I Didn’t Realize
One freezing December night everything changed in a snap. I could hear the pain in my mother’s voice as she yelled for me and my sister. While my mother’s boyfriend Marco was in a car with glaring red and blue flickering lights. I remember that day like no other it was a few days after Christmas on December 28 1999. Have you ever felt so much anger and anxiety you don’t know who you are anymore?

I was 13at the time my mother left me. That same night I fell asleep in a pitch-black room with filthy walls, bugs creeping, and other kids my age in the same room with worn out bunk beds. At that moment I realized I would never see my mom again or my sister Emily. My mom had brown curly hair,she was short but with a beautiful personality, and had a loving heart. Emily was still a baby at the time but, she was so cute and her smile was so sweet and bright. I've never met my father all I know about him is that he was an alcoholic and that he left when I was still a baby so, my memories of him are very blurry.
A year before I would never see my mother again/ or even keep in touch with her. I was 12 at the time when my mother, her sister Claudia, Emily and me traveled from Denver,Colorado to Donna,Texas. It was a 16 hour drive. We took or old ford truck. I remember sitting in the back of the passenger seat and looking out the window. As we were on our way to Donna it started raining andwwould watch the raindrops press against the truck's window. Every time we would go to Texas we always go buy “Whataburger”. They have the best burgers they're like biting into heaven.
“Lizbeth”!
“ Wake up we're here”. My mother exclaimed cheerfully.
I checked my phone as the bright light hit my face it was 2:30 am as I looked up at the radiant white lights that caught my attention. I knew we were at the hotel we stayed in “Comfort Inn” for the night. We unloaded the suitcases from the back of the truck as my mother and Emily went to check in for a room. Our room was on the second floor which meant we would have to take the elevator. I hate going on the elevator because it makes me feel dizzy. As soon as we found our room at the end of the hallway I jumped into the bed. Not caring about changing into my pjamas nor brushing my teeth. Emily and I slept together in one bed as my mother and her sister slept in another. My mom put an alarm at 8:30 am so we can start hitting the road in the morning.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The alarm went off and I put the alarm on snooze since I was the closest to it. I hopped into the shower excitedly and changed since I was the first one to get up. Then I hear my Tia Claudia getting up and unpacking her suitcase to see what her outfit was going to be. Once we were all well rested and dressed we headed down to the lounging room on the main floor to get free breakfast. Around 10:40 something we hit the road we were 2 or 3 hours away from arriving at my grandmas house. After an hour or so we stopped at a restaurnt named “ “ a guy kept staring at our table he had short brown curly hair, brown eyes, he was probably 6 ft tall and had a beer belly. Once I went to the bathroom with my Tia the man sat on my chair flirting with my mother and they exchanged phone numbers. When I came out the bathroom I saw them smile at eachother and he left and got into his car.
I asked my mother “who was that ma?”.
“ Ohh just some guy.” she replied in a gentle tone.
Once we finished eating we went to a gas station to fill up our tank. I was on my phone checking how far away we were from grandmas. We weren’t even 45 minutes away I got all excited and started chanting “ were almost here! were almost here!”. Anyways once we arrived at my gradmas house she welcomed us and we stayed at her house for almost a year until my mom can get enough money to buy a house near by. My mother got a job near my grandmas house at “H.E.B” which was a supermarket like “Walmart” just “H.E.B” is only in Texas. She met many people who lived around the area and one day the man she exchanged numbers with recoginzed my mom working. He began visiting my mother everyday at work and eventually started dating. His name was Marco he was 33 at the time he dated my mother and my mother was 30. Me and Marco didnt really talk to each other or get along.
Anyways I was enrolled to a middle school close by I was in 8th grade. My tia would make care of me more than my mom since she stayed at Marco’s house. Claudia would drop me off at his house on Mondays, Thursdays and weekends.
“Bye Tia love you” I told my tia.
“Okay bye love you too” she replied.
As I walked to the front porch I heard yelling and things shattering.
“What the f**k you can't do anything right you dumbass!” he said aggressively.
I was scared to knock on the door then in a split second my mother opened the door and her face was all bruised and she was bleeding on her left cheek. I was so shocked by the way he was treating my mom both physically and mentally. He slammed the door behind me and pulled my arm and pushed me into the floor. This was a reparative thing to me it seemed normal as time passed. But one day things got out of hand. The police were involved.
I don't really remember much but, all I heard were sirens and yelling. I woke in a hospital I was slowly waking up and saw myself in the mirror and i had blood pouring down on the left side of my face and bruises on my legs and neck.
“She's awake shh.. Shhh..” someone in the back said.
“How are you feeling mija?” my grandma said in a soft tone.
“Whats happening? Where am I?” I replied.
“Ummm.. well I’ll explain to you later when you feel better” my grandmother replied.
Next thing I know I’m in foster care it was like a juvenile detention center.