•••••
She was 3.
He was 5.
Her mother was angry with them.
'Them' didn't know why.
Maybe she was angry at her husband, or herself, or just angry.
They were called to the kitchen.
She methodically folded tea towels.
One each.
Laid them on the floor at the wall.
Poured dry soya beans on each towel.
The children thought it was a game.
What is this?
Then commanded the children to kneel on the soya beans facing the wall.
Not good enough for the mother.
Must weigh them down more.
Torture not sever enough yet.
Gave them two full heavy metal boxes to hold.
Dry beans embedded in their little knees.
What would possess an adult to inflict torture on a small child?
An adult possessed.
Try to justify that treatment.
They did to the children what they wanted to do to each other but feared jail.
When the parents fought the children got beaten.
Blamed for the unhappiness of the adults.
The abusers later in life make themselves the victims.
The abusers become the abusées.
How convenient.
•••••
When she was 5 her father told her brother and her that he was bringing them each a gift on Friday.
All week long all she could think about was the gift that he was going to bring her.
Every night all she would dream about was her Easy Bake Oven.
Remember the oven for little girls that would bake a small cake with a light bulb that she always saw on television in commercials.
She wanted that Easy Bake Oven so badly. She could taste the cakes. Chocolate was her favorite. She was so excited.
It was the longest week of her life.
Friday finally came. Her father came in the door and called her and her brother into the kitchen. Told them to sit down at the table.
They did with anticipation and wide eyes.
And then from behind his back came a radio.
Not just any radio.
The radio that came from the car. A 1964 Oldsmobile. It had a portable radio that you could pull out of the car and take it to the beach.
When he sold the car he kept the radio.
And this was the gift that he gave his two small children?¡¡¡¡¡
She was so disappointed that she didn't get her Easy Bake Oven and it showed on her face. But she didn't tell her father what she wanted.
Her father got furious at her and became enraged. She learned quickly that honesty of feelings and emotions were not allowed. You were always to show the feelings and emotions that he wanted to see.
