Alex
“Are you deaf, son?” Mother yelled. This time her voice was getting louder. My stomach twists with familiar dread.
I should have known better than to involve her. I should have known she’d turn this into another chance. “I want you to do it now.”
“Mom, please keep your voice down.” I tried to sound calm, but my voice shook. “You don’t want Father to hear this, do you?”
“Do you think I care?” She laughed, but it was mean and cold. “Do you really think I care if he knows or not?”
My heart started beating fast. She was getting out of control, and that was bad for me. “Calm down, Mom,” I whispered, looking around the room. I felt trapped. “Please.”
“If you want me to calm down, then do what I tell you.”
I knew that voice. It was the same voice she used when I was little, right befo
