Bleeding Perseverance - Episode 18

Autobiography Fridays

PART TWO

CHANGE IS INEVITABLE

CHAPTER 8

CPS,

A Fake Race,

And A Little Stupidity

Like the previous moves we had made, Mom didn’t really plan for our relocation to Ohua. This meant quickly running out of money. A fate we were doomed to repeat with every move.

Not knowing this island, and with nowhere else to turn, we moved into the Green House, another shelter for women and their children. It was owned by a former stripper who had turned religious and wanted to give back. Although I may not have agreed with some of her personal beliefs, her actions were commendable.

Because there were six of us in our family we were housed in the garage that had been renovated into somewhat of a small apartment. A basketball had been left behind, so Chino and I searched for what seemed to be hours before we found a basketball court to play on. We were stopped by a few truant officers during our hunt, having to explain that we had just moved from Kauai and were told we didn’t have to start up in a new school since there were only a few weeks until summer vacation.

Once summer officially started Mom enrolled us in Summer Fun, a program at the local community center. Chino got to be a leader because of his age, while I had to be stuck with the kids.

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Mom was still hitting on us. Not as bad as she used to, but still worse than what any parent should do to their children. Occasionally she and Chino would still get into a scuffle when he’d try to defend us, but she had this emotional hold on him. This is why many people say emotional abuse is worse than physical abuse, because it runs deeper. But if you think about it, emotional abuse is there no matter what. Even if you’re getting beat with no words, the experiences are still going into your psyche. And in many cases stays with you for a lifetime. To this day I wake up drenched in sweat at least a few times a year after having bad dreams of fighting with Mom.

Chino and I talked to Mrs. Green a lot. She was like Grandma, and we would oftentimes confide in her. Eventually she found out about our mom’s abusive ways and told us, for the sake of our three younger siblings, we should report it.

This came around the same time I had found a way out of Summer Fun. I had met a boy who was about to move and was going to take over his paper route. Chino and I agreed to talk with CPS, Child Protective Services. After our report, they took all five of us away.