It was Christmas morning and I had just woken up from a calm and relaxing nap. As all the other years, I was staying at my mom’s house because that was what my parents agreed on. Christmas with mom, New Years with dad. I run up to my mother and start jumping on her bed with joy. “Mom! Mom! It’s Christmas! Hurry up, I want to see what Santa brought me!” I said. “ Now you know we can’t go down without your brother”, said my mom. “Go get him.” My brother was probably 16 at this point and I always carried this never stopping fear of going to his room. Even though I never told my mom, I was always terrified to enter in his room and seeing something regretful. I knocked twice as told, and managed to get a small peek through the door. I told him that it was Christmas and wanted him to accompany us. He ignored my comment and just told me to shut the door. As I walk down the hall to my mom, I begin thinking what I’m going to say because I don’t want to start a fight between my mother and him. Finally, I managed to tell her that he would be down in a second. After some waiting, my mother got p****d and went up to his room screaming at him yelling him to come down and see the presents with us. I remained quite, not daring to speak a word. I see him come out of his room with such a frightening look. His eyes were red, and was just acting strangely. At the time I didn’t know what it was, I only knew that it wasn’t my brother. We took some pictures and a video of me coming down the stairs to see my presents. I don’t know how to describe it, but the face of a small boy coming down the stairs and seeing his presents is one of the most beautiful things you could ever see. I was so happy with every present that was there. My mom took pictures of us in our pajamas, new clothes, and some toys. While my mother and my brother sat in the kitchen, I was in the dining table trying out my new toys. I began hearing loud noises and screams coming from the kitchen. I decide leave my toy on the table and check to see what’s going on. My mom and brother were fighting again. At first it looked like their normal fights, but what shocked me was seeing my brother pushing her. The reason for the fight was that my mom had given my brother the car for the weekend and when she got it back she found a very expensive bong with drugs in the center console. She told him that she went to the gas station and threw it in the trashcan. My brother rose in anger and was so anxious and frustrated because his girlfriend had gotten him that for his birthday and was planning on using it that day. He walked up and down the leaving room screaming and threatening my mom to tell him where the f*** she had disposed it. I knew that this was going out of control, but when he punched his fist against the wall, demanding to know where it was, I knew this was different. He had punched some glassware and his fist was bleeding uncontrollably, I got scared for my mom. During this whole time, I was standing beside them staring at them crying my heart out begging them to stop and that it was Christmas; while I had knife in my hand. I knew I wasn’t going to use the knife, but something inside me told me to grab it just in case. I was willing to stab my brother. My brother went rushing up the stairs anxiously looking for the car keys. He said he was going to leave the house and go to the gas station to get it back. Pushing my mom out of the way he took the car keys and got in the car. My mom begged him not to leave the house on Christmas with his brother watching all of this. She stood in front of the car blocking the exit. “If you want to leave, you are going to have to run me over.” This scared the s*** out of me; I knew my brother was capable of doing this. I run outside crying and screaming to my brother to just get out of the car. He ran the car a little bit, like a push, to see if my mom will get out of the way but she fell. After realizing that he almost killed her, he turned off the car and shut himself up in his room. These are one of the moments when I realize how strong my mom was and continues to be. I was crying uncontrollably not understanding the situation and she managed to control herself and call my dad to come pick me up. Later on, I am informed that my brother was kicked out of the house and was living alone with my mother. I learned that he had a serious drug addiction problem and had been dealing this problem for some time with my mom. He was kicked out because of fear that I would follow in his footsteps. Receiving all these news, little did I know that I was going to become the next man of the house at 6 years old.