Second Class Daughter

Second Class Daughter

         "I need to stay at the hospital with mom tonight. She hasn't had any medicines and doesn't know what she is doing."

         "Why can't the nurses take care of her? They would know better how to manage that situation, wouldn't they? Besides, you know what she is like when she isn't on her psych medications. It isn't pleasant."

         "I know, that's why I am staying. The nurses don't know what she is like; I do."

         "OK, if that is what you want to do. I can take you over. Call me whenever you need to talk."

         "I will. I love you."

         "I love you too."


         "Oh, Greg, it was terrible. She didn't sleep the entire night. She was abusive."

         "She didn't hit you, did she?"

         "No, but she tried. During the night, she wanted to get undressed, pull out her I.V., scream for the nurses, or shake the bed railings trying to get out of bed. She was constantly verbally abusive to me and the nurses. She kept swearing at me, calling me derogatory names, and insulting me every time I wanted to help her."

         "I am sorry that happened. Why didn't you call me? You could have talked to me to blow off steam or have a shoulder to cry on."

         "That's just it. She was awake the whole night, and I couldn't call."

         "I'm sorry. You're home now. Safe. You don't have to go through that again."

         "That is what I thought when I moved out to go to college. Mom treated me like this all the time. She would cuss, scream, and even back me into a corner when she got into her moods. She was so unpredictable that I never knew what would set her off. There were times she became physically abusive."

         "You never told me that before. What did she do to you? How often? What did she do to you? Why did you keep that from me?"

         "I kept that from you because you are too protective of me, and you would confront her about this. You can't. Promise me you won't. She will either not remember or get mad at me for telling you. You know I can't take it when she is mad at me. You know what it does to me."

         "Yeah, I know. It causes you to have panic and anxiety attacks. You're having one now because of your mom and last night. It is wrong. Simply wrong, and you know why."

         "Yeah, but what can I do?"

         " . . Nothing. Your brother is the golden child in her eyes, and she treats him like a king. He can do no wrong in her eyes, and you are nothing."

         "She has always treated him better than me. I remember birthdays and Christmas; he would receive more presents than I would, and I learned early on not to make a big deal about it. When mom would be having one of her bad days, I was the one she took it out on, not Mike, just me."

         "She never treated Mike like she did you? Never cornered him, screamed at him, screamed at him, hit him, or anything like she did to you?"

         "No. She treated me like her punching bag: like trash."

         "I am sorry she treated you that way. I can see why you have anxiety and panic attacks when she begins to get upset with you. I am deeply sorry."

         "Remember when we met? How was I so sure we would break up with me?"

         "Yeah, I remember. It took a while for me to convince you I was in it for the long haul and that I liked you."

         "I felt you didn't like me because I wasn't worth your time."

         "Oh, sweetheart. I knew we were destined to be together the first time we met. I even told you that after we started dating seriously, I knew I loved you immediately."

         "I know that now, but I didn't feel worthy of real love back then. I didn't know what it felt like. I was afraid you would use me and leave."

         "Did I?"

         "No. But how was I to know back then."

         "Because I gave you a nickname you still have today."

         "I know."

         "And you will always be my Princess. I will always cherish and consider myself Blessed that you are in my life."

         

Word Count 734


Round 10 prompt:

Is one human being worth more than another?
Questions you might consider: How do you determine a person's worth? How do you decide on your self-worth? If one person is judged to be worth less than another, should this affect how we treat them? Why/why not? What if this person disagrees with your assessment of their worth?