Stuffed Cat

When I was young, my parents divorced. I got to see my dad every other weekend, but this was never enough. When I did something wrong, my stepfather decided my punishment would be not seeing my dad. There would be months in between visits, and I missed my father very much. My dad tried to get the visits enforced, but he ran into a lot of problems. He never knew what to do, and when I did get to see him, the time we shared was extra special. On one particular occasion, my dad took us shopping and told us to get something special. I chose a stuffed cat.

Life with my stepfather was never easy. Looking back, I realized that it was an abusive situation, but I didn’t know any better at the time. I knew that things were not right, but I never knew that I had a say in it. My mom was often oblivious, and he was careful to never hit us when she was home. If she knew, she ignored it. I knew this, and this made me miss my dad even more. Had I told him, he would have put a stop to it right away. Instead, I hid in my room with my stuffed cat and cried. I became so withdrawn that I would often run into the woods with my stuffed cat just to get away, and I would stay there for hours on end.

At the time, I felt that stuffed cat was the only link I had to my father. I didn’t know I should tell someone what was going on, and I didn’t know that anyone would even do anything about it. I held on to that stuffed cat when I needed my dad, and it brought me a small amount of comfort. My dad had gotten it for me, and he would never hit me. When you don’t have a lot to hold on to, something as simple as that stuffed cat is more comfort than you could possibly imagine.

As we got older, something bad happened to my brother, and I decided that it was time for a change. My brother was too young. I thought I could handle it, but I didn’t want him to. I made him go to school and tell someone what had happened. He was sent to live with my dad, and even though I didn’t have my brother with me anymore, I knew he was safe. That stuffed cat was really all I had at this point. When I was finally old enough to make my own choices, I got out of there, and I went to live with my dad. I no longer have that stuffed cat, but I will remember it always. It’s amazing what a toy can do when nothing else in the world is right.