We rushed off to Seattle instead. It was an hour and a half away. Once we got there, I immediately regretted it. People packed the stores. There were lines for day. However, one blessing that I continued to remind myself was that we no longer had to look over our shoulders and worry about the monster coming our way.
The kids fell asleep on the ride back.
When we got home, I was going to wake them up, but Yoshiro said he would take each one up. I carried Poppy upstairs. Yoshiro took Kia. Next, he rushed back for Jalen.
The whole time the dogs stood guard, clearly showing that they would be sleeping in front of their doors that evening.
Standing in the hallway, I shook my head. “The big kids could’ve walked their own little selves to bed.”
Yoshiro quietly closed the door. “No. I wanted some time alone with you.”
“Hmmm.”
“Hmmm is right.” He took me in his arms. “How have you been doing today?”
“Good.”
“Have you thought about the rough parts of last night?”
“Rough parts is one way to think of that.”
“Ebony, how are you doing?”
“Every now and then I thought about it. I saw a broken doll in the store. The head fell and tumbled to the floor. For a few seconds, I stood there in horror, reimagining Wyatt’s head being chopped off.”
Yoshiro squeezed me tighter. “That will happen.”
“For how long?”
“It takes years to go away.”
I whispered, “Do you still see the people that you’ve killed?”
“No, but. . .I see my dad.”
Shocked, I asked, “You killed him?”
“I did. I came home one night, after killing my first person. I had money in my pocket. Once I saw my mother, I gave it to her. I figured all would be okay, showered, and went to bed.”
“She didn’t ask you where you got the money?”
“No. I was already a knuckle head by then, taller than both of them, unwilling to listen to anything my father said. I didn’t respect him because of what he did to my mother.”
I leaned back and studied him.
Sadness decorated his face. “I woke up in the middle of the night to my father beating my mother. He found the money and thought some man had given it to her. She told him that I did. He didn’t believe her.”
“W-what did you do?”
“I grabbed my gun with a shaking hand and went downstairs. I walked in on him choking her. My mother’s face was so bruised.” Yoshiro shook his head. “Her left eye was already shut closed. Blood dripped from her nose. Bruises were on her leg. I didn’t know how long I’d slept before being woken up. . .for that I will never forgive myself.”
“Oh my God. You can’t blame yourself.” I raised my hands and placed my arms on his shoulders, hugging him even more. “None of that is your fault.”
“I told him to leave her alone. I said it was my money.” Rage blazed in Yoshiro’s eyes. “He let go of her neck, but not before slapping her. Then, he walked over to the counter and grabbed his bottle of gin.”
I swallowed in fear.
“I raised the gun and shot the bottle. My mother screamed. He didn’t even look scared. He threw the cracked bottle to the floor and told her to clean it up. Then he turned to me and said I was kicked out. That I was evil personified.”
I ran my fingers through his hair.
“And then. . .I told him to leave. He laughed. My mother rose. She could barely move. She begged me to go. Maybe she thought my father would sleep it off and change his mind. Maybe. . .she agreed with him. Either way. . .”
“Go ahead.”
“Either way, I pointed the gun at him. He frowned at me. My mother yelled from the side, begging me to put the gun down. And then my father looked at her and told her to get the broom and clean up the mess. That was what pushed me over edge. She was so bloody. . .so broken. . and.” Yoshiro’s eyes watered, but no tears came. “I pulled the trigger. The bullet hit his chest. My mother screamed and ran to him. My father shook on the floor. I pointed the gun at his head. My mother cried, begging me not to do it.”
Silence filled the space for several seconds, and then Yoshiro whispered, “But I did it. I shot him right in the head. He might’ve survived the chest wound. I didn’t hit his heart, but. . .”
“W-where’s your mother now? Is she still alive?”
“I don’t know.” He released me and rubbed his face. “I can’t believe I told you this.”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not.” He walked off to his room and opened the door.
I followed him in. “Yoshiro. . .I understand.”
“I’ve never told anyone that. I thought I would die with that story.”