My stepfather b.ea.t me every day as a form of entertainment. One day, he kn0cked me unconscious, and when he took me to the hospital, my mother said, “It was because she accidentally slipped while bathing.” As soon as the doctor looked at me, he picked up the phone and called 911.
The last thing I heard before the world went black was my stepfather laughing, and it sounded like breaking me was his favorite hobby, as if my agony were the evening show he came home to watch. His name was Victor Payne, but in the house we shared, everyone was required to address him as…
