Despite the fact that I no longer had Christian faith, I still went to church to amuse my grandparents. I said, "I don't believe in their ways anymore." My aunt said, "I know, Erin. This is to amuse Grandma and Grandpa. It makes them happy." I said, "All right, but here's a warning. Someday, I'm going to get tired of smiling and nodding." One day, I did. Because of my opinionated जवाब to Grandma's सवालों in Sunday School, I got kicked out of Sunday School. When Grandpa found out, I knew I was in trouble. After lunch that Sunday, Grandpa कहा to me, "Let's go outside." That never meant anything good. He said, "Erin, Grandma told me she kicked आप out of Sunday School. She कहा आप were being smart with her. Is that true?" I said, "I didn't mean for it to come out that way, Grandpa. I just don't believe what आप told me to believe. That's all." He said, "I'm very disappointed in you." I said, "I'm sorry, but that's the way it is. I'm thinking for myself now." He said, "Turn around." I turned around, unsure of his motive. He then started beating me with his belt, mainly the buckle. The pain was intense, and it took all I had not to cry. He said, "If आप think that's bad, आप should have seen what happened to your father." I became confused. My father? I was always told he died in a hunting accident. I began to become suspicious of Grandpa. Did he have something to do with my father's untimely death? I was too afraid to ask, so I ran home. On my way home, I ran into Barry. He said, "Oh, hey, Erin. What are आप doing here? I thought आप would be with your grandparents." I began to cry. He asked, "Are आप okay?" I said, "No." He asked, "What's the matter?" I told him everything. He said, "Erin, I...I don't know what to say." He hugged me. I said, "Thanks for the hug, Barry. I needed that." He said, "Any time, Erin." Later at home, my uncle asked, "Do आप care to tell me what happened with Grandpa?" I said, "I don't want to talk about it." He said, "Erin, it's okay. आप can tell me." I said, "The brutal punishment wasn't as upsetting as what he कहा to me. He said, 'If आप think that's bad, आप should have seen what happened to your father.' I don't understand. My father died in a hunting accident, didn't he?" My uncle said, "I always heard it that way. I don't know what to tell you, Erin. Just between आप and me, I think your grandfather is a monster."
To be continued
To be continued
When I had entered the fifth grade, I was dreading it. I had heard rumors that the teacher was really mean. When I met her before school started, she seemed really nice. On the first दिन of school, I was wearing one of my Beatles t-shirts. She noticed it, and she said, "Darling, I प्यार आप already!" I said, "Okay, then." She would take up for me all the time. The other kids often called me glasses. She heard them and said, "She has a name, guys. Her name is not glasses. It's Winter." There was one दिन when another girl kept picking on me. I finally had enough and said, "I might look sweet and innocent, but that shit is for suckers, and I'm no lollipop." I looked at the teacher. She winked and said, "I heard nothing." I would have had her for the sixth grade, too, but unfortunately, I moved to Tennessee as soon as the school साल was over. We both cried. We promised to keep in touch with each other, and we've kept in touch to this day.