Welcome To My Mothers Grave

Summary

I was born with a scorched-earth policy.

When I was six, a neighbor’s kid stole my favorite toy; by midnight, I’d started a fire in their backyard shed. At fourteen, my father’s mistress showed up at our front door, announcing she was my new "mom." I didn't cry. I picked up a heavy mahogany chair and hurled it at her, sending her straight to the ER.

My father nearly had a heart attack. He thrashed me and locked me in a windowless basement, vowing to starve me for three days until I "learned my place." I didn't wait.