Life Unscripted

A Whole Different Me

By this time I've graduated elementary and transitioning into Jr. High School, I finally met up with all my childhood good friends because  there was only one school for us in our district. I still remember my first day, I was happy to see all my friends I grew up with. Although now I thought my school situation was getting better so my home life for sure had to get better.

My adopted mother and her husband finally separated. He was having a field day with all sorts of women around town. I actually was finally at peace that he was gone. We moved out of our apartment and my adopted mother and brothers found a 3 bedroom rambler home not too far from my old neighborhood I grew up in. So once again I was in familiar territory. I was happy because I could go and see my Papa when I wanted.

I continued on with my daily tasks of going to school then coming home to cook and clean and make sure my little brothers were ok. Life now as a teenager was getting to be somewhat normal so I thought. My adopted mother took us out of the Samoan church we grew up in to one of her good friends Baptist Church. At first I was shocked that we were the only non African Americans that attended this church, but after meeting some really great people we fit right in.

I learned a lot around this time about my faith and luckily for me it came at a really good time. Times were changing and so was my lifestyle. I tried to really stay as pure as I could with the friends I chose at church and the ones I hung out with at school. I was very involved in choir both at church and in Jr. High School. I played sports and tried to keep myself active and occupied. This would help me cope with all that Id been through in life thus far.

Well as I lived out the first year of my junior high school year and was adjusting as well as I could, we had to move once again but this time farther out of district. This disrupted my life because I couldn't catch a break. I'm not sure what my adopted mothers reasoning was but I think the house we were living in was being sold or something. Anyhow now I'm in the eighth grade and having to make new friends but the one thing that kept me sane was that I was still in the same Baptist church and I made great friendships . A tight squad so to speak. I was taken under one of my friends mom wings and she became my God Mother it was once again the hand of God bringing special people into my life to show me what true love was about. I would get to spend some Sundays with her and her family after church to get out of going home.

My adopted mother was still working so much and I had to take care of the household duties as required by the oldest which I got used to. I even knew how to grocery shop with my mothers checkbook as they let us do that back in the day. I was struggling with my own emotions though because I didn't want the many responsibilities I had at fourteen years old. I wanted to be a teenager. I submersed myself in my church to find time away I joined the junior ushers and all kinds of activities. I thought that would make me happy. Well at this age I was growing into a young lady and I had the eyes of the opposite sex on me all the time. My age mostly but I found myself finding out that older men would look at me and talk to me in not appropriate ways. I knew how to be respectful  and keep my distance though. I knew also how to protect myself.

My God sister had introduced me to her boyfriend's best friend he was a few years older than me but a very nice young gentleman. We dated for a few months and I fell in love with him he was my first everything. For sometime there he helped me to realize there were good guys out there. This was a moment in my life that I was happy but it wouldn't last long.

One day my adopted mother comes home to let me know we have to move again. I think we were only in that house for about a year. I was upset but she said she found another home back in the neighborhood I grew up in and now I could go back to the same Jr. High. School I went previously. I was happy again but that was only temporary because now my whole world was gonna he turned upside down again. Why? Because guess who came back after being gone a few years?

One day I get off the bus and my adopted moms sister in law whom was a regular at our home comes to pick me up. I'm shocked because she never picks me up from the bus stop. Anyhow, I get into the back seat of her car and low and behold my mothers husband is sitting there. I was shocked and pissed off. I said to him what the hell are you here for and why are you guys picking me up. The aunt is his sister. They tell me my adopted mother told her to watch over me and my brothers until she gets off. Well that was not true. I was old enough to take care of me and my brothers. We drove to his older sisters house and I'm like take me home. Why am I here. He tried to be nice to me but I didn't like what he did to my mom and how he cheated on her in her face numerous times and just leaves then thinks it's ok to come back whenever he wanted.

I get them to take me home and I call my mother at work but she had already left work. She gets home and this guy her husband comes to talk to her. By this time I'm livid that she even let him come into our home again. They go into her room and were in there talking for hours. I had fallen asleep so I wake up the next morning and my mom says we are all going out to breakfast as a family. I'm like why? She says we have to talk to you kids about something. We get to the donut shop, sit down to eat and to my surprise she says they are getting back together and he's moving back in with us. Right then and there my whole world shattered in front of my face. Mind you this man is my two little adopted brothers biological father and I only coped with it because I loved my brothers.

My mother's husband made me break up with my boyfriend because he said I was too young. He threatened to beat me and my boyfriend up it I didn't listen so I called my boyfriend to let him know we were done and I could not see him anymore. It broke my heart but there was nothing I could do at this point. I couldn't eat for days and I cried for months!

Months passed by and I still went about my daily duties taking care of the household and my little brothers but something in the atmosphere was shifting. I was now maybe sixteen and I just didn't feel comfortable anymore in this house. My adopted mother signed my brothers and I up for extra curricular activities like music lessons and karate maybe as something to deter us from staying home having to deal with disfunction. Anyhow, it was a good way to keep us busy.

I thought ok I have two more years until I become an adult so I can leave this place.
Well  in these  next two years would be the most trying times of my young life. Stay tuned to see what happens next. Im sure you'll be more surprised than ever.....