It’s been nine years since she’s been gone. The only other person who felt my pain, she was my role model. She would always envelope me, and put herself in front of me to protect me from the pain. The day she passed was a nightmare that came true. I remember that day perfectly; walking to the bathroom to find her covered in pills. I was all alone now and honestly had no clue where my life would take me. The only person who had legal custody of me was David. It’s incredible that he would ever put his hands on a woman. My mother didn’t deserve any of the marks on her body when she died.

David worked a lot; he was a lawyer by day, a drunk by night. I haven’t called him my dad since as long as I could remember. I longed to have a relationship with him, like every other father and son. I wanted David to be the dad who loved and supported me, like my mom did. But in life, things you want aren’t always what you get. I looked at the bruises on my arms, and thought about the damage he has done.
“BAM…BAM… “Men don’t cry…?” How could he do this to me? Wasn’t a father supposed to love and nurture his son? With each passing day it got worse. I couldn’t take it anymore; I needed something, something to heal my pain.
As I walked home from school one day, I approached the car that drives up and down the block from my school everyday. I hesitated and just as I was about to start home, the driver called me over. The persuasive words caught me. We made the exchange, and I walked home. I felt all eyes on me; I now had the drugs in my pocket. David would go straight to the bar after work tonight. I ran upstairs, and locked my bedroom door. I dropped my backpack and sat on my bed. I slowly unwrapped the package, my hands were shaking. I took one piece and smelled its strong odor. Suddenly I looked down and the piece was now on the floor. I reached for it not knowing if I could go through this. I felt the piece touch the tip of my tongue. I threw my head back and swallowed. I repeated this process, grab a piece place it on my tongue, and swallowed. After about five minutes, and one bag later the room was spinning. I wish it didn’t have to end this way. But it was obvious David could care less. At this point I was beyond cloud nine. I shut my eyes and could see my mom. It was really foggy from far off; I could only see her silhouette. My eyes opened again, and my smile faded. Even before I could reach for one more, I saw my mother again. She reached her arms out and I ran as fast as I could to her. Finally I was home.