At 13, I was pretty naive to the world and all the bad people in it. I was going through my days, getting good grades at school, hanging out with my friends, coming home and spending the evenings with my family. At weekends, my friends and I would go camping at the local park or shopping in town. One weekend, I got home and found my mum’s best friend waiting for me. She was crying and there was a police officer with her.
I cant tell you about my parents accident, its too painful for me to write right now. All I can say is that they were killed in a car accident by a drink driver. A story we hear all too often and too much. But that was the start of it all.
I moved in with my mum’s best friend, I’ll call her Sandra, and the first year, I rebelled. I was angry and unprepared for all the changes. I guess anyone in the same situation is. No one expects to all of a sudden lose their family. It was just me now, I had no siblings.
I don’t know whether Sandra and her husband, Mike, just got fed up with me and felt I needed to learn respect, but eventually I became their Cinderella. I couldn’t blame them I suppose. I was living for free with them and I had treated them like crap.
I had to do the chores around the house. All of them. I was a live in maid. I no longer went to see my friends and shopping trips were well off the agenda. At first, it wasn’t too bad. I was still part of the family. I still ate dinner with them at the table. I was still clothed well and I still went on holiday with them. But as their lives got busier, my place within the family diminished. I should say that Sandra and Mike had no children of their own. I don’t know why, whether it was by choice or not, but I’m glad of that. I’m also guessing that they didn’t really want the burden of me either. Sandra possibly just felt she opted it to my mum.
When I was 16, Mike’s attentions turned to me in a different way. My body was developing well, and he had noticed. He looked at me with a smile rather than with disappointment or anger as he had done previously. Mike was a man in his 40s, but attractive. He worked out and looked after himself well. I found the attention was appealing to me in a way I had not felt before. I hadn’t been all that impressed with boys my own age, finding them annoying and immature.
I developed feelings for Mike, but he didn’t make any moves towards me. Not until the first time I got drunk and he had to pick me up.
It was our Leavers Ball at school and Sandra had agreed that I could go onto a party afterwards. I had convinced her it was only a small group of girls and we were just going to reminisce about our school days over pizza. Of course, I had lied, but I wanted to go and couldn’t tell her the truth. I hadn’t drunk alcohol before, so it wasn’t long before I was drunk and making a nuisance of myself. One of my friends called Sandra, explained what had happened and before I knew it, Mike was there, angry faced and authoritive.
As I slid into the car, Mike turned to me and asked what kind of punishment I thought I deserved. I shrugged and then said the most embarrassing thing I had ever said.
“I love you, Mike. I mean, I am in love with you! You cant punish me.” Mike laughed.
“Then punishing you is going to be easier and more enjoyable.” He started to drive.
“Enjoyable! What do you mean?” My eyes were starting to close.
“I’m going to enjoy giving you a really grown up punishment, since you think you are so adult now.”
I fell asleep at that point. When I next woke up, I was in my room, in my pyjamas with a bucket by my bed and a glass of water on my bedside table. I guess I was grounded then.
