I just turned 16. Dad had come back into mine and sis's life about 3 years earlier. He was clean and sober, but an angry shell of a man. He would snap at us for the smallest things. I guess I inherited that from him. He had been seeing a VERY kind woman who I love dearly. She had a son so now i get a step mom and a step brother. Dad and Karen (step mom) both smoked like chimneys. They would collect their cig packs for the miles. I was working the evening shift in the summers and one day dad decided to make an early dinner so we could all eat before I had to go to work. We (everyone but dad) were bored so we decided to get out the cig packs, cut out the miles, and go through the catalogues to see what we could get. Which dad was opposed to cause it was a distraction to him. Dad was in the kitchen and had asked us kids to stay out of his way. Karen didn't know this and asked Josh (her son) to go in the kitchen and get another pair of sissors. Of course, Josh did what his momma told him to do. Dad blew a gasket. Karen stepped in and tried to explain but dad wouldn't hear it. Josh and my sis ran screaming into the bedroom while I sat on the couch and began to boil. Dad and Karen kept screaming at each other and finally I had had enough. My turn to step in. I screamed as loud as I could for them to both shut the %#@&#! up. Dad told me that it was none of my business. I informed him that it sure as hell was my business... it was everyone's business. I remember saying "Are you gonna %#@&#! this up like you did with my mother?" I guess that was the wrong thing to say. Next thing I know we're toe to toe and he's out of his mind with rage. He voliently screamed at me to back off and I said not this time. He screamed something that wasn't even english and lunged at me. Grabbed me by the throat, threw me through a table, into the wall, and to the floor where he began choking me. I almost passed out cause I couldn't breathe. For some reason he let go and turned to walk away... and then came back for a second round. There was no sanity in his eyes. Karen threw herself in between two raging bulls... some guts she had. I was pretty much defenseless and she got him off me. I lay there for what seemed like an eternity bleeding and aching all over gasping for air. I finally got up, grabbed my things and screamed a few choice dirty words at him and raged out the door. I was half way to work before I realized that I HAD LEFT MY SISTER THERE!!! Thank God above Karen took her to my mom's work, but I still feel guilty about leaving her there. She was 12 at the time. So there it is.

Ryan