ELEVENTH INSTALMENT
As it was the school holidays as usually Barry and I were up early ready to spend our day outside in the sunshine. Mum was always up early (I never remember her sleeping in much only the times she was trying and we woke her up as she was not to happy with us for waking her).
This morning Barry and I were wondering around when we heard crying. This wasn't crying for sadness it was a painful cry. We looked out the back and Arthur's car was not there (we were checking he wasn't in the room). We went in to mums room and she was curled up in to a little ball on her bed. I asked if she was ok and the reply was "Emily! Please call Arthur" then she continued to cry. I called Arthur and told him something was wrong with Mum (when he was sober he was ok). Not long after he arrived home. Barry and I had waited with Mum but there was nothing we could do to ease her pain. Arthur told us to go and open the door on the car. We waited outside for a minute or so and out came Arthur carrying my mum in his arms, he put her gently on the seat and ran to the drivers side and as he got in he told us to stay home and he would come back and tell us what was going on. Mum had been to the hospital before with similar pain but we had not ever seen her leave it was pretty devastating seeing your mum be taken away and you couldn't go with her to know she was ok or what was going on.
Barry and I didn't leave the house that day as we were waiting for the phone to ring with any news on our mum. We decided to clean the house for mum so when she got home she didn't have to worry about anything as we were sure that she would be back a little later on.
Arthur arrived back late that afternoon only to get clothes for mum and leave again. We asked what was wrong and he just said " mum is in hospital and she is staying for a few days". I was full of questions but he wouldn't answer them he just went about what he was doing and left the house. I look back now and think maybe he was just really concerned about her and was so focused on mum that he didn't think to stop and tell her children she was ok.
I took a lesson away from this that no matter what I would take the time to explain things to my children as I never wanted them to worry like this about anyone. It's best to try and explain than the day nothing. Young minds always dream up so much.
Arthur arrived back after dinner time so we had made ourself spaghetti on toast. When he arrived I again ran out to see what was happening with mum and what was wrong. Arthur went straight to the back fridge and go himself a beer. He told " your mother is in hospital, they don't know what is wrong with her now piss off". Devastated!
That night when I went to bed I closed my eyes and prayed for everyone as I always did. I asked God to make sure my mum was ok and that she would be home soon. I then said the lords pray. I learnt the lords pray from my mum. Mum gave me a little gold cross on a necklace and in the middle of the cross was a tiny crystal it had the lords pray etched in it. I used to put it to my eye and looking through it, you could make out most of the words. I closed my eyes and went to sleep.
The next morning Barry and I got up and ran out to see if mum was back. There was no sign of her or Arthur. Arthur had gone to work and mum was still in the hospital. We spent most of our day hanging around the house. Barry decided in the afternoon to go and spend time with his friends. I just called mine on the phone and talked for ages ( mum and Arthur would be none to happy when they got the bill). Later that day when Arthur arrived home (he had been to the hospital first) he got out of his car and went straight to the beer fridge. Barry wasn't home and it was after dark. I was a bit worried. Arthur started yelling and screaming " where the Fuck is that little prick!". Arthur stopped hitting me when I got my purple belt in karate but he hadn't stopped hitting Barry. I said he should be back soon and as soon as those words left my mouth Barry walked in the back door and Arthur grabbed him by the arm and started kicking him on the backside all the time screaming at his what a useless piece of shit he was and every other swear word you could think of. This did not stop till he threw him in his room and slammed the door. Arthur only needed a beer to do this to is but he was worried I would kick his arse if he did it to me. Arthur disappeared out the back and I ran in to see Barry ( had I stepped in Arthur would have got so angry and done more damage to Barry, plus I was still a kid even though I thought I was older than I was). He had tears in his eyes and his back and legs and arse were so red. He had been kicked really hard. I said with Barry all night and said to him " I will never let him hit you again no matter what" we both cried wanting our mum but she still wasn't home and we had no idea when she would be or even if she was coming back.
That weekend Arthur took us to see mum. She was so pale. I didn't ask he what was happening but she just said they would fix and her she would be home soon. It was so said seeing my little mum in a hospital bed and not coming home with us. She kissed us good bye after a while and Arthur took us home.
He immediately went to the beer fridge and we went to the lounge room to watch a bit of television. Just before our bed time were heard Arthur call us mums room. We both walked towards the bedroom door ( this memory only came back to me a lot later in my life, I didn't have any recollection of this for a very long time but it took a shock for this to come back). Arthur was standing in his doorway with no shirt on his arms where straight up and his hands were holding the top of the door frame. He started talking about sex! (Yes to two kids). He was swinging back and forwards on the door frame trying to be cool and was talking about sex in a disgusting way. It made my skin crawl when I remembered this as it was not ok and I knew it. It was sleazy.... I don't know how the conversation ended or why it even started but I know I did not feel comfortable and even worse mum wasn't home. I know I spent the night with Barry in his room and luckily enough nothing else happened that night..
The next afternoon when we walked in the house after being out all day we noticed that Arthur's car was there. Not thinking much more we walked inside. Arthur spoke really nicely to us (which was strange as this wasn't him and how he had been with us especially when no one was around). He said "where have you both been" Barry expecting a bashing anyway said in his bravest voice " your not our Dad! We've been out!". Next thing we hear Mum yell out to is "you two get in here now!" She was none to happy. From the way she spoke we knew Arthur had said we had been shit of kids whilst she was in hospital. I will tell you now that this was far from the truth he was a drunk and a coward who beat kids and spoke to them in appropriately. If I was a shit he would have known about it and to be honest I wish I had of stepped when he beat Barry and knocked him out.
Mum told us that we should never speak to Arthur that way and that we needed to respect adults ( mum was a stickler for manners).
Later that night mum explained that she had been bleeding internally and that is why she was away so long but she was getting better.
I never did tell mum about the sex talk or the way he beat Barry. Maybe I should have...
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