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Authors: Belinda Frisch
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you.”
“Adam, give me the battery.” She grabbed for the pocket of his jeans, but he fended her off.
“Will you just sit down a minute and talk to me about this?”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” She yanked herself free, ignoring the pain in her leg. One of the deeper cuts must have ripped open because a hot spot of blood leeched through her jeans.
Adam tried again to restrain her, but she fought hard enough that to do it would mean he’d have to hurt her. “Will you stop this? Please, calm down and listen.”
She flung open the cabinets and pulled out the drawers, dumping them out on the floor and kicking through the mess. “Where’s the fucking battery, Adam? I’m not going to ask again.” She grabbed a pointed, chopping knife out of the butcher block before he could stop her.
“Give me that.” He squeezed her wrist, hard, until the knife fell from her hand. It narrowly missed his foot as it buried its point in the linoleum.
Harmony let out a scream and pushed him as hard as she could, but she barely moved him.
He grabbed her from behind and crossed his arms over hers, holding them tight to her chest.
She bucked and pulled him like an ox hitched to a plow, dragging him toward the table and then bit his hand.
He pulled away and she reached for the coffee cup handle, swinging it around and hitting him in the protruding bone above his eye. The skin split and he hissed as his face dripped fresh blood and old, tepid coffee.
“What the fuck?” He open hand slapped her across the jaw, sending her tumbling into the mess.
She sat for a minute, stunned.
He had never hit her before and had it not just happened, she would’ve never believed he could. She held her hand to her face. The burning pain turned to a weird tingling and her jaw instantly swelled.
The next few seconds of silence felt like hours.
“Oh my god.” He started to cry and bent down to help her up. “I’m…so…I didn’t mean to…”
She shoved his hand away. “Don’t ever touch me again. We’re done. You hear me? Finished.”
“Please, wait a minute.” He handed her the cell phone battery from his pants pocket. “Here. I’m sorry. I found the drugs and I snapped. Please, talk to me. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to…I just don’t want you to…”
“End up like my mother? It’s a popular concern, lately.” She reassembled her phone and turned it on, refusing to cry, determined not to let him see how bad he had hurt her.
It was his first time hitting her, but it wasn’t her first time being hit.
She opened her mouth and moved her lower jaw side-to-side. It snapped, but it wasn’t broken.
His eye, however, looked like it might need stitches.
She tossed him a hand towel and collected her things.
“Harmony, wait.” He hung the towel over the back of the kitchen chair, the blood running down his cheek. “You know I didn’t mean it.”
“It’s not whether you meant it. It’s that you did it.”
She piled her laundry, her make-up, everything she owned right down to her toothbrush into the garbage bag and slung it over her shoulder.
Nothing he could say would make her stay. She knew better. She had seen his kind of apology before and, though she didn’t categorize Adam with the sleazebags her mother ended up with, she wasn’t about to end up fighting for her life in an emergency room, either.
It starts as a push, then a slap, then a punch, and then so many punches it’s a wonder you’re alive and with every step along the way, they always say they’re sorry.
“Please…”
She held up her hand. “Just stop it, all right. We’re done. Don’t call me. Don’t look for me. Nothing. As far as you’re concerned, I’m dead .”
She regretted it as soon as she said it.
18 .
It was almost dark by the time Harmony got home and the air felt more like winter than fall. She blew out a puff of hot breath and it dissolved around her.
“Welcome to rock bottom.”
Looking
“Adam, give me the battery.” She grabbed for the pocket of his jeans, but he fended her off.
“Will you just sit down a minute and talk to me about this?”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” She yanked herself free, ignoring the pain in her leg. One of the deeper cuts must have ripped open because a hot spot of blood leeched through her jeans.
Adam tried again to restrain her, but she fought hard enough that to do it would mean he’d have to hurt her. “Will you stop this? Please, calm down and listen.”
She flung open the cabinets and pulled out the drawers, dumping them out on the floor and kicking through the mess. “Where’s the fucking battery, Adam? I’m not going to ask again.” She grabbed a pointed, chopping knife out of the butcher block before he could stop her.
“Give me that.” He squeezed her wrist, hard, until the knife fell from her hand. It narrowly missed his foot as it buried its point in the linoleum.
Harmony let out a scream and pushed him as hard as she could, but she barely moved him.
He grabbed her from behind and crossed his arms over hers, holding them tight to her chest.
She bucked and pulled him like an ox hitched to a plow, dragging him toward the table and then bit his hand.
He pulled away and she reached for the coffee cup handle, swinging it around and hitting him in the protruding bone above his eye. The skin split and he hissed as his face dripped fresh blood and old, tepid coffee.
“What the fuck?” He open hand slapped her across the jaw, sending her tumbling into the mess.
She sat for a minute, stunned.
He had never hit her before and had it not just happened, she would’ve never believed he could. She held her hand to her face. The burning pain turned to a weird tingling and her jaw instantly swelled.
The next few seconds of silence felt like hours.
“Oh my god.” He started to cry and bent down to help her up. “I’m…so…I didn’t mean to…”
She shoved his hand away. “Don’t ever touch me again. We’re done. You hear me? Finished.”
“Please, wait a minute.” He handed her the cell phone battery from his pants pocket. “Here. I’m sorry. I found the drugs and I snapped. Please, talk to me. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to…I just don’t want you to…”
“End up like my mother? It’s a popular concern, lately.” She reassembled her phone and turned it on, refusing to cry, determined not to let him see how bad he had hurt her.
It was his first time hitting her, but it wasn’t her first time being hit.
She opened her mouth and moved her lower jaw side-to-side. It snapped, but it wasn’t broken.
His eye, however, looked like it might need stitches.
She tossed him a hand towel and collected her things.
“Harmony, wait.” He hung the towel over the back of the kitchen chair, the blood running down his cheek. “You know I didn’t mean it.”
“It’s not whether you meant it. It’s that you did it.”
She piled her laundry, her make-up, everything she owned right down to her toothbrush into the garbage bag and slung it over her shoulder.
Nothing he could say would make her stay. She knew better. She had seen his kind of apology before and, though she didn’t categorize Adam with the sleazebags her mother ended up with, she wasn’t about to end up fighting for her life in an emergency room, either.
It starts as a push, then a slap, then a punch, and then so many punches it’s a wonder you’re alive and with every step along the way, they always say they’re sorry.
“Please…”
She held up her hand. “Just stop it, all right. We’re done. Don’t call me. Don’t look for me. Nothing. As far as you’re concerned, I’m dead .”
She regretted it as soon as she said it.
18 .
It was almost dark by the time Harmony got home and the air felt more like winter than fall. She blew out a puff of hot breath and it dissolved around her.
“Welcome to rock bottom.”
Looking
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