Touching

Alisha remained silent after he departed, his warning still echoing in her mind. She knew better than to provoke him. The memory of his touch and the pain it brought was too fresh, and she couldn't bear the thought of enduring it again. So, she resolved to keep her mouth shut.

"He talks about teaching me manners, yet he has none," she thought. "He's disrespectful and dirty. How can he expect to instruct me on proper behaviour?"

Alisha's mother, observing her frightened and tear-stained face, sensed that something had gone awry behind closed doors. She felt helpless, unsure of how to assist Alisha, but she knew she had to act before her son could inflict further harm.

Approaching Alisha, she said, "Don't cry, Alisha. Everything will be alright."

Alisha wanted to respond, to tell her mother how her son had treated her, but she dared not. His warning still hung over her, and she feared making things worse.

Alisha's mother, expecting a strong reaction from her daughter, became concerned wh