IT WAS NIGHT TO REMEMBER

I grew up in a patriarchal family where it was known who was "head" at home. Of course, it was a father. All asked him for everything, and my mother had a role to play at home, but a minor. She was illiterate, grew up in the village, and married in a city for a man whom this was not the first marriage. He had six children from his first marriage, who my mother ''inherited'' by entering into this marriage because their mother had died, so she additionally received also the role of step-mother. She was humble, listening to her husband with no objection, and she worked everything as he wanted it. His children too.

My father lived in the belief that only beating will help his children to become good, hardworking and honest people. When I was a child I did not understand a lot of things. I thought it should be so, and the same is in other families. For the slightest error, the wrong move, my brother was beaten up. Later I heard that my father acted so with other children, my step-brothers, and step-sisters. Even my sister once experienced it. Here's how it was.

She had to go with her brother to sell vegetables on the market, but the day before by the father's permission she went to our eldest step-brother to guests, provided she returned before the night. At the insistence of the step-brother and his wife, she went with them to the summer cinema where the film was screened at 9 pm. She looked forward to going to the cinema, but at the same time, she was appalling her father's fury. She knew this would not work well, but the step-brother was persistent. He didn't realize that his gesture would ''cost'' her a lot.

For her, this was an exceptional event, as all her exits were reduced to going to school and to the market to sell vegetables in order to increase the modest family budget as much as possible. Our family didn't go on vacation, winter's holiday was an unknown term for us, the exclusion of birthday parties because we did not celebrate our own ... It should have been her night to remember. And it really was!

The sister later told us that it was the movie "Some Like It Hot". She remembered it well because it regularly reminded her of the "hot" beatings she received just for that movie.

As time passed, darkness fell long ago, and sister hasn't appeared yet, father in anger forced mom to go and get her. She didn't dare to confront him, and in-home dress and sandals almost running down the street she had to go to the step-brother's house. She did not find anyone at his house, and all the flames, flooded with fear to look for them, inquired about the neighborhood of her stepson and finally, she found them in the cinema ...

And after arriving home, there was chaos. The father took the strap and as soon as the sister appeared, he started mercilessly to beat her, and no one was allowed to stop him. My brother and I were little, huddled in the corner of the room and in fear we covered eyes with hands.

We cried together with our sister, and then to the surprise of my father, but the two of us, mom suddenly stood in front of her sister, shaving her body with an angry father with a belt in her raised arm. She tried to stop him by turning to him bravely, and she was afraid of him. However, the love for her daughter and the fear that he might too, overcame her fear of her husband reacting. It was the first time she confronted him, saying:

-        Enough more! If you already want the outpouring your rage, hitting me,

but leave her alone!

And for a wonderful miracle, he suddenly stopped, visibly surprised by his mother's act, while she shivered from the great sorrow for the child, fearful that it would not prevent him from continuing to pounce, expecting of what would happen again. The father shook his head, but more than angry how his wife could resist him, from where did her courage come from, suddenly when he was in charge and his word always been the last ?! Maybe he was kidding, maybe he was sorry too, but he didn't show it. He retreated into another room, leaving us in tears, fears, and scars. Only he knows what he thought at those moments.

 That night, none of us slept, no one's eyes were closed. All night mom put coverings over sister's body. And such, scorched, all in bumps, my sister went to the market with the brother the following morning as if nothing had happened before the night. It was normal for her to do her duty, no matter what her condition she was, and she was only fourteen!

 I was very sorry for my sister, and hated my father! For days I did not want to be anywhere near him, no matter what he was trying to curry favor me because I was his favorite child.