My father kept us imprisoned in the house. He would take me to and from school, and my mother to and from work.

Sometimes I would be allowed to go with him to do the weekly food shopping. That was it. The rest of the time, we were props from him to unleash his insanity onto.

As I grew older, my mother convinced him to let her take me to the doctor with her, by ourselves. She would then tell me to go visit with friends, then we would meet back up and go home together, with him none the wiser.

Sometimes my mother is in my dreams and for a split second when I wake up I have forgotten she has passed away.

What a life it has been.