After I Pushed My Sister Down the Stairs, I Cut Ties with My Mom

The year I started elementary school, a new teacher joined our small-town school.

During the first class, my sister made me draw our mom in my notebook, chained up.

The next day, squad cars with flashing lights swarmed our place.

They restrained my yelling dad and smashed open the rusty padlock on my mom's bedroom door.

I watched Mom take Melanie's hand and rush towards the impeccably dressed man, a smile on her face I'd never seen before.

Dad lay in a pool of blood, eyes closed. I begged Mom to save him.

But she just shoved me away.