laura

Laura moved with difficulty, her ankle was broken, her arm too, and probably a couple of ribs and a fractured skull, nothing hurt the adrenaline that coursed through her veins prevented that. All she could think about was getting away, away from him. This was not the first time her father had beat her but for some reason it seemed worse, worse than the other times, he had been drunk the other times very drunk, and would grow exhausted in the act of battery going back to his beers, grunting obscenities at her, how useless she was how she was just like her mother, a fucking whore, and it be better if she was dead like her mother too, because no one would love her, and no one would ever want her to love them. Please dad don’t, don’t, please dad I am sorry, this was all she could say, though there was never anything she had done wrong, Laura cooked cleaned, washed hers and her father’s cloths, and went to school. Only twelve she had taken on the role her mother had left empty, after her suicide.
Laura had picked herself up off the kitchen floor, she held her side, with her good arm, and had placed her bad arm up with the hand on the opposite shoulder. She moved to the sink, turned the tap and washed the blood from her face as best she could. Laura glanced up to the kitchen window above the sink, it was dark outside so she could see a clear reflexion of herself, but she did not see herself no she saw her mother, looking at her smiling and crying at the same time. “Laura I am so, so sorry, I wish I never left you, but when I had found him doing what he was doing to you I could not see through the pain. I love you Laura,”
“Oy you bitch, make me a cup of tea, and you better make sure that kitchen is clean, or else.” Laura looked at her mother, tears stinging her bruised, grazed and cut up face as they rolled down her cheek. “I never left you Laura I’m still here for you, but you have to do something for me, something that will help you, in the cupboard above the fridge is my prescription pills, that made me sleep, get them, and put them all in your fathers tea, it won’t hurt him it will make him sleep for a long time. He won’t hurt you again tonight.” The kettle boiled, Laura retrieved the pills, from the cupboard, taking a mug from another, she put a teabag in some sugar hot water and milk, just the way he liked it she hoped, and then the hot water. Laura looked up at the window again her mother was no longer there, Laura doubted what she was about to do.
“It’s okay Laura, give them to me” Laura’s mother stood next to her, she took the pill bottle out of her daughters hand and emptied its contents in to the hot drink, “ now be a good girl and give it to him.” Laura took the cup to her dad, he took it telling her to clean herself up as she looked a mess, and that she should go to bed, and he would be in later to tuck her in. Laura shivered at the thought, she looked back to the kitchen, her mother was still standing there smiling at her, “ what are you waiting around for you silly bitch go do as your told, I’ll be in when I finish this tea”
Laura had brushed her teeth as best she could, washed the hands and face, combed her hair and dressed in her pyjamas, laying in bed she dreaded her father’s threat to visit her that night. Just as she was starting to nod off there came the sound of her father’s footsteps up the hall way, then there was a sudden thud, he did not visit her that night, instead her mother came to her bedside and stroked her hair until she fell asleep.