I was asleep in my bed. Laying on my stomach. I had to be 4 or 5 years old. My aunt was there babysitting as usual. I had two twin beds but she chose to sit on my bed while I was sleeping. I saw her and went back to sleep. Thinking nothing of it. As my eyes drifted back into my sleep, I felt this immediate sharp pain in the middle of my back. I jumped up and looked around. My aunt was still sitting on my bed as if nothing had happened. There was no way I was going back to sleep after that so I got up and put my clothes on and waited for my mother to come home. I never told a sole what had happened until I was grown. My aunt punched me in my back while I was asleep and the pain startled me but what bewildered me more was that she acted as if nothing had happened. I still think of that now as you can see. I did tell my aunt once that I bet she couldn’t do that to me now and get away with it. I told her I would lay down and play dead…just so she can try to hit me in my back like that again. She would be toast!

written by Joan Nyobe