Adulting

I was 6 years old.

My mom and I lived on the 2nd floor of an apartment complex.

My mom and I just got out of an abusive household and we were low on money.

I was often bored.

So to cure that I would put my ear to the floor and hear what's going on downstairs.

My mom didn't mind.

She was usually swamped with work and as long as I didn't end up hurting myself it was fine.

One day, I did this and heard two people yelling and screaming at each other.

A man and a woman.

The man sounded very angry.

The woman was crying and screaming.

I got up and told my mom that there were people fighting.

She looked up from her work and asked me some more questions.

She eventually got up and told me she would be right back and to stay put.

A while later, my mom comes back with the sobbing woman.

My mom calls the cops and they question all of us.

Told us to have a good day and offered places for the woman to stay.

I didn't understand until much later that that woman was in an abusive relationship and my mom told me I saved her life that day.

The man had a knife and was cornering her.