No persons under the required age of consent are involved in any sexual activity in this story. On the contrary this first chapter is all about waiting until the age of consent is obtained
I didn't have a difficult childhood but I did have a different one. One day, when I was six my Gran picked me up from school instead of my Mother. Mother had left and I wasn't to see nor hear from her in a very long time. Gran was Dad's Mum and although I didn't register it at the time I came to realise that she never said one word against my Mother. She simply took over where my Mother had left off.
Less than week later we moved, Dad and me, to a new house. Dad had a key and when we walked in a little girl ran towards him calling him Daddy. She hugged his legs. I was very confused. He was MY Daddy! There was a lady there, very pretty, looked just like my Mum.
She said her name was Janet and the little girl was Christine or Chrissie and that she was my sister but had a different Mummy. Chrissie was nearly a month younger than me. She looked very nice and was very friendly. She called me 'Big Brother' straight away. I told her my name was Ryan and she said;
"Hello, Big Brother Ryan,"
She hugged me and said I should hug her back. I liked her, she was nice and made me feel welcome. I hugged her hard and she hugged harder before kissing me on the lips. That surprised me! Only my Mum had kissed me before, and Gran a few times. Mum always kissed my head or nose not like Chrissie.
Apart from being brother and sister, nearly, we quickly became very good mates. Dad and I had moved right across town so I had to change schools. Chrissie, being nearly the same age as me was in my class and she looked after me. Telling everybody I was her new Big Brother. I made lots of friends very quickly.
Janet said I could call her Janet or Mum, whichever I liked and there was no rush, I could use both and see what felt nicest to me.
I liked Janet and Chrissie. I felt as if I was part of a proper family. Chrissie loved having a big brother and I enjoyed having a slightly little sister. We all got on very well together. Mum, after a few days of trying Mum and Janet I decided on Mum (not 'my Mum', because she wasn't and Mum said it would be wrong to refer to her as 'my Mum') as it felt nice, was a hairdresser. She usually worked at home but she also had a little car for when she had to go to the ladies houses. That only happened when we were at school.
Dad slept in Janet's bed and I shared the other big bedroom with my sister. We had bunk beds but with the two beds side by side. Mum used the third bedroom for her hairdressing.
Life, on the whole, was pretty good, for a short while.
The rows started between Dad and Janet after about a month. It was just like before, constant rows and shouting. At least I had Chrissie to hide with. Chrissie wasn't used to her parents shouting at each other. I told her it was normal. Idiot that I was. I took her upstairs to hide, out of the way. I told her to get into bed and pull the covers over her head and to stay there until Mum came up for us. I got into my own bed. Five minutes later Chrissie came in with me. We pulled the pillows down and the covers up. Didn't move until Mum came up next morning.
Mum looked like my Mum used to look after a row with Dad, puffy faced and dark patches of skin on her face and arms. I gave Mum a very sad look but knew better than to ask what happened and why. Chrissie had no experience of our Father's behaviour so asked her Mum what had happened.
She was told that her Father didn't want her to do any more hairdressing. That she, Chrissie should never again ask what had happened or why and never to mention Mum's bruises, puffy face or anything else to anybody else. We were not to mention hairdressing either.
She said I'd been good bringing Chrissie upstairs out of harms way and that we should do the same every time it happened in future. Mum clearly understood it would happen again and again. As did I, it was exactly the same with my Mum. My Father was a brute. I apologised to Mum for his behaviour. She didn't laugh, just thanked me and told us both that we must leave her to sort it out. She promised she would but it would take time and we all had to be patient. Until then we both had to be very careful when our Father was around.
We walked on egg shells whenever he was home and did our best to make it better for Mum when he wasn't. It didn't stop him beating her but at least we knew that there was never any justifiable cause. He was just a very nasty man.
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It was a Friday, Chrissie and I were twelve and sat at the dining room table making a start on our weekend homework. Mum was out shopping. We heard the front door. That'll be Mum we both thought. It wasn't, it was Dad! No warning whatsoever!
"Where's yer Mum?"
"Out, shopping." we replied instantly.
"You!" he pointed a finger at me, "out! I'll deal with you after I've dealt with your sister."
I was twelve! I wasn't being treated like that! Nor was my Sister.
"Why?" I demanded as I got out of my chair.
"You arguing with me BOY?"
He punched me straight in the face. I went dizzy. He grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and threw me out of the dining room door and into the passageway. He slammed the door, hard. As the dining room door slammed shut the front door opened. Mum took one look at me, by then blood was beginning to come from my nose.
"What's going on?"
"Dad! He's in the dining room, with Chrissie," I blurted out.
I've never seen Mum move so fast! She dropped her bags where she stood and was beside me in seconds.
"Be alright for a minute or two?"
I nodded.
"Follow me, get Chrissie out. Hide!"
Mum went through that door like a lioness protecting her cubs! Dad was so shocked he let go of Chrissie completely.
"Run!" I shouted from the open door.
She ran. As I closed the door quickly behind us I heard Dad shout 'you wouldn't dare!' Mum replied 'try me!'.
Then there was a strident scream, nothing like the scream of Mum when Dad was knocking her about. It was a terrorising scream of aggression followed by a dull thud. That was followed by an agonising scream of pain mixed with surprise.