Growing

Moving Out

For months it was the same thing. My sister took me to school and left to "work" while my mother stayed home on "vacation".  My sister turned 18 but couldn't move out with me without a job. Andrew dropped out and became the twin of my father, an exact replica. He went on his vacations too for hours and sometimes days. My sister had to take him to the hospital sometimes and pay out of pocket. Months turned to a year and I learned a lot at school. Eventually at 19 my sister came home excited for the first time in years.

She was excited to tell me she found a job as a maid. She worked for a rich family of a single father with two kids of his own from a past marriage. The mother lost custody and he lived alone with them in a big house. My sister had a flexible schedule and sometimes after school I went with her to run errands. The man was nice.

The kids were nice too, they played with their toys with me. I got to go over after school more often and after over a year of working, my sister was offered by the man to move in and take me with. He found out about where we lived and what was happening at home. I was there when he offered.

"Look, your brother would go to school with my own kids, you'd live here rent free in exchange for you working here as usual. I'll pay you extra to buy your own things and your brother can have play mates. You wouldn't have to walk here anymore and I'd take the kids to school like I normally do."

He was nice, but some things I didn't understand. It was explained later on by Layla at home that we could live here for free with them, just her and me with the man and my friends. I'd go to a better school and have friends. I was excited and immediately told her to say yes.

I remember her sighing which would normally be bad, but this time she smiled. She hugged me and I heard her cry and hugged her back tightly. She explained that we'd leave mom and Andrew behind and wouldn't see them again until now and then on accident.

"I don't care, you're my mom. You always will be" were the exact words I told her and she burst out crying and tightly hugged me. I was 15 then, grown and matured. The man's kids taught me a lot. I learned to let go of my mother and opened my eyes. I wanted my sister to adopt me.

Layla sacrificed so much for me. It was my turn to give things up for her. It would benefit us both and our lives would be so much different. It would make her happiness and it was all I cared for.

It was time to cut my mother off and leave her and Andrew out of my life. I had a new home and a new life.