a really cold dinner...

My mom seemed to be unusually on edge as we ate dinner. There wasn’t a whole lot of talking going on around the table but there sure was a lot of looking. I lost my appetite and just moved my food around on my plate. I was on high alert now and watching every little thing going on around me. I watched the muscles in my dad’s jaw clench and release as he slowly chewed his dinner very methodically. I heard my mom’s foot tap nervously on the dining table leg. It seemed to be tapping out some type of primal sos message. My mom finally told me and my brother we could leave the table and that was a relief. We went into the living room, plopped down and stared blankly at the television. I could hear the soft mumbling conversation going on in the kitchen. I closed my eyes. I imagined myself to be anywhere but here. Anywhere. But, I was here and was reminded of that when the voices became a little sharper out in the kitchen. My mom suddenly pushed back from the table and jumped up from her chair. She came in the living room and said, “go get some clean clothes…we’re going to Grandmas.” I stole a glance at my dad on the way to my room. He was sitting at the table just looking down at his food with his fork in his hand. I knew that this trip to Grandma’s house was just another name for going to a safe place.