The Mother I Left Behind

I went to my father’s home, which was a glorified junkyard where empty bottles and moldy takeout containers piled as high as a mountain.

He kicked a beer can out of his path and shoved me inside the house before locking the door behind him.

“Where’s the money?”

Robb held out his hand toward me expectantly.

I set my bag down but did not respond.

He snatched my bag from me and dumped all of its contents on the floor.

My bag contained a few books, some pens, and a family photo.

He took the photo and tore it to shreds.

“Did that bitch Cassandra not give you money?” he bellowed, his eyes wide with rage.

When I did not respond, he brutally slapped me across the face.

“I’m asking you a question! Are you deaf?”

He grabbed my hair and slammed my head against the wall.

“Who do you think you are to play these little games with me?

“Are you working with that bitch to sabotage me?”

When my forehead slammed against the wall, I could feel something hot trickling down my face.

My vision began to blur. I felt like I was seeing visions of a winter long past.

At the time, I had a fever running up to forty degrees. It was so severe that my body began to convulse.

My mother was in the middle of striking a multi-billion-dollar business deal overseas. When she was told about my condition, she dropped everything and left the executives hanging in shock as she took a private jet back home.

The flight took nearly half a day. When she got home, she took me into her arms and cried the entire night.

It was only later that I found out the business deal had been three years in the planning.

Robb’s tremendous shout snapped me out of my memories.

“Tell me! What kind of plan are you hatching here?”

When I did not respond, he became more upset and kicked me in the stomach.

I curled up on the floor and felt like vomiting.

“Call Cassandra right now!

“Tell her you need money! A lot of money!”

I reached for my phone and obliged, “Alright, I’ll call her.”

I dialed the number that I had memorized by now and even rehearsed the tale I was going to tell her in my mind. I would make up something about how I needed a fifty-thousand-dollar deposit for a school competition.

However, what greeted me was a mechanical voice telling me that the number was unreachable.

I hung up and dialed again, only to receive the same message.

“I can’t get through. She must be in the middle of a surgery.

“Don’t worry, Dad. If you just give me a little time, I can gradually siphon money from her. I promise I’ll get plenty for you.”

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Gradually? I don’t have time for that!”

Suddenly, Robb stared at me as a sinister smile began to form.

“Come here! Let me examine your body!”

With that, he unbuckled his belt.

“I have plenty of ways to get your mom to give you some money.”

He proceeded to use the belt to tie my hands behind my back.

“I’m going to strip you now and take some pictures.

“If she doesn’t give you the money, I’ll post these pictures! You’re going to become the most famous person in school!”

With that, he slowly reached for the buttons of my school uniform.

I closed my eyes and began to weep silently.

Just as his grimy fingers were about to reach my shirt button.

Bang!

The rusty iron door was thrown open with a powerful kick.

“Isabel! You have to come to the hospital with me, your mother is dying!”