Member-only story

MEMOIR

Wounds and Wings: A Summer Afternoon With My Bully and My Super-Hero

A memoir of a victim turned victor

Fareeha Arshad
Ellemeno
Published in
8 min readOct 14, 2023

--

Photo by Danny Lines on Unsplash

“Hi,” I whispered.

I felt dizzy with apprehension. I fidgeted with my fingers while I looked at the blue shoe on my left leg, missing the silver bow its other pair proudly boasted. No matter how hard I tried, I could not meet her eyes.

When I received no response, I turned around and looked at my Dad, standing further away from the porch. He smiled and showed his right thumb — a small gesture symbolizing that he has my back no matter how bad it goes. Looking at his tough smile, I took a deep breath and felt the knot in my stomach untie a little.

“Why are you here?”

Unexpectedly, her voice that once calmed me, now brought chills down my spine. I failed to understand why her voice still affected me, even though I perfectly knew who was in the right and who wasn’t.

“How come I don’t see the difference?” I asked, meeting my teary mother’s eyes.

“Because there is a thin line between a lover and a narcissist. A lover loves you despite your flaws, and a narcissist loves you because of it.”

--

--

Ellemeno
Ellemeno

Published in Ellemeno

A literary journal dedicated to the exploration of life, memoir, culture, travel, and writing.

Fareeha Arshad
Fareeha Arshad

Written by Fareeha Arshad

Avid reader. Ardent dreamer. Amateur writer.

Responses (12)