Chapter 3: You need to be taught a lesson

It was Thursday today, Lilly got to the institution and walked inside room 4011. She wasn’t able to come yesterday as she had a discussion with her professor regarding her case and patient. From Dr Horner’s recommendation she was exempted from submitting her questionnaire this Friday and was told to submit when she finished her attachment period of three months or sometime in between.

Today she saw her patient sitting and staring at the wall with a blank look on her face, rather than her usual criss crossed legged, hunched over and busy drawing self.

Lilly realized today was the day when she clearly saw her face. Normally she would her keep her damaged, matted hair covering her face. She was lightly humming something, which Lilly had never heard before.

Before Lilly could greet her, patient P666 started talking in a hoarse voice, “I was the only daughter to my parents.”

Lilly was startled for a second before she hurriedly sat down and took out her phone and started recording.

“They loved me and gave me everything,” She paused and laughed a little, “but only when we were in front of people.”

Lilly didn’t dare say a word afraid that she would stop, she even breathed quietly.

“My parents had a substantial amount of money,” She shook her head, “but they blew it on drugs and alcohol.”

“But upfront they tried to maintain their dignity and played happy family. Only I knew what went behind closed doors.” Her voice became quiet at the end. Lilly failed to see the look of anguish in her eyes.

After a pause she continued, “There is a scar on my arm.” She lifted her sleeve to expose the skin of her right upper arm even though Lilly couldn’t exactly see anything.

She traced the deep ugly scar, her mind filled with screams and memory of the day she got it.

*

A young girl, no more than 8 years old was playing with her broken doll. It was the only toy she had and was completely worn out. It missed an eye and an arm, yet she loved it because it was her only companion.

She could hear her parents downstairs, drinking with their friends. Even though she was young, she knew her parents friends were bad people. They would come into her room ‘accidently’, saying they were looking for the washroom.

It was 8 in the morning and the young girl was starving. Literally. The last meal she had was 3 days ago. That’s what her parents did, just give her bare minimum so that she could survive. She knew today she was supposed to get her meal.

She waited till it was 11am and she couldn’t hold it any longer. The fatigue feel was taking its toll on her little body but her parents didn’t seem to be stopping any time soon.

She opened the door to the closet that she stayed in. She couldn’t say this was her safe heaven because it wasn’t. It didn’t have any lock and most nights she had to sleep with one eye open, just in case.

‘They wouldn’t even notice me if I quickly went and grabbed myself something to eat.’

The young girl tip toed her way to their kitchen and quietly opened the fridge. Normally it would have a lock on it so that she couldn’t access it but today it was unlocked.

She was looking inside and saw left over cold pizza. Her stomach angrily growled, demanding food, her mouth salivated. She remembered eating this thing when she went out with her cousin 2 years ago.

She grabbed a slice and was about to run away when she heard a shrill drunken voice, “What do you think you’re doing?”

The little girl froze with fear, tears filled her eyes. She visibly trembled in front of her mother.

“Mother,” her quiet voice was heard.

The woman grabbed the little girl’s hand and raised it to see the pizza in her little grasp.

“Stealing I see,” The woman tsked.

“I was very hungry.” The girl hiccupped. She knew she was in trouble.

“Don’t you know that you’re allowed food every 3 days? Do I need to tattoo it in your skin for you to remember?” her mother bent down to her eye level glaring at her.

The little girl shrunk in fear, “but today is the 4th day.” She lowered her head, she didn’t dare look in her eyes. She remembered what her parents did when she looked them in their eyes. They had literally held her down and placed a knife close to her eyeball threatening to stab it.

“I don’t care, you don’t get to eat until we say so.” The woman grabbed the little girl’s hair.

She dragged her outside to the living room and threw her at her father’s feet.

The little girl didn’t dare to move, she was shaking like a leaf now. Her father grabbed the back of her neck, gripping it tightly and made her to stand up.

Her mother told her father what she caught the little girl doing. Her father picked her up and threw her at the wall. The little girl’s scream was drowned by the boisterous laughter from the people in there. She felt every bit of her body explode in unbearable pain.

From her blurry vision she saw her mother sitting on one of the man’s lap and drinking while her father broke a bottle and stalked towards her.

“You need to be taught a lesson.” His malicious voice was the last thing she heard before she blacked out.

*

The woman closed her eyes painfully. She remembered how she woke up in the middle of night and the sharp burning pain she felt on her body. Her clothes were soaked with dried blood. She tried moving her right arm and she saw the huge open gash there. She had covered her mouth to stifle her scream.

Lilly felt her face wet with tears. She didn’t realize when she started crying. Both woman didn’t say anything for the reminder of the time. The nurse came, gave the woman her medicine and food. She ate quietly and not once did she look at Lilly’s direction.