Half a Chocolate, Whole Family Crazy

Just because I took a bite of chocolate, Mom rushed in and pointed at me, shouting:

“You lazy, greedy worthless brat! You’ll never amount to anything in your life!”

She snatched the chocolate from my hand, threw it to the ground, and crushed it under her foot.

Then, holding a piece of cake, she coaxed my little brother Jacob, who had refused to eat dinner:

“Boys need to eat good food if they want to grow tall!”

I froze in place, watching Jacob eat with cream smeared all over his face.

At that moment, a thought flashed through my mind.

If there’s no fairness, then maybe no one deserves to live.

—

When I put the chocolate into my mouth, Mom saw me.

Her anger flared up, and she charged in from the kitchen, slapping me across the face.

The half piece of chocolate I had just bitten flew out along with blood.

“You little brat! Why are you so greedy?”

“Have you never eaten anything good before? Even the chocolate meant for your brother, you had to steal!”

I was stunned by the blow, my face burning in pain.

“Mom… I was just hungry…”

Before I could finish, another slap landed.

The corner of my mouth split, blood soaking into my collar.

“Bullshit! Didn’t you eat breakfast just yesterday morning?”

“At your age, you dare talk back and lie to me?”

She grabbed my hair and dragged me to the fridge.

Jerking the door open, she pointed at a bowl of rotting, foul-smelling stew inside and said:

“If you’re really hungry, why didn’t you just heat up the zucchini and eggplant stew I worked so hard to make yesterday?”

“You’re nothing but lazy and greedy!”

She shoved me to the ground, my head hitting so hard that it bled.

Jacob ran to the doorway with his cake, watching like it was a show.

“Mom, she didn’t even cry. That means she hasn’t admitted her mistake yet!”

He shouted with his mouth full of cream.

Mom turned her head, just in time to see me struggling to get up.

Immediately believing Jacob, she yanked my ear and scolded:

“You still dare act defiant?”

“Am I wrong about you?”

The pain in my ear nearly tore it off, and I begged weakly:

“Mom, I didn’t—”

She sneered at me, her voice even harsher:

“Emily, if this were some new snack you’d never seen before and you were curious, I could understand that.”

“But it’s just chocolate!”

“You were too lazy to open the fridge, too greedy to share, so you stole it all for yourself!”

“What other explanation could there be?”

She shouted while I was in too much pain to speak.

Not that speaking would have helped.

She had never believed me.

In her eyes, there was only Jacob.

Seeing my silence, she seemed slightly satisfied.

“You’ve committed such a serious mistake today. You’ll be punished.”

“Go hand over all your pocket money.”

“Otherwise, when your dad comes home, he’ll beat you within an inch of your life!”

The pocket money she meant was what I had secretly saved to one day escape this house.

Of course, I could never give it all away.

I had hidden it in several different places long ago.

Hesitating, I finally pulled out ten dollars from under my pillow and handed it over.

She snatched it without a glance and shoved it into her pocket.

“Just this? You think I’m a fool?”

“Don’t forget, you earned quite a bit helping out at your Aunt Lisa’s place over the summer!”

Jacob piped up eagerly:

“Mom! She must still be hiding more! Yesterday I saw her digging around under the bed!”