Truth Case

Years ago, when I was around 8-9 years old, I learned a major lesson in life. It was a peaceful New Year's Eve, everyone but brother was home waiting for the New Year to arrive.

The house was warm with the kerosene heater burning and the kerosene smell being over-powered by the scents of the freshly baked goods mother had in the kitchen.

She had spent all day cooking a full course meal for the New Year's dinner, although the family only wanted the special dessert she cooked during holidays like these. Everyone wanted a piece of her famous homemade sweet potato pie, it was like sinking your teeth into a slice of sweet, delicious heaven.

Only two hours away from midnight, everyone was in their stations for the night. Mother was in the kitchen, father was on the sofa (half asleep and half drunk), big sister was on the phone in her room and little sister & I were playing and running a muck in the house.

Mother leaves the kitchen for a brief moment to go take a bathroom break and she leaves me in charge of watching the pies to make sure they do not burn in the oven. So, of course like the good girl I usually am, I watch the pies like a hawk watches it's prey.

However, when my little sister, Anna, came in the kitchen, I got distracted. To be honest, I do not remember what Anna had said but I remember whatever it was, it got me up and chasing her around the table. The table had most of the desserts on it, the sweet potato pies, the strawberry cheesecakes and the various types of cake mom had made previously.

As I was chasing Anna around the table, I had a really bright idea. I thought to myself, 'Hey, why not just jump across the table? That way you can get her and be all Kim Possible-like." Well, given my ambition to be spy and my love of Kim Possible, I thought this was the best way to go.

I backed all the way up from the side of the table until my back was almost touching the oven and then as if I heard the gunshot for the Olympic 100 meter dash, I took off. Unfortunately, my timing on when to jump was off because once I jumped up I was instantly crashed down on the edge of the table.

The next thing I knew was that I was underneath the tabletop and everything that was once upon a time on it, was now on the floor beside. I heard hurried footsteps make their way to the kitchen as I groggily made my way from underneath the collapsed table top that had fallen on me. I looked up and first saw my sister, who was soon followed by my mother who was followed a second later by my father.

I could almost see steam rising from my father as he asked with firm authority, "What happen and who did it?"

Understand that I was young and clearly I did this but of course I was not going to say that. So I made a feeble reply by saying, "I don't know..."

My father obviously not liking that answer, walks out of the kitchen making his way to his bedroom and I heard the closet open and the jingling of belts. He yelled for Anna and I to both get into the living room. He walked in and said, "Since I don't know who did it, I'm gonna punish both of you!"

I