Chapter 18

"Tortillas, your father wanted some, so I guess it's time to please him," she responds.

"I see," I mutter.

My mother points the fork towards me, and she seems almost unaffected, but as she comes into the light, I notice new bruises on her collarbone and a few on her neck. I grimace, which she notices as she places her hand over the bruises.

"You don't have to cover for it," she says.

"Can you both just shut the damn mouth?!" Dad yells, throwing the bottle he had in his hand. He stands up and starts muttering a couple of things I don't understand. I take my mother's arm and lead her to the bedroom. I tell her I'll take care of the food and that dad will be happy that I'm doing it. She nods and doesn't come out until it's well past midnight. I made an effort to have them sleep in separate rooms; I didn't want them together at night in the same room, as it seemed like mom would be in more danger that way.

I focus on finishing the meal and picking up the sh