Mom stormed into my room in a rage, turning it completely upside down.
Sure enough, she found two twenty-dollar bills under the bed.
She slammed me against the stove, letting the hot metal burn half my face.
“So young and already lying!”
Blood poured down my face, but I didn’t dare make a sound.
Jacob gloated nearby, shouting:
“Mom! She looks so ugly like that!”
Mom’s fury ignited further. She dragged me into the living room.
“Now you’re not just greedy and lazy—you’ve learned to lie too!”
“What’s next? Selling yourself on the streets?”
“I’ve never seen anyone so shameless! Tell me! How much more do you have? Hand it all over!”
“If I find you hiding even one more dollar, I’ll break your legs!”
I clenched my teeth and whispered:
“There’s no more.”
“No more?”
She sneered, grabbed a broom, and struck me across the head and shoulders.
“You dare lie to me?”
Jacob, still eating cake, shouted with glee:
“Mom, hit her hands! That’s what they do on TV—she’ll confess then!”
My hands were beaten bloody. I lay on the floor, hardly daring to breathe.
Just then, the door opened.
Dad staggered in, reeking of alcohol.
Since I was in his way, he glared with disgust and kicked me aside.
“What now? Crying all day again? You’re nothing but a jinx!”
Mom immediately pointed at me to complain:
“She stole the chocolate you brought back for Jacob and lied about hiding money! She’s no better than a stray dog burying bones!”
“Keep this up, and she’ll turn into a greedy, wasteful thief!”
“I was teaching her a lesson, and she still acts wronged!”
She shook the money she had just seized from me.
Dad had lost badly at the casino that day, and his mood was foul.
The moment he saw money, he snatched it, shoved it into his pocket, and slapped me even harder.
“I told you this jinx is nothing but trouble! She’ll grow up rotten!”
“You should’ve drowned her at birth. But you were too softhearted and let her live, and now look!”
“I lost so badly today—it’s all because of her bad luck!”
Dizzy from the blows, I collapsed. He stepped on me as he cursed:
“Stealing money, too? We already have enough rats in this house, and now even our daughter has turned into one!”
Then he swaggered over to the spot where Mom kept her cash, grabbed the remaining loose bills, and counted them all with satisfaction.
“Now that I’ve disciplined this jinx, my luck will turn around. I’ll win tonight for sure!”
On his way out, he scooped Jacob into his arms, planting a loud kiss on him.
“My good boy! When I win, I’ll buy us a big house in downtown Chicago!”
Jacob squealed with joy, smearing cream everywhere.
Instead of scolding him, Dad cuddled him tighter.
“Eat more, son. Grow up strong and become someone important one day!”
With that, he put Jacob down and left cheerfully.
Mom didn’t find any more money, and she looked dissatisfied.
I stayed silent, curled in a corner, my head and hands still bleeding.
Two rats darted out of the kitchen trash can.
