After the show, I was in the car with my step
dad.
Lily and my mom were in the back, talking
about photos they took.
く
They were there to watch Lily.
I looked at the city lights.
My stepdad glanced at me, “Hey, Sarah, where
were you tonight?”
“She was in the staff,” Lily said.
My mom scoffed, “She was born to be a
servant.”
At home, I went to my room and got ready for bed.
Then my stepdad walked in with a plate of fruit.
“Hey, Sarah, eat some fruit and get some rest,
okay? Staying up late is bad for you.”
He touched my hand.
I moved away. “Thanks, Lin.”
<
He left.
I threw the fruit in the garbage and started
gagging.
Lin is my step dad.
I was twelve when I saw him cheating.
He was hugging another woman at a hotel.
That night, at dinner, I told them everything.
The coat hanger hit me hard. My mom was yelling at me.
“I told you not to make stuff up!”
“You’re lying about your own dad. You’re a
horrible kid!”
Lin sat there.
く
“Okay, it’s fine, she’s just a kid.”
I was on the ground, crying.
Why couldn’t they believe me?
My mom left to get Lily from danceclass.
I laid there and Lin looked at me.
He smiled. “It’s okay, Sarah, next time, don’t
hurt my feelings.”
“That’s how men are. You’ll understand when you’re older.”
