Ever since Mono was a child, she thought of her parents as something that would protect her. Something to help her get through her cries, her whines, and her struggles. Mono just never thought that that image she had of her parents would change forever at the age of 4. 

It’s a spring morning. Birds just started finding their way back, the air was starting to get a little warmer, and the puddles were still resting on the concrete from yesterday’s rainfall. Mono’s tree was sprouting blooms, like waking up from a good rest and feeling charged up for the day to come. In Mono’s shared room, she was told to wake up by her grandpa, and as usual, breakfast was prepared for her and her little sister, Euphoria. She got up, brushed her teeth while still half asleep, and headed down the teal stairs to eat. And as usual, she would trouble her grandpa for she couldn’t finish her food. This happened all the time because Mono had trouble eating. She didn’t like eating food because she always felt as if she was given too much. 

As the day went on, it just felt like every other day. But of course, school was starting again and this would be Mono’s first year at pre-school, so maybe that was something unusual that her parents and relatives were talking about. 

Especially her parents.

Her parents, mainly her father, wanted her to be smart and prepared for school, and that didn’t include how other students would treat her but rather how she did in school. Grades, tests, participation, etc.

Mono didn’t know this, and everyday that passed was pushing her towards it.

~*~

One day, Mono was in her pajamas while playing with dolls, blocks, and crayons. To her, this was a completely ordinary evening. To Euphoria, this was a completely ordinary evening. To her grandpa, this was a completely ordinary evening. 

But, to her parents, today would be a different evening.

It was 8:30 pm, and Mono’s parents should be home any second now. A few minutes later, she can hear the sounds of a BMW car engine pulling up  into the driveway. Mono and Euphoria  jumped up at the realization, and hurried their way down the stairs in excitement and happiness that mom and dad were finally home now.

As Mom and Dad opened the door, they shouted, “Hi Mommy, hi Daddy,” as a warm welcoming for the both of them. 

They smiled, said their hello’s, and asked Mono and Euphoria how they were while they were at work. Their grandpa would make his way down the stairs and say they were pretty well behaved.

“Mono, school is starting soon, you know that right?” Her father brung up.

“Yeah I know!” Mono happily said.

“I want to make sure you are ready for when school starts,” He stated.

“Okay,” Mono replied.

~*~

Mono and her father were in her bedroom now. The room had a color palette full of light greens, pastel pinks, and white with big flowers painted on the walls. Disney princesses and fairy stickers were everywhere. On the far left of the room, there’s a children’s table set up and books, writing utensils, and paper spread out on the table. They’ve been sitting in this spot for what seems like 2 hours now. 

Mono’s father raised his voice. “How many blocks are there?”

She hesitated to answer. “...three?” she said in a silent voice, fear showing through.

“No. How many blocks are there?” The anger and annoyance in his voice kept getting worse with every question Mono got wrong.

She hesitated to answer.

“How. Many. Are. There?” He repeated.

“...are there five?” Mono really didn’t know, and the pressure to get it right didn’t make it any better.

“No! There are eight Mono, eight! How much longer do I have to teach you?” 

Mono felt like she was on the verge of breaking down, for she kept getting answers wrong and the yelling didn’t ease the anxiety at all.

This would go on for a couple more minutes before her father finally had enough of it.

He stood up, aggressively picked up Mono from the chair, and slammed open the bedroom door. While this was happening, Mono felt absolutely terrified, wondering what the hell was going on and why she was suddenly being carried out of her room. Before she knew it, she was being pushed into the garage, the pitch black garage with insects, sharp objects, and a tight but cold space. The heavy door slammed shut and Mono heard a click, telling her that the garage door had been locked. 

She started screaming and crying, slamming the door with her little hands and trying to twist the door knob over and over again, begging to be let back out. 

“Let me out! I won’t get an answer wrong again! Daddy, open the door!” she yelled repeatedly, feeling her voice growing hoarse every time she repeated it. Tears were streaming down her face and snot was coming out of her nose. No matter how much she screamed, slammed, begged, no one did anything. No one tried to open the door, no one tried to argue with her father to open the door. It was only 10 minutes, but it felt like an eternity for Mono.

When the door finally opened, She stopped screaming but she was still crying, hiccuping and trying to suffocate her sniffs just in case that angered her father too. 

“Come on, it’s really late and Mono needs to go to bed now, you can continue to teach her tomorrow.” Mono’s mother intervened. 

She picked her up and carried her upstairs. 

That night, Mono went to sleep without brushing her teeth, for she was too exhausted to do anything else but sleep. That night, her views of her parents, especially of her father, changed. She wondered why he would do that, and why everyone allowed it to happen. No one tried to help her. 

~*~

Over the next couple months, this would happen again and again. Sometimes, she tried to fight back by trying to push her way past her father but he was always stronger and bigger than her, her little and skinny body being nothing compared to his. Sometimes, she would wake up with small bruises and a few scratches on her legs and arms, and her mother would ask if she got them from being put in the garage. Mono would nod, and her mother would say nothing else after that. And sometimes, her mother would sit on the couch with Euphoria in her arms and just watch as Mono tried to grab anything, hold onto anything to not get dragged into the garage. Her grandpa and mother would tell her to not tell anyone at school because if she did, they would get arrested and get taken away from her. “You wouldn’t have a mommy or daddy,” her mother would say. “You would have nowhere to live and no one would take care of you.” and Mono of course, being a scared child at the time, would agree not to tell anyone anything about what was happening to her.

One day, Mono got an idea. She didn’t know if it would work, but it was an idea nonetheless.

That evening, she sat in the living room, anxiously waiting for the last 30 minutes before her father walked through the door. Today, her mother didn’t work so she stayed home. Mono took this as a chance to ask what time Dad would arrive home and what time it was, asking her constantly until it was the right time. “Daddy will be home in 30 minutes,” she would say, and this would be Mono’s cue to start her plan.

Mono would say, “I’m tired, I’m gonna go to bed now, goodnight!” and would run upstairs to get ready for bed. She would brush her teeth, close her bedroom lights off, and jump into bed. She was too nervous to fall asleep, so she’d lay there in bed until she heard a car pull up. When she did, she’d close her eyes and pretended to sleep. 

It was 8:30 p.m., and Mono heard her father drive to a stop. She heard the squeaky glass door opening and the passcode to their house being entered. The door then closed shut, telling Mono that her father was home. She heard some chattering downstairs, then her father’s loud steps up the noisy stairs. Mono heard him walking down the hallway towards her room, and then they came to a stop. Mono stayed laying there, eyes closed, hoping he wouldn’t try making her open her eyes. “Would Daddy walk over here?” she thought to herself. She was dreading the situation, wishing he would just go away. 

She kept listening for footsteps, but she didn’t hear any. She knew her father was standing just outside the doorway, assuming he was peaking in. Then, she heard the footsteps fading away, signaling to her that her plan did indeed work, and she was more than relieved. She would continue this plan for the next 2 years, overjoyed that she didn’t have to experience being put into the garage by her father ever again.