They often fought about trivial things, like money. My mom wanted to give me everything she could, and my father did not want to spend money. One day my mother and father got into a fight about the fact that my shoes had holes in them. My mom wanted to get me new ones and my dad didn't think I needed them. My mother, always independent and stubborn, went and bought me the shoes anyway, from Stride-rite. The blowout they had, which was the deciding factor in their separation, was late that night. I was sleeping soundly in my room when I was awakened to a loud commotion in the kitchen. My father had returned only to discover that, despite his objections, my mom had gotten me the shoes anyway. My father's loud voice could be heard echoing throughout the house, and my mother's strong defensive slurs retorted. "Why, Amy, did you buy those damn shoes even though I specifically said not to?!".
"Christina needed shoes and whether you like it or not, you need to buy your children shoes when the get holes in them! I do believe that's something she needs! Why are you so stingy with money Michael?!".
"Why can't you get them from Payless? It's cheaper there, don't you know that?!" This was the way their ending arguments usually went. Although I don't remember specifically what was said, I know what it was about. The fight escalated into a full on screaming match between my parents. I covered my ears, crying, in hopes that I would be able to make it stop. The fighting had grown to be too much, and I hated listening to them. I don't really remember what possessed me, but I suddenly decided to go out there and stop them. I grabbed a pad of paper and wrote "STOP!" all over it, and ran out into the kitchen. I positioned myself in-between their close screaming bodies and said "Stop, please stop." Both of them stopped in that second and looked down on me, and my pad of paper which was held up to them like a sacrifice.