Undeniable Proof

Daddy loved to hear himself talk, and when he bought a new wire recorder, he was literally in heaven! He sat for hours drinking while playing with his new toy. One afternoon I returned home from school to find him in the kitchen. Despite the fact that it was still early in the day, he smelled of whiskey and he was already slurring his words.

I tried to leave the room but he insisted I stay in the kitchen with him. I sat and listened while he sang a few songs and told some jokes. After the effect of another shot of whiskey he soon forgot the recorder was on and began speaking directly to me.

With a familiar sick grin on his face, he winked and said, "Let's go into the bedroom and have a little fun."

I refused to answer.

"Common sweetie, you know you like it."

I felt my stomach tighten as the rage inside me grew.

"Shut up!" I screamed at him.

Daddy laughed. "I'll give you five dollars. What do you say? Five dollars for a quickie is pretty good."

With a quick swing of my hand, I knocked the drink out of his hand sending it crashing to the floor. I called him a son-of-a-bitch and stomped out of the room.

When I woke the following morning, I was relieved to find Daddy had left early for the Union Hall, which meant he would be out drinking with his friends most of the night. When I entered the kitchen, I saw the recorder sitting on the counter where he had left it. I pressed the play button and for a few minutes, listened to Daddy say ugly, disgusting things to me. I unplugged the recorder, took it into my room, and hid it under my bed. I told Teresa I was not going to school. I was going to play the recorder for Mom when she got up. When Teresa told me not to do it, I got very angry.

"Why are you protecting him?" I asked her. "Don't you want him to stop? What's wrong with you?"

"It won't do any good." Teresa said.

"When Mom hears this recording she will have to make him stop."

"No she won't," Teresa said resignedly. "She already knows."

"What do you mean she knows?"

"You heard me. She knows."

"How does she know?"

"Don't be so stupid. She knows because I told her." Teresa said.

I was stunned.

"When did you tell her?" I asked. "What did you tell her?"

"A couple of months ago I told Mom , that Daddy was saying disgusting things to me and I wanted her to make him stop."

"What did she say?"

"She told me to ignore him. She said I was overreacting."

"But what did you tell her?"

"You know," Teresa said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"No I DON'T know!" I cried out. "Tell me what you told her!"

"I told her that he was always talking about my breasts," Teresa said. "I told her it embarrassed me and I wanted her to make him stop."

"That's it?" I asked.

"Of course that's it."

"Listen, Teresa, once she hears this recording she will have no choice but to make him stop."

Once again, Teresa told me not to do it.

"I am going to play it for her," I said.

"It would be better if you were there with me to back me up but, with or without you I am going to do this."

Realizing I was serious and nothing she said would make me change my mind, Teresa relented and agreed to back me up when I played the recording for Mom.

Teresa stood outside Mom's bedroom door while I retrieved the recorder from under my bed. Without knocking, we opened Mom's bedroom door.

Mom was awake and sitting up with her head propped against the headboard. Surprised to see us she said, "Why are you still here? You should be on your way to school by now."

"Teresa and I aren't going to school today. We have something important to show you." I said with an unusual air of confidence.

"What is so important that you need to stay home?" Mom asked. "Couldn't this have waited until later?"

"No, it cannot wait. You need to hear this." I said.

"Hear what?"

"Please, just listen to it."

I sat the recorder on the table beside the bed, plugged it in, and pressed the play button.

As Mom listened, I watched the expression on her face change from curiosity to anger.

"Turn it off! Turn the damn thing off! I cannot listen to another word!" She yelled.

Mom sat with her arms folded in her lap, staring blankly past me. I felt terrible. I wondered if I had made a terrible mistake by making her listen to the recording.

After a painfully long silence she finally spoke.

"Don't worry about anything," she assured me. "When your father comes home I am going to have it out with him."

The sense of relief that I felt was overwhelming and I started to cry. Mom leaned over and gave me a hug. I knew everything was going to be fine now that Mom knew what Daddy was up to.

"Give me a few minutes to get dressed and I will drive you to school," Mom said.

Although Teresa remained completely silent the whole time, I was glad she was there with me.