My father used to yell at me all the time.
For things like putting too much food on his plate,
Or him not liking the tea,
Or if the tea was cold.
He would even yell at me if I left the window open when it was cold outside.
I was supposed to figure out that he was cold on my own.
I cried myself to sleep every night.
I felt broken.
I had no one to confide in.
My mother, who divorced him, would even tell me,
“Be thankful that he provides for you and your siblings.
He could’ve gotten married again and forgotten all about you.”
I don’t talk to anyone about this.
People just assume I have issues.
They say I don’t know what I’m talking about,
When I talk about men’s cruelty.
They don’t understand that I’m only trying to protect other girls from going through the same things I did.
They just think I have issues.
They assume that because it’s easier than admitting that this is a common problem in most households.
The only difference is that I’ve decided to speak up about it.