The side effect

Remember the movie “Psycho”, the very first one in black and white? What could’ve I been, 12, 13 when I’ve seen it? Yeah, I remember it so well just like it was yesterday.

Sitting beside my three years older sister, holding her hand…no her arm (it was bigger and not sweaty), squeezing it occasionally just to let her know that I got scared. She would put her hand over my eyes and whispered in my ear “don’t watch it you dumb ass”. I couldn’t just let that pass by so I replied in little more then just a whispering tone; “what do you mean don’t watch it? Why the hell did you take me here, to sleep? And who the fuck is a dumb ass? Folk who sat a front and behind us started complaining and calling me the names. Sis knew that in a matter of a few seconds I’d give them a verbal lecture so she just hugged me, stopped a candy in my mouth, kissed my forehead and said; “easy boy, it’s not so bad, soon is the end of the movie”. Soon my ass…Well I don’t know if it was a candy or a kiss that made me calm down but I sure was happy skipping being beaten up by some of the guys behind me. I pulled my feet up, curled in the chair like a baby and kept watching the damn movie. Terrifying scenes went by, making my body shiver but not a damn sound out of me. Then finally the lights came on. Relief. The movie was over, the end, slut, finito. That must have been one of the happiest moments in my life.

On the way home sis didn’t say a word to me. Preoccupied with her own thoughts (probably a boyfriend) she neglected my needs to talk to her. Since that day my life has changed. A simple things like going down to the basement to get something, alone? Forget it, man, no way. Even taking a shower wasn’t pleasant anymore. Today after so many years behind me I still don’t feel comfortable with some things, still I can see the fucking old ladies skull turning towards me looking at me saying “I got you”.

Now days, according to the law, at movie theatres, there is the age limit to every movie that plays. I wonder how do we manage it at home??

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