring voice took the place of the brash and abrasive one that had made me make my confession only moments earlier. It had occurred once to tell someone, but then I thought about what would happen if I did.
Firstly no one would believe me cause I was the screw up in the family. If they did believe me they would take us away from them and split us up. I couldn’t protect Marcia if she wasn’t with me that was a fact and I couldn’t be sure who would end up where. He smoothed down my hair and looked into my eyes. I noticed his face was wet with tears. He took off his sweatshirt and put it on me, then scooped me up into his arms and carried me into the living room. I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. Jepha was sitting on the couch and in front of him on the table Bert was cutting lines. I had to look away as Bert snorted the first one.
“Non,” Jepha called.
“Don’t Jepha, I’m not responsible for you and you don’t have to tell me anything.” I said not looking at him.
“Non I’m clean, I’ve been clean for a year now. I went into rehab a month after you left me and I swore that I would do this…”
“It’s been three years Jepha and your just a year clean? Why the hell are you even here then?” I said yelling. I made Pete put me down and stood there in his sweatshirt and Jepha’s boxers. “You shouldn’t be anywhere near him, or that,”
“This was the only place I could come since you moved.” He stood up and walked toward me. “I went to your old place looking for you. I had to look you up and it took me a couple of days. Nonnie I swear…”
“I don’t care.” I said. “I don’t care if you’re clean or not, I don’t care why you’re here. Thank you for… last night.” I couldn’t say it and an uncomfortable silence came over the room. I looked over at Marcia and Gerard. He looked uncomfortable, but I think it had more to do with Bert snorting line after line of coke. It was like dangling meat in front of a hungry lion. “Pete can we go?” I said turning to him. He just picked me back up and carried me out to Gerard’s car. Gerard and Marcia following close behind us.
“Gerard take us to the hospital,” Pete said once we had settled.
“No, please I just wanna go.” I pleaded.
“All you have to do is tell them what happened. I’m just taking care of myself,” he said to me.
“Please no, they’ll call the cops and cause problems. I just wanna go.”
“It’s a good thing I don’t care what you want. I only care about what I want and I want to make sure I’m not hurt.” He kept referring to me as himself, it was odd and I was happy that Marcia and Gerard couldn’t hear him.
Gerard obviously agreed with him though ‘cause not much later we pulled up to the emergency room. Pete carried me in and sat me in the waiting room. I sat there playing with the drawstring on the hoodie. There was nothing I hated more than doctors. I mean I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to one.
“Miss. Woods,” a nurse called. I walked back. Pete appeared out of nowhere and took my hand. They made me put on a paper gown that tied in the back. “So Miss. Woods what is the reason for your visit this morning.”
“She was attacked.” Pete answered when I just sat there sputtering for an answer.
“Oh,” the nurse said giving him a suspicious look. “Do you think I could speak to Miss. Woods alone?” She asked Pete.
“Yes, do you mind if I send her sister back though. I really don’t like the idea of her being back here alone.” she nodded and he left the two of us alone. She started to examine the bruises and scratches all over my body.
“He didn’t do this nurse. I know that’s what you’re thinking, I mean he’s not by far the nicest guy on the planet, but he wouldn’t ever hurt me like this…”
“Then who did cause the evidence is stacking up against him nicely.” I clinched my eyes closed. “If you don’t tell us, we will have no choice but to assume it’s him. They will arrest him and he’ll go to jail.” that couldn’t have been true.
“No, I would have to press charges.”
“You watch too much law and order, that’s not the way it works.” I wasn’t sure I believed her, I mean that had to be the way it worked right? “But if they had another suspect, they would leave him alone.” then Marcia came into the room. “I’m going to have to take pictures of the bruises.” the nurse said. I heard Marcia gasp when she saw the bruises.
“Please don’t send him to jail, he really didn’t do this,” I begged.
“We don’t have any other suspects and the way he was acting…”
“It was our father,” Marcia said through her tears. “He’s been abusive since we were kids.”
“How did this happen?”
“He broke into our house and Nonnie came home while he was there.”
“Did he ever touch you?” I asked this, I liked to think that I had kept her safe all these years, but I couldn’t be sure. That would make every beating I’ve taken over the years worth it.
“No, he never…” she started sobbing.
“Marcy, don’t…” I said. I didn’t want her to think any of this had anything to do with her. I have always been thankful that he came after me instead of her.
“She’ll have to tell her story to the cops. It has to come from her.”
“Is it okay if I come back?” Pete said stopping at the door.
“Yes, maybe you can convince her to tell the police what happened.”
“Just tell them to come in here, she’ll tell them everything.” two minutes later two officers came into the room.
I did, I told them everything that my father had ever done to me. It had started as just beatings and when I turned sixteen it turned to more. Frank noticed a change in me and that’s the only reason he even knew that it happened. When that kid got an idea in his head he wouldn’t let it go. The only reason he gave up on asking me who did it is cause I cried. He’d never seen me cry before and much like Pete hated it. Not long after that, I started using with Jepha. Frank was also the first one to notice that. I will never understand why he would hurt me the way he did. Then they left me to cry in Pete’s arms. He was being so nice and caring. He was doing what he said he would do. Taking care of me.
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