In one furious moment, I said the unthinkable. “Hit Me!” I shouted. His hand was poised, suspended in mid-air. And it seemed like time seized. It ceased all prior existence, just to determine this point –this one point. “Go on dad, hit me”, I snarled. And he seemed to wake up. Like he couldn’t fathom how he got here. How this one point in time, came to be. That same something that we both ran away from, looped back, and slammed right into us. “Hit me”, I screamed. But he just looked at me, hand still upheld, face still frozen.

“Charlie”, my step mother said. And he tilted his head and looked her way. His focus temporarily diverted. His eyes now trained on her. “Charlie, put your hand down. You’re not that person”, she said. And soon recognition flashed across his face. He immediately seemed to sober. His tense stance seemed to relax. “You’re right, Hale. I’m not that person.” And just like that he began to lower his hand.

Yet that was utter bull shit to me. He was that person. He will always be that person. He couldn’t run from it. I would never let him. “Hit me”, I screamed. Both pair of eyes immediately set on me. My father just looked at me. “Hit me”, I bellowed once again. His eyes searched mine; while my own pair, was set on him. He shook his head “I’m not going to hit you Nikolette. I’m not that person anymore.” And whatever furious state I was in was left behind. I was completely livid now. So livid with thoughts of the utter destruction I was planning to leave in my wake. “Fine”, I yelled. “I’ll do what you won’t.” And with that I curled my own fist and swung....