The beatings ended abruptly one day when my mother, extremely guilty seeming, told me that she was so sorry for all that she had done. There it was, a 33 years old woman, apologizing from a 4 years old kid. This must have been the first instant in my life when I realized that I had to grow up quite quicker than I should. Although the physical violence in my childhood ceased, I remember giving a few extremely intelligent replies to my mother referring to the pain she had caused me occasionally, hence, nailing her to her place.