Family Violence

I was bringing out a cheesecake from the oven in the kitchen, when sounds of a fight from my new neighbours were heard. These new neighbours consist of a male, a female and a baby. I have heard my dad comment previously that the local-male seems to hit the non-local female fairly often and she is always screaming and wailing as a result.

I stood in the kitchen and listened to her wails. Perhaps it's because she's not a local and I am unfamiliar with the 'norms' of her countrymen, but her wails were like bloodcurdling shrieks and soon after, the baby started crying. I heard the male scream something at her a couple of times, and her wailing grew in decimals with her saying something like "Don't want!!!"

Sometimes, hearing things like these make me wonder if I should be calling social services for the kid's sake. What kind of a future do you think the baby has when he/she starts to grow up? Is the kid gonna turn out to be violent or argumentative as well?

I have decided many times henceforth that unless I hear/see him battering the wife and kid, to leave this matter well alone. Afterall, I may not have the full facts of what is really happening within the house and I could be mistaken (what if this is their version of a foreplay? Har...won't I be embarrassed then!)

My conscience doesn't allow me to let it go though. All is good and well if nobody is getting bashed behind those walls, but on the ocassion that she is really getting bashed or the kid is really being ill-treated... could I live with myself?

That is another question for another day I guess.