Once in a life time I was a kid and my name was Simphiwe Xaba and I was 10 years old,I was a child that grew up in a abusive family were by my dad didn’t mind to beat my mother infront of me.My mom and dad got married when I was 4years old and I never knew that my mom was abused by my dad.

I used to accompany my dad when he was going to work because when he comes back there’s no time to play with him he used to say”nooo I’m tired today”but I got use to it cause he says it everyday.And my dad hated our neighbours we don’t know why but he had an issue of trusting people,I never knew why but he hated our neighbours he never wanted to let me know why I stlii wanna know till today.Our neighbours knew everything but they where scared to help my mom.

My mother was married to a monster which was my dad.When I was in grade 2 I use to fight other kids because of my home situation and usually when I came back from school we never ate because of my dad,he would wake up eat all the food and forget about breakfast so my mom will eat the breakfast then share with me.

We never ate things like Bunny Chau,fish and chips we only ate that when he was happy or drunk.So as I knew I should change our situation by starting to sell sweets at school so me and my mom could eat something nice/delicious while my dad was at work.

I thought my dad was sweet,kind and no stress but I was wrong because sometimes he couldn’t sleep at night and he drinks sleeping pills so that they could help him to sleep.My mom was always prepared to make him a tea when he cames and goes to work, Sometimes my mom multitasks from morning till late because my dad doesn’t like a slow process he is always in a hurry even when he’s home.

So one day when I arrived at home I saw my dad’s car as I said “so early today?”,I get inside the house on my way to my bedroom I heard my mother crying when I was approaching their room my father went out to get some fresh air then I entered the room and asked my mother” why are you crying”as she was holding her left cheek , that’s when I realised that my father was beating my mother.

I always hated the fact that she is still holding into a monster then I went out to visit my best friend Nompumelelo,she was 1year older than me and she always understood me. The problem was that I always thought that my dad was abusing my mom but she always saying maybe it’s the way my dad overeating towards my mother when he is angry.

After telling Mpumi what was going on I just decided to go home and start writing homeworks and then take a deep long bath.As soon as I got home I heard my mother arguing with my dad as I went straight to my bedroom an’ slammed the door and I cried,they stopped ,then my mom came to see if I’m okay but she saw me crying and asked “what’s wrong?”

I just pleaded her to get out of my room.I didn’t talk to them for 3weeks then my mom came to me and said”what’s eating me ?”and I just said “I’m scared to lose you while I’m so young”.Then she told me not to worry about her she can handle my dad and I knew very well that she can’t handle him but I assume she will as I know her she was strong enough to handle him.So as I always pretended to be a good kid around my dad but I knew I hate him for what he’s been doing to my mother.

So on a Saturday morning I went to watch channel 305 and 303 while watching lady bug kissing cat boy my dad interrupted the scene just to please me that I should go to my friend or clean the house with my mom because he wanted to watch soccer world cup final,I was so angry I even wished to fight him but I didn’t.

I went to their room and watch my channel 303 and I find out that lady bug episode was just about to end I said “I’m doomed I missed the interesting part of the episode haaaaaaaaa!!!(Screaming).My dad was shouting at the players that he favored,maybe everybody in the neighborhood was listening to him and he was irritating us.

My dad was controlling my mom because she was not allowed to have friends and she had to do everything in the house even when it’s cold.One day I came from school exhausted and when I entered home then I saw my dad caring a knife in his right hand an’ holding my mother’s hair treatning my mother by promising that he would kill her and my mother’s blood was all over he even kicked her on the stomach so she was bleeding then my dad went out of the house and didn’t come back for 4days and my mother was very stressed about him she didn’t even call the police she just went to the clinic and came crying,I didn’t even know why she was crying.

[My dad entering the house]

Mom:Oohh you are okay? thank god.

Dad:hello guys, I’ve missed you a lot

Mom: Oohh babe we need to talk

Dad: Hello guys I’ve missed you!? didn’t you hear what I said?

Both of us:We missed you too..

Dad : What did you want to talk about??

[As they went in their room]

Mom: (crying) I’m sorry babe I wanted to tell you this before you left home that evening but I had a miscarriage..

Dad:What?.wait what happened??when no no-no this is all my fault I’m so so so so sorry…

Mom: you happened!.but we must tell my sister about this situation …

Dad: why didn’t you tell me.no we are not telling your sister anything…

Mom: I didn’t know either.why we shouldn’t??..

Dad: shit shit shit this is all my fault because they’ll ask what happened??that what I’m avoiding…

Mom:okay but I should go to the clinic every after 4days…

Dad: Okay fine and I’ll go with you…

I’m so so sorry about everything it won’t happen again I promise you,As she believed him and I was listening through the door but I was very angry that my mom forgived him so easly,I just wanted to ruin his reputation.I went to my bedroom frustrated and angry I wished to beat him up for everything that’s when I thought of calling my Aunt Lorraine to come and visit us for this month or less

[Me calling my Aunt]

Hi aunt Lorraine….how are you… We missed you too …I just thought of how would you feel to come and visit us and Mom is very very sick ..maybe it’s because she have bruises all over her body …okay you are coming next week right okay…. love you bye…

Today was a Goodlong weekend and my dad didn’t go to work today but instead he got drunk so he was happy because they’ve been payed at work,He said we should order something nice to eat tonight and my mom didn’t have to cook for these two days.He acted like a millionare everywhere he went they saw that he is happy and drunk so everybody intertained him because he was drunk.

Then in the kitchen I told my mom that aunt Lorraine is coming next week Monday and she was in shock of how will she hide the bruises then she asked “why she chose here” I said “she didn’t I called her”

[You did what?]

As I said proudly “if she comes here dad won’t beat you up again “.

Mom said but he will when she leaves.

I said “I didn’t think of that now what do we do”??

As she sat down making up a plan of how to get out of this mess.I was worried about my mom that I just made things worse than before but I will come up with a plan (I’ve got a new plan)..

I called aunt Lorraine to postpone our family getting back for a long visiting then she asked why I said dad said we are going to granny’s house she’s sick and it’s her birthday day today so we have a big surprise for her.she just took my fake story and said “see you when you are back bye”As I said”bye “…

I asked myself that what if aunt Lorraine came by and dad chase her out then beat my mom for my fault I’m not thinking straight since I saw my dad holding a knife promising to kill her and then my mom still forgives him that easily I will find justice for my mom and the bad thing was I don’t know how but I will find a way.

Years gone by I was 14years old well me in the bath room brushing up my teeth preparing to go to sleep then after I opened the door from the bath room I heard my mom screaming for help and I rushed into their room I saw my dad beating up my mom so badly this time he didn’t even notice that I was there my mother chase me out of the room and my dad said come in and she how your mother will die I often ran to call aunt Lorraine to come and help mommy because daddy is beating her to death,she didn’t even hasitate to come she just drives herself to come here. Then she came inside and made me take a video of everything that is going to happen and I was scared and crying that my mom is going to die,I even peed myself that night.. aunt Lorraine called an ambulance and the cops ……

My aunt Lorraine hide the evidence and visit her sister in hospital she waited until the doctor said “your sister’s condition is risky because she even had a miscarriage 1week ago so there’s many things they must do for her to survive and her left lung was injured” then she asked” what are they going to help with?”

The doctor just said “whatever we could do for her to survive”,then we went home and my dad was angry that I called aunt Lorraine he wanted to slap me but he couldn’t because my aunt was there ,we ate then prayed for my mom to recover faster then my dad wanted to visit my mom but he couldn’t because the police said he must stay away from her until she recovers from everything..

As 4weeks gone by and nothing from the hospital,we were very stressed out and actually my mom was out of hospital and she was staying with a doctor in a hotel room and the doctor help her around but the thing was they fell in love and my mom never told us that she was discharged from the hospital we received a call from the hospital that said my mom was discharged 2week ago and she wanted us to press charges on my dad and release the video to the police station.

As we did so.. my mother divorced my dad..

[3 YEARS PASSED]

We live in a new big house and my mother got engaged to my new father as I got used to a happy life that when this tittle came in TIME TO MOVE ON

The end….

Author :Nonhlanhla shabalala

I love writing stories and I want to be a person who writes stories when I grow up.

Thank you for reading my story.

Based on a true story.