Categories > Original > Drama > The Big Apple
“Get your sorry butt down these stairs, Serenity, before I throw you down them! Do you have your damn bag packed yet?”
“Y-yes, f-father…” Serenity Williams stammered, bracing herself against the verbal abuse she was receiving. At least he wasn’t drunk, or the abuse would probably have become physical by now.
“F-father?” Serenity asked, braver than usual. She never asked questions, not after the first time. She had to be submissive, or he would beat her into submission. She preferred the first choice, and always followed the rules. It never stopped the profanity and screams, but it did seem to bring the hitting to a minimum.
“What do you want, bitch?!” her father screamed, storming into the room and knocking over a few things in the process, including a picture of Serenity’s mother that rested on the dresser. The picture smashed to the floor, the frame shattering and scattering across the carpet.
“I-I was wondering,” Serenity said, trying not to stutter, “if I c-could know where I’m g-going?”
Her father laughed a cruel laugh. “You’re getting out of my hair for the summer! An old man in Texas had his old hag keel over on him this past month, lucky bastard. He needs someone to run his smelly farm, and I told him you’d be there in a week. You’ll be gone all summer, and I won’t have to deal with hearing your whiny voice asking for shit like new shoes. Now get downstairs. The plane leaves in fifteen minutes, and I’m not paying for another ticket if you miss it.”
Serenity’s heart leapt. Texas? It was as far from New York as she had ever been, and it would be away from her father. He turned and left the room, and Serenity bent down to pick up the shattered picture of the mother she had never met, tucking it gingerly into the only book she really owned, which she had bought just the day before. She continued to fantasize all the way down the stairs and to the airport, her mind stuck on thoughts of beautiful sunsets and horses.
When Mr. Williams was out of his daughter’s sight, she realized just how free she was. Free from the abuse, free from the hateful words, and free from her usual life. She made a promise then and there, as she stared at her gorgeous mother’s photograph, to come out. She wasn’t going to be a caterpillar any longer. Look out world, Serenity the Butterfly was on her way.
“Y-yes, f-father…” Serenity Williams stammered, bracing herself against the verbal abuse she was receiving. At least he wasn’t drunk, or the abuse would probably have become physical by now.
“F-father?” Serenity asked, braver than usual. She never asked questions, not after the first time. She had to be submissive, or he would beat her into submission. She preferred the first choice, and always followed the rules. It never stopped the profanity and screams, but it did seem to bring the hitting to a minimum.
“What do you want, bitch?!” her father screamed, storming into the room and knocking over a few things in the process, including a picture of Serenity’s mother that rested on the dresser. The picture smashed to the floor, the frame shattering and scattering across the carpet.
“I-I was wondering,” Serenity said, trying not to stutter, “if I c-could know where I’m g-going?”
Her father laughed a cruel laugh. “You’re getting out of my hair for the summer! An old man in Texas had his old hag keel over on him this past month, lucky bastard. He needs someone to run his smelly farm, and I told him you’d be there in a week. You’ll be gone all summer, and I won’t have to deal with hearing your whiny voice asking for shit like new shoes. Now get downstairs. The plane leaves in fifteen minutes, and I’m not paying for another ticket if you miss it.”
Serenity’s heart leapt. Texas? It was as far from New York as she had ever been, and it would be away from her father. He turned and left the room, and Serenity bent down to pick up the shattered picture of the mother she had never met, tucking it gingerly into the only book she really owned, which she had bought just the day before. She continued to fantasize all the way down the stairs and to the airport, her mind stuck on thoughts of beautiful sunsets and horses.
When Mr. Williams was out of his daughter’s sight, she realized just how free she was. Free from the abuse, free from the hateful words, and free from her usual life. She made a promise then and there, as she stared at her gorgeous mother’s photograph, to come out. She wasn’t going to be a caterpillar any longer. Look out world, Serenity the Butterfly was on her way.
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