Cyanide Kills Rats

“Would you just shut up?” Karen yelled at Jim as she came out of her room and rounded the corner to come into mine. “What do you mean shut up?” Jim snarled back quickly, hesitated, and then added, “little lady.” Jim’s speech was slurred badly, but I could tell he was mad. “Young lady, I pay the rent here and I’ll be as loud as I want to be!” He was yelling at her at the top of his drunken voice. I quickly jumped out of bed and ran to the door and got between Karen and him. “You leave my sister alone!” I was as tall as Jim, and at that moment wondered if I weren’t as strong too. “You’re not our father! You only want us here to keep yourself out of jail!” “Why, you little punk…” Tommy and Karen didn’t ask for this life and they’d done nothing to deserve it. Events, beyond their control, had put them in the custody of an alcoholic stepfather. Life isn’t always fair and they just had to find a way to survive.