Lion Bar

Dad left a Lion Bar in the fridge door.

It was there weeks:

cold,

hard.

One day after school I took it,

ate it,

enjoyed every bit of it

with a Coke can

and Kelly-Anne’s Hello! magazine.

That night Dad said, My Lion Bar’s gone.

Kelly-Anne looked up from her Sudoku.

Not me. I’m too fat for any more chocolate.

I stared at my lap.

I took it, I muttered.

Dad didn’t say any more,

just slammed the fridge door

and went to work

in a mood.

He always noticed when things went missing.

And sometimes he set me up.

Taking the Lion Bar was exactly

what he had wanted.

It gave him a reason for his rage.