The Corner

Sometimes She got caught in the crossfires that were the Old Woman's rage. More often than not, She had no clue why the Old Woman was angry with her. She just knew that She must have done something so hideous, so horrible that She deserved the grandest of all punishments. The guava branch became a fixture in the dining room, much like one of the Old Woman's oil paintings. It was hung high so everyone could so and admire it. The guava tree in the back yielded the most beautiful fruit. So sweet and ripe. She loved eating that fruit but grew to hate the very branches that became her punishers. Those branches were wicked, unyielding. With every blow, with every crack came instant welts, cuts and blood. The pain was unbearable on her bare skin, but She learned to stand there quietly, without tears, taking her punishment like a very good girl.

But no matter how agonizing those lashes were, they didn't even come close to the Corner. Instead of the guava branch, sometimes the Old Woman used the Corner. It was in the northeast side of the dining room, bare and desolate. Ugly wood panneling surrounded the corner, gen and white fake tiles lay on the floor. When the punishment was the Corner, She would have to sit facing it, still and quiet. There was no chair to sit on, just the hard fake tile underneath. She was to stand up stright. Slouching was strictly prohibited. She wasn't allowed to turn around to look at anything else except for the dark, wood panneling. If even a tear was shed, chaos would ensue and the Old Woman would tell her how weak and pathetic She really was. So there in her Corner. Not uttering a word and not moving for hours at a time.

Then hours later, something wonderful would happen. The Saviour came home and everything magically changed. The Saviour would drop his Haliburton and scoop her up from the floor. She relished in the Saviour's arms and sobbed quietly so the Old Woman wouldn't notice. The Saviour shot a furious glance at the Old Woman, which she shrugged off. The walked away into the kitchen to continue smoking her Benson and Hedges Menthol Lights and drink her cheap instant coffee. The Saviour turned back to the wretched child in his arms. He kissed the top of her head tenderly and told her he loved her. Everything was going to be okay, he said. Then, and only then, at that very moment, did she believe that he was right. He was telling the truth. The Saviour had returned home and everything was going to be okay. Until he had to leave again.