Natasha Harris

2nd period

read/writing sh/st

10/19/08

Emancipated

            Slap! Went her hand across my cheek, and all I could do is cry.   She kept

hitting me and I told her, “to stop please your hurting me and I didn't do anything.”

She said, “yes you did I know you did, you’re always doing something you stupid

bitch.” “But you saw me with your own eyes, how can you say this to me?” As we

drove home she was saying, “I'm so glad now you will have to leave and I won't

have to see your ugly face again” I went in the house and cried myself to sleep,

but I knew I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get out.

            Her name was Charitah and she was my stepmother. To me and my brothers

she was the root of all evil and we had to live with it. I had moved back with she and

my dad two years earlier because my mother had just passed away three

months prior to moving back, and I didn't want to be a burden on my grandma.

The first day I got back was the day the trouble started. I should have known that

some people don't change. My grandmother had bought two shirts that had

California on them, and she was upset that my grandmother did not send her one.

In her anger she said, “I don’t care and didn't want that shit anyway.” At that point I

knew I had made a mistake coming back here.  My dad didn't even say anything and

that's when I knew that he never would.

            The next day I knew it was going to be bad because they always were

living in what I thought was hell. My dad was off to work to his truck

driving job, so at home it was just my brother, myself and her three kids who

were also my half brothers and sister. We were sitting outside when she asked me, “why

 did I have to come back?” I didn't say anything, but she kept on asking me. Soon she

started talking mess about me and my mother saying, “she’s in hell I bet.”  She also  

stated that she thought when I and my brother decided to stay in California a year  

earlier, that we hated her(charitah) and would never come back to Louisiana. Still I said

nothing, the next thing I knew I was about to cry.

            It seemed like every day I got in trouble even for looking a certain way. She

would always put her fist to my face or hit me up aside my head and say stop

looking like that. Sometimes I would try and say that I wasn't looking at anybody

wrong but that would just make it worst. I remember one time I got in trouble for

putting on a shirt that didn't look the way she wanted it to. She then slapped me

and started hitting me as always. After it was over I had a black eye and my face was

scratched so badly the skin was gone. I remember my face bleeding and as I

got to school I was crying. I had always told my friend about the abuse that I had

lived with and what I was going through. 

    That same morning I had to go to the office and the Secretary asked me what happened

and I told her that I fell on my bed railing, I could tell that she didn't believe that

story one bit. When people asked me what happened I told them the same. I heard

the same thing from my friends every time saying, “Why didn't you fight back?”

I knew I couldn't fight back, because that would make things worse and I knew I

had nowhere else to go. The truth was that she had me scared of her and every time

she came home from work my heart would pound faster, and I knew that I would

have to start walking on eggshells.

            Their were days that were good but soon those days would come to an end

when my brother and my step mom had a conformation. He had to leave and

go back to California.  I wanted to go to, but I was too scared to say so. I knew that I

 would be next. At that time Charitah's niece shaundrea had came to stay with us and

she was always cool with me. It seemed like Charitah's hate was growing stronger for me

because was close with her niece but not my sister Nyeshia. That was because my

sister was starting to be like her mother rude and hateful. It even seemed like

Charitah hated her niece. Telling her that she had to stay with us because her mom

wanted to go to Iraq to be away from her and fight in the war than rather look at her.

For some reason Shaundrea was not scared of her, I guess because she

knew that she would get to go back home in a year. We went to church every

Sunday, that's when church soon came to be my getaway from the life at home. Me, my sister, and shaundrea soon joined the step team/drill team. That soon became my life and

getaway from Charitah aka "The Devil." We practiced everyday long and hard but

soon that became a problem for charitah.

She was jealous of our drill captain Quala and would talk about her behind her back; But that's how she was she always talked about her friends and family behind their back and would smile in their face when she talked to us. After three months on the step team we had to quit because of the drama caused by my stepmother even though I didn't want to, but my sister who was her daughter did. About after three weeks off the team she saw how good the team was and made us get back on the team and this was when the real trouble started to happen.

            There was this boy named Justin, and from the beginning of starting the drill

team I felt an attraction to him. We soon started a friendship that would lead

further on. I wanted him to be my boyfriend but I knew Charitah would kill me if I

was talking to any boy. she already thought I was a hoe for no apparent reason.

My sister and Shaundrea would always notice the flirtation between me and Justin

but when they asked me about it I just blew it off. I ended up telling Shaundrea that

I liked him and that he liked me, but I could not tell my sister because she would

just tell Charitah.

    One day Nyeshia overheard me telling Shaundrea about Justin and

she instantly told her mother. There was my heart beating as I heard Charitah's feet

coming towards our room. She soon came in and started the normal routine. "so I

heard you like Justin, Is that true? "No I quickly stuttered." I knew that face she was

making, it was like saying, “you better tell me right now or it’s over for you.” She left

the room so she could go tell my dad a whole different story. she would tell him

that Nyeshia saw me and Justin kissing, which was totally false. To my surprise he

didn't care which mad her even angrier that my dad didn't fuss at me. Summer was

coming soon, and that was when our drill team got to go to Florida to compete for

Nationals.

    Charitah was contemplating coming with us or not. I was hoping she would say

no because I knew if she came that she would try to control any fun that I was

having. About after a month she decided she was not going to come because she

had to work. My heart felt at ease, because finally I would get a vacation from hell

for a week. It was the second week of June when we left for Florida , and we

arrived around at 1:00 on a Monday. Quickly we went to our hotel rooms and

put away our bags. We all changed our clothes and started to hang out with each

other. I and Justin were finally able to talk without any interruption, but little

did I know charitah had told Nyeshia to keep an eye on me. she did that very well

every where I went she was their watching. It felt like she was attached to me.

     The week was great we even ended up winning nationals, but my happiness would soon

come to end on the last day. Charitah had found out that I went swimming after she

told me not to. I knew someone told. She called me and told me that when I got

back home she was going to beat my ass when I got home. I quickly lied and told

her that I did not go swimming but my sister told on me and told I did. who do you

think she believed, not me. On the bus ride back home it felt much quicker going

home. I kept wishing the ride would not end because I knew what was coming to

me. As soon as we arrived she was waiting for me, but she didn't hit me.

Two days later is when she finally let her anger out on me. I was cooking

and spilled some flour on the floor, when I felt a slight wind come toward my

face, and it was her hand. I instantly ran and asked what I did. She said," you

spilled flour on my clean floor and plus for being a dumb BiT** in Florida . I ran to

my room and cried till I fell asleep. Months went by and still the same drama. I kept

going to drill team practice witch got funnier and more exciting. It was getting close to

New years eve and we would have to perform at the midnight musical at our church.

The day before the musical we got ready for the big day. Everything had been going

well since shaundrea left and went back home but I knew that trouble would soon

come my way.

It was the night of New Years Eve and the drill team had to start practicing

for our performance. We didn't have to perform until 3:00 the next day, so decided

after we practiced I was going to sleep in our practice room until it was time to

perform. Little did I know charitah was not going to stay until 3:00 so she came

looking for me, so we could leave. she sent Nyeshia to get me so she knocked on the

door because it was locked to see if I was in there. I got up and nyeshia looked in the

room to see if anyone else was in there with me. As I came out the room there was

charitah Asking, "Who was in that room with you?" I said, "no one." she looked

around for a sec and said, "Someone was in here I know it." "It was Justin wasn't it,"

she said. I replied, “No!" And that's when it happened.

Slap! Went her hand across my cheek, and all I could do is cry. She kept

hitting me and I told her, to stop please your hurting me and I didn't do anything.

She said,'' yes you did I know you did your always doing something you stupid

bitch." "But you saw me with your own eyes, how can you say this to me?" As we

drove home she was saying, " I'm so glad now you will have to leave and I won't

have to see your ugly face again." I went in the house and cried myself to sleep,

but I knew I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get out.

I woke up early the next morning with so much to think about, but one thing

I did know, was that I was going to leave. I knew if I didn't leave that I would have to

go along with everything Charitah said because no one would believe me. First I made

two phone calls. One to my friend Larisha and the other to my friend Vonda; Larisha

was not at home but my best friend Vonda was. She picked up the phone and asked,

“what was wrong and why was I crying?” I told her what had happened and asked her,

“If I could come stay with her family for a while?” She told me, “that she would ask her

mom and call me back.” about two minutes later she called me back and said that her

mom said yes.

She told me that she would pick me up around 1:00 so be ready.

I hung up the phone and quietly started to pack my stuff while everyone else

was sleep. I finished packing around twelve, but by then all the kids were up and

moving. Each one of them kept asking me, “where are you going,” and I would tell them, “to

stay with a friend for a while.” Thinking to myself I decided to call my dad and tell him

that I was leaving. When he picked up the phone and I told him what I was doing he

said, “don’t leave wait till I get home so we can talk." I said,"OK," knowing that when he

got home that charitah would be their too and I would not be able to leave without

a fight. Before I knew it, it was 1:00, but Vonda was not here yet.

I started to think to myself, “did I really want to do this, and what would happen

when I stayed with Vonda?” The next thing you know I said to myself, “ I didn't care

where I stayed as long as if it was not in this house.” The rock started to rumble outside

and I could tell it was Vonda in her car. she got out the car, and started to get my bags

out the house. I gave my sibling a hug and told them by and I would see them when I see them. we got in the car and drove to Vonda’s house, and when we got their more trouble

started to happen.

As soon as I put my bags in the house I heard someone say, “Tasha bring your ass out that house,” and it was my dad. I could barely see, because charitah broke my glasses the night before. But I knew it was him. My heart jumped and I quickly grabbed one of my bags out of fright to leave; plus I didn’t want to make a scene. I got into the truck with my dad crying. He was fussing, and that's when my anger started to build. I told him, “I can't take it anymore and that I was not going to stay at that house anymore.” He quickly snapped and said, “You’re my child and you’re going to do what I say."

We argued all the way home and when I got their charitah was in the living room waiting.

as we got inside they told me to sit on the couch, and that's when the interrogation started.

there was so much arguing all I could remember was me and charitah started fighting.

She was hitting and I was blocking and kicking. I soon got up and started to run outside then up the street, but behind was my dad chasing me. The next thing I knew I was getting tackled from behind, and it was my dad. He picked me up while I was kicking and screaming, then took me back to the house.

When I got inside Charitah said, “Levone let her go, let her go where she wants.” He soon said, “you know what go get out and leave right now.” So I left without my bag. All I had on was a sweater and some boots on my feet, It was New Year’s day and it was freezing cold. I had to walk almost three miles until I got into town where I saw my friend Vonda pull up beside me. She said to me, “I went to your house and the police were there, and they told them you ran away.” I laughed to myself saying, “I don’t care they told me to get out I wonder did they tell the police that.”

I got into her car, where we drove to her house. I had no clothes just shoes and underwear in my other bags. That night Vonda Got a call from charitah. She told Vonda, “We are looking for Tasha did she come back there. She told her, “No we haven’t seen her since earlier.” I told Vonda to lie for me because they would come get me from wherever I was. School was going to start in the next couple of days and I was wondering to myself if I was going to go, because charitah, my dad, and the police were still looking for me. I was so scared they would come to the school and check me out. I Called my dad, and asked him, “Could you please emancipate me?” He replied, “Hell no and where are you, like I said you are my child and you are going to stay with me.”

In rage I quickly hung up the phone. I Couldn’t believe it eight days had passed and they still hadn’t found me, so I got the courage to go to school. I was nervous when I got to school, wondering what would happen. At the beginning of the day everything was cool until I got called to the office, where the principal asked what was going on. I told him what had happened and that I was afraid to go back to that house.

He asked, “well are you okay where you are now?” I replied, “Yes and don’t ask where I stay because I’m not telling you that either.” “Okay as long as you feel safe their you can go back to class,” he said. It had been about three weeks now and my dad and charitah never came to get me but I was still hiding. I was wearing Vonda’s clothes at the time and finally was about to get a job. That way I could prove that I could make it on my own.

Then finally it happened. It was a Tuesday morning and I was at school, when I got called to the office. As I was walking I saw my dad’s care pull off I thought maybe he came to bring my clothes, but I was wrong. When I got into the office the principal called me in his office and told me that my dad had brought the emancipation papers. My stomach got butterfly’s and my heart was pounding I was overjoyed with happiness. As soon as I got out the office out let out a loud scream of joy. I Was free I would never have to talk to them again. I ran and told everyone around me. Yes I was free from everything but the mental abuse charitah had over me was still their because every time I see a gray for Taurus my heart jumps because I think its charitah in her car coming to get me.