Comment from shelley kaye

Excellent

ooh so great!

excellent addition to the book!

thank you for sharing it.... and for fixing the chapter number too! ;-)

good luck in the contest! :-)

 Comment Written 07-Jan-2009

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reply by the author on 10-Jan-2009

thanks, shelley kaye. that chapter # stuff can be a little tricky. love, jan

Comment from bkrighter

Excellent

I am glad that I never experienced that from my father. He didn't drink often and the few times I saw him intoxicated, he was a "good drunk." I feeel especially for the kids who witness or are victims of violence in their homes all the time.

Good luck.

Steve

 Comment Written 07-Jan-2009

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reply by the author on 10-Jan-2009

my dad had 3 stages -- unfortunately, that night was the worst stage. love, jan

Comment from Nicnac

Excellent

To me, this is a very sad statement.
Sad, because a child should never have to endure dread, horror or pain, especially from his/her own parents.
Alcohol can be (for some) an ugly demon who haunts an alcoholic and the ones he/she loves.

I'm glad this wasn't an ongoing experience for you, Jan.
Sorry for the lengthy response, but your statement evoked such strong emotions in me.

~Nic

 Comment Written 07-Jan-2009

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reply by the author on 10-Jan-2009

Nic, it wasn't an ongoing experience but just enough you never knew when it was going to happen (his being drunk). this was the only time he was ever violent with my mom. my brother and I often paid the price for his drinking, however, but that's another story. love, jan

Comment from sherrygreywolf

Excellent

So intense. I read this type of thing and realize how lucky my sisters and I were when we were growing up. Reading the author notes, I was glad to see this was a singular event and not ongoing.

Very moving line-story. Follows the guidelines of the contest. Good entry.

sherry

 Comment Written 07-Jan-2009

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reply by the author on 10-Jan-2009

thanks, sherry. even so, I was very blessed in my life. love, jan

Comment from mtngalofnc

Excellent

Hi Jan,
Short, but evokes a very strong image. Glad to hear it never happened again. For someone like me, it stirs a lot of emotion especially when the occurrence happens on a weekly basis. Trust me, after living this life for a number of years, it does a lot of damage. Thank you for sharing and God bless and best wishes!
mtngalofnc

 Comment Written 07-Jan-2009

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reply by the author on 10-Jan-2009

the hitting only happened once--the drinking was all too frequent -- not weekly but often enough you never knew when it would happen. sorry you've experienced it. love, jan

Comment from earthlybeing

Excellent

Sad situation but I am happy he didn't attempt the third hit. Easy to see how you would go to the extreme to defend your mother against a drunk. Well done. Thanks, Jeanette

 Comment Written 07-Jan-2009

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reply by the author on 07-Jan-2009

thanks, Jeanette. love, jan

Comment from Mouse

Excellent

It's certainly succinct and to the point.

I guess you can always blame the alcohol ... it has such a strong effect on some people that they are no longer themselves. It a horrible thing for a child to see that sort of behavior from a parent, but be glad it's the only time it happened.

Good luck in the contest.

Cheers,
Mouse

 Comment Written 07-Jan-2009

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reply by the author on 07-Jan-2009

absolutely. I may have killed him the next time. :>( love, jan

Comment from babylonia

Excellent

jan,
its strange what happens to some people when they are drinking. some are nice and some are mean. easy to read and follow. no spaggies do i see. imagery is excellent. keep up the good work~
good luck~
love,
barbara

 Comment Written 07-Jan-2009

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reply by the author on 07-Jan-2009

my dad was the most loving man in the world when he was sober, but .......... love, jan

reply by babylonia on 07-Jan-2009

jan,
my dad drank once a year. on new year's eve. when he and my mom took custody of my son he never drank again as far as i know. if he did it was when he wasn't home. i don't think he did because he stopped having alcohol in the house as well. they took him twenty-five years ago.
love,
barbara

Comment from skye

Excellent

Abuse is horrific. This story, even in six words, is horrific.
Your emotions are very dark and deep, but I am glad to hear that you all have moved on.
Hopefully the next generation won't have to suffer through this kind of emotion.

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 Comment Written 06-Jan-2009

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reply by the author on 06-Jan-2009

my daughter never had to experience anything like this, thank goodness. love, jan

Comment from chaswriter

Excellent

Red - Watch out! Your dark side is showing. What a powerful statement. My dad was an alcholic and you know the rest. Good luck in the contest. Charlie

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The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.

 Comment Written 06-Jan-2009

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reply by the author on 06-Jan-2009

thanks, Charlie. and, yes, I do have a very dark side that only emerges now and then. love, jan