Together

She sat all alone on the terrace. Her dad had locked her mum inside today too. They always quarreled about the same thing. She never understood anything, not even after her brother had patiently told her what their folk’s problems had been.

 'Does daddy love mom?' she wondered, looking down and watching her tiny legs swing where the wind blew, 'Does he love us at all?' she let down her tears. Every day was like this, either her mom got locked up inside her own room while her dad went to visit her aunt, or he beat them and forbade them food. But she didn't understand why her dad always did that. She really wanted answers; she looked up into the sky wishing her answers would fall.

'Hey Sally!' that was her brother, 'why are you sitting so quiet? What's wrong?' he questioned. He was the only one who really cared for her. Yet, she only sobbed; she couldn't find the words to describe what she felt inside. Dominic was only five years older, but he seemed sensible and more understanding. 'Are you crying because I left to search for food or you're crying because of what dad did to us earlier?' he asked rubbing his dirty hands through her beautiful silky hair. But she was silent; she only looked into his eyes with tears flowing down her cheeks, wetting the blue light blouse she wore. 'It's alright, enough with the tears. I got us some mangoes and pears, let’s go inside or you'll get a flu.' He gently raised her to her feet and took her inside.

Eight years ago, his dad had celebrated the birth of a beautiful baby girl. During those years, his father and mother had been such a happy and lovely couple. He had really been proud to be called their son and really anticipated the birth of his younger sister when his mother had been pregnant with her then. They used to live with his aunt Clara, who was also part of their family. She seemed nice and he had liked her because she used to care for both him and his father when his mother could hardly do any work because of the pregnancy. Those were such memorable days.

His father had been the loveliest man any child would love to call dad. He was understanding, kind, loving and didn't like to drink. However, everything seemed to change when the much awaited baby was born, he sadly recalled. What had happened to make his dad change all of a sudden? He never found out. However, their lives had changed after his kid sister's birth. His mother always called his dad a ‘lying cheat’ and would fight with his aunt, her sister, while his father always beat her in return. And his aunt had thrown them out on the streets out of her house. The anger that welled up in him towards his aunt for that merciless act was nothing compared to the disgust he felt towards his dad. How could he beat his mother like that?

The fight between his parents continued even after a neighbor let them into one house of his up the other street. But he thought his dad behaved that way because he had been fired from work at the company he worked as a sales agent. However, still his dad continued to drink and abuse his mum. And soon, he was abusing him too, hitting wherever his heavy hand fell or landed on his tiny body. And after every abuse on both himself and his mom, he would watch as his father leave the house and return later in the evening still drunk. Their once happy home had been turned upside down. Once he had heard her mother call his aunt, a shameless 'harlot' when his dad had brought her home to their new house. He had then understood that his dad had been unfaithful on his mom with his aunt. And because they had always fought, they had neglected their little daughter, his kid sister, Sally. Thus, Dominic had become the one caring family his little sister knew. She was very fragile and she would never sleep until he slept beside her. She was such a delight to him.

'Dominic?' she called while they lay on the mat on the floor side by side, 'uh-huh' he replied staring up into the roof, 'Do you love me?' she sighed biting her lower lip and looking away. 'Oh dear, of course I love you!' he answered delightfully, 'Okay' she replied, pausing into the silence while her brother still looked up. Then she asked again, 'Dominic?' 'uh-huh', he replied, now turning and looking straight into her tiny green eyes, 'Dominic, will we be together like this always?' he stared as she lowered her eyes and started to sob, 'Oh dear, I promise I will never leave you.' he assured, brushing her shoulders with his right hand. 'See, one day we will escape from here. And when we do, we will live happily and I promise dad won't find us to beat or scold us ever again. I will grow up quickly and build us a big house. I will plant your favorite fruit and cook your favorite meal every day. Then when I get more money, I will travel the world with you, you’ll see!' he watched with delight as she nodded every now and then while he told her how they would live their lives if they managed to run away from home. Then slowly, the heaviness of the night and the crickets’ noise took them away into dream land. But then hours later, he was wide awake. They had had enough of their dad's beatings, he thought. He had decided to elope with her so his sister would be happy.

‘Stop cheating on me with my own sister!’ he heard his mother yell. ‘Cheating?! At least she is better than you, your sister is better than you!’ his dad yelled back and minutes later he heard his mother scream. His dad was beating his mother again. He knew he had returned drunk again. He was glad his sister was asleep, she would’ve cried if she had been awake. He stood up and walked towards the door to the room they slept in, and peeped through the space created by the partially shut door, into the next room which was his parents. His mother was lying on the floor weeping while his dad stood over her with a belt in his hand. He seemed to have hit her with it. ‘Poor mum’ he breathed. But then he saw his dad leave and walk towards their room. However, he quickly locked the door from inside while his drunken dad banged on it from behind calling him to open the door for him. He only stood still and very quiet feeling afraid the noise would wake his sister up. But then she still lay on the mat asleep, unperturbed. And thirty minutes later, his dad had stopped hitting on the door.

‘Why don’t you just kill me?! You’ve ruined our family for my own little sister! You’re such a bad man!’ the noise from the next room woke him up and he sat on the mat and rubbed his eyes. It was already morning he realized, and his sister was up lying on the mat, crying as usual. He could still hear his parents arguing again. He felt bad for his mother and he felt bad for his father too, but seeing his sister curl herself up on the mat made him cry for the first time. His mother was still shouting and screaming, asking his dad to just kill her so he could live the life he wanted with his aunt. The more the noise that came, the more he and his sister cried, ‘I don’t want to live here anymore’ his sister slowly said amidst uncontrolled tears. The pain in the voice made his tears fall harder and he hugged her, he hugged her very tightly while the two cried unto one another’s arm. Family was supposed to be happy. Family was supposed to be made up of people who were there for each other, but his family wasn’t any of those.

He couldn’t bear the pain anymore, he couldn’t continue to see his little sister cry anymore and he couldn’t continue to listen while his mother was abused every day anymore. His mind was made up; he would save his little sister from having to see his dad abuse his mom and make their family unhappy. And in the hours that went by, they sat with each resting in the other’s arm. He had decided to take the afternoon train with his sister. So he stood up, wiped his sister’s tears and wiped his own and then packed some few clothes from the wardrobe that stood closer to the window and put them in a sack he had found the other day. ‘Sally, wait for me here, I’ll be back’ he said while he left to their parent’s room. His dad had shot his mother on the thigh and she lay on the floor while blood wet the gown she wore. ‘Mom, I want to run with Sally!’ he cried horrified with the scene he saw. ‘Take this’ his mom said pulling a piece of paper and an envelope. It seemed to contain some money. ‘The paper has a small photo of my other sister who lives two towns away’ she groaned in pain, ‘Take your little sister and go to Mr. Thompson, the man who gifted us this house. Ask him to help you’ she sobbed. ‘But mom, what about you? Dad will kill you if he comes back!’ his eyes felt heavy while the words fell out of his mouth, ‘Just go, Dominic, your dad is crazy! He may decide to hurt you and your sister if he comes back to meet you two still here’ she looked away. Then he stood up, held the paper and the envelope tightly and walked leaving his mother behind. He could hear her cry while he and Sally left the two partially completed bedroom house they lived in. And soon, they were far away from the house hearing their mother’s cries no more. They walked in silence both thinking about how their future would be like.

‘Dominic,’ Sally suddenly called while they neared the train station, ‘Uh-huh’ he replied, faking a smile. ‘Can you promise to never leave me?’ she asked. He understood her feelings. ‘Oh dear Sally, I will never ever leave you!’ then she smiled. They had reached the station, but then he remembered his mother’s words to go to Mr. Thompson. He could take them to their other aunt. ‘Oh shit, I forgot something! Sally, please sit right here, I’ll be back.’ He said reaching his hands into his pocket, but then the piece of paper was not in it. He had left it at home. He had to go back for it, before his dad came back. Sally looked at him, ‘please come back, Dominic, I don’t want to be alone’ she sobbed while her brother stood up to go back to the house. ‘I promise Sally. Just sit here and don’t go anywhere.’ He warned, but Sally still sobbed watching her brother tread back to that awful house again.

He silently prayed hoping to find the paper at the last place he stood while he tied the sack. However, a little nearer to the house, he heard gun shots. It seemed his dad had come back. He run with all the energy he had left in him and hid behind the house when he got there. His dad had shot his mother on the head and more blood gushed out from her head unto the floor. ‘Dad has killed mom!’ he sobbed, haunted by the image of his mother on the floor. How could he get into their room now? He wondered. Just then, his father went out to the back of the house and he quickly went inside to their room, quietly closing the door behind him. The piece of paper lay idly on the floor with the picture showing. He took it from the floor and tried to leave the house in the manner he had gone inside. But just then, his dad heard the noise and rushed towards the house spiraling shots at the poor boy. He had managed to run, but he had been hit by the gun on the ankle. His dad had really been drunk and had not even noticed it had been him he shot at.

 Dominic dragged his wounded leg along the way until he found Mr. Thompson’s house on the other side of the street. Luckily for him, he was standing right in front of his house. ‘Mr. Thompson! Mr. Thompson!’ he cried. And the man quickly runs to the wounded boy who had lost some amount of blood. Dominic told him exactly what his mom had told him and showed him the piece of paper with the picture stuck on and asked him to go for his sister who still sat at the train station waiting for him to come so they could go away. ‘Oh dear, I must get you to the hospital first.’ ‘Oh no, Mr. Thompson,’ he sobbed, please go to my sister and take her to our other aunt. I’ll drag myself to the hospital. It’s not that far, I’m strong.’ He said with tears in his eyes.

Mr. Thompson had no choice for it was getting late, he had to go to the train and do exactly as Dominic’s mom had instructed. So he left the boy right in front of his house hoping someone would find him and attend to his wound, while he walked to the train. Sally became happy on seeing him. But then soon, she realized her brother hadn’t come with him. ‘Mr. Thompson, where’s Dominic? Why isn’t he with you?’ she cried. ‘Dominic will be fine, now let’s get you safe first.’ ‘But he said we would be together. He said we would always be together’ she cried thinking that her brother had left her alone, while they sat waiting for the next train.