(2/13) “My first memory is watching my mother’s fingernails. My stepfather would make me
(2/13) “My first memory is watching my mother’s fingernails. My stepfather would make me sit beside the couch, and watch her fingernails. If they turned blue I was supposed to call 911. She’d be in bed when I left for school. In bed when I came home. There was nobody to make me breakfast. Nobody to brush my hair. I remember my older sister got in a fight on the school bus, because other kids were making fun of my hair. Last time I saw her she was in a mental institution. My brother ended up in maximum security prison. All of us handled our trauma differently. I hid it from everyone. I never invited anyone over. I didn’t want anyone seeing the gazillion roaches. I didn’t want anyone seeing the pill bottles all over the floor. It was chaos in our house. My mother was always angry about something. One time she lied to the insurance company and told them that somebody stole Christmas. That one I’ll never forget, because my aunt called my school. She said: ‘Your mom is in jail, and she just tried to kill herself by sticking her head in the toilet.’ I did life all by myself. On Sunday I’d go to church alone, and study the good families. I tried my best to act like a lady. I didn’t drink, or cuss. I remember junior year I got invited to prom, and that was a huge deal for me. I’d changed high schools six times. I couldn’t believe someone had asked me. I gave a girl $50 to use her dress. I spent the whole afternoon getting my hair done. I was in the bathroom finishing my make-up, and the door swung open. In came my mother. She said: ‘You’ll never be as pretty as me.’ She put her fingers in my hair and messed it all up. Right at that moment the doorbell rang. I could have let her win. I could have gone in my bedroom and cried. But I spent fifteen seconds fixing my hair, and I walked out the door. I wasn’t going to let her take that night from me. I wasn’t going to let her ruin my life. I did everything by myself. Nobody paid me any attention. I graduated high school. I got accepted into the University of South Carolina, and that’s where I met Tripp. That’s one thing about Tripp, he could pay you attention. He could make you feel like the only person in the world.” -- source link