Everything seemed so overwhelming,and I had never felt so small in my life.I interacted with my father less and less on a daily basis,and it sometimes seemed strange that we still lived under the same roof.When he was in an approachable mood,he would tell me that everything would be okay,though his promises felt not certain nor reassuring.Then he would softly pat me on the shoulder,instead of hug me tightly like he used to.I felt empty,and my dad did as well.I started to eat less and less,so I lost weight.This didn’t help matters much either,as my father always told me that I was skinny to begin with.”Honey, you have to eat. You have to grow healthy and strong. One of us has to,”he groaned,the strain in his voice.I felt that whenever I cried, it only made him sadder, so I often did it when I was alone, which was often. If circumstances permitted, I would stay with the Jenkins for a few days, but they always seemed to be out and about, at family gatherings and what not. For once, I wished I was someone else.