𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐋, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑, e. munson✔︎

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄

━━━━━𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟐.

I couldn't watch my cartoons. My mama and daddy's arguing was distracting.

"Bonnie, can you please just wait a damn minute-"

"I've already told you a hundred times, Richard. We can't do this with you anymore. You got a problem, and I'm not about to have my daughter grow up watching her daddy become an even worse alcoholic than her grandpa."

"Don't talk about my father like that, you bitch."

"Hey, I'm just speaking the truth. You say you want what's best for Ronnie, but you can't even cut down on drinking just one bit. We can't handle taking your random outbursts anymore, Richard. You're scaring her. You're scaring me."

"Bonnie, look at me." She doesn't look until he takes hold of her face, making her look at him.

"Have I ever...hit you or Ronnie, hm? Have I?"

"You throw things at us. You yell at us. You even make us cry. Ronnie and I can't take it anymore, Richard. You got a drinking problem. And if you can't handle it, you needa go somewhere else with that."

"Yeah? And where the hell am I supposed to go, huh? You can't just kick me out. You need me. You can't do anything without needing me. Who's gonna put warm food in yall's belly, keep this roof over yall's head, keep clothes on yall's back? No one else but me cause I am the only man who can tolerate your fucking bitchyness. No other man is gonna want you more than I do. Bonnie, I love you. You need me. You need me to take care of you and our kid."

Mama pulled away from his grasp. She doesn't look at him anymore.

"Pack your stuff. You're not sleeping here tonight."

"No...No, can we just talk about this real quick?" He grabbed her arm, having a firm grip on her. She struggled to pull away.

"You're scaring me, Richard. Let me go." He didn't listen.

"No, c'mere real quick...I-I just wanna talk to you in the other room." Mama didn't like the way he was grabbing her. So she started hitting his chest, shoving and pushing him away. He eventually tumbled to the ground, and my mama walked away, heading toward where I was sitting on the living room floor.

"Mama, what happened?" I wondered, looking over at my daddy dragging himself off the ground and onto his hands and knees.

He hits his head with his fist at first before repeatedly slamming his fist into the ground, mumbling harsh profanities that grew loud enough for mama and me to hear.

"Nothing, sweet pea. Daddy's been drinking some of that silly juice. Let's go over to Wayne's. Maybe Ed's over there." My mama picks me up.

"Fuck you, Bonnie! Fuck you! You fucking bitch!" He got off the ground and was coming towards mama and me now. Out of fear, she kicked a wooden chair in his way. He only stops the chair to pick it up and slam it against the wall, breaking the chair into pieces. I probably was strangling mama from how tight my arms wrapped around her neck like a nuse.

"What are you gonna do, Richard? You gonna hit me?" She wondered. I could hear my daddy breathing heavily.

"I mean, I-I just don't get it, Bonnie. I thought we were in love. I thought you loved me!" He shouts.

"We were. I still love you, Richard. But you let your problems get in between this family." My mama walked out of the trailer.

I could hear my daddy from inside the trailer yelling for her to come back. Of course, she didn't listen. I felt her hand rub my back as I cried on her shoulder. She took me over to my neighbor, Wayne Munson. Mama puts me down and holds my hand while knocking on his door.