The Day When I Ran Away From Home

It was June, 2008 and it was 6pm. I was coming home from my internship from school. I was thinking about what I would be wearing tomorrow for school and I was in a very happy mood. As I walk in my house, with a quick reaction she hits me. My mom is yelling at me, she’s yelling so loud I could barely understand her. She was yelling at me as if I was a little girl.

“Why are you coming home late?” she gets the belt and hits me once more. I fall and hit the floor. I started to cry of pain that I had on my arm and what she had done. I mean, she has never done this before and I was afraid it was like a demon went in her. I was afraid. After the fight, I go to my room and sit on my bed and think, think about why would she do that? To hurt me, or was she really mad? I was hanging out with my friends on 149th, just doing nothing, watching the cars roll by, just talking.

The next day I took a shower, got dressed and I was off to school. When I had finally got to school I went into the classroom sat down and tried to do my work but I felt this pain on my arm and realized what had happened last night. I sat down and started to cry. The teacher called the principal and I walked into the office. He asked what had happened and I told him. They called ACS, it’s some child services. I was afraid to go home so I left school and went to a shelter. It was Convent Houses, that’s all the way downtown. Lucky, I had my best friend Genesis to come with me. She knew what had happened and she wanted to be there for me if anything. After school I went to her house and explained myself to her mother, and she was willing to help me. She let me hold down some money so I can have something to eat in the shelter.

It was scary too in that place. What made it so scary is that the way that you had to worry about your stuff being taken. Or maybe one of the guys trying to do something in the late night while everyone was sleeping. In every room there were two bunk beds and one bathroom, and the bathroom was connected to another room so it was like you have to share the bathroom. You had to be careful with your stuff because there were thieves and people that would just get jealous of you and want to rob you. It wasn’t a place where you wanted to call home. There was this one girl that I know, her name was Samantha. She was a tall white girl with long blond hair. She had a nice body and everything. My first impression of her was that she was this rich, spoiled white girl and she didn’t need to be here. But then I realized that she was going through the same problem as me, and she understood me, that’s how we clicked. It’s like we were like sisters. I don’t know, I felt comfortable. It was like everyone was trying to get out, leaving for a better life, but they had to wait for their name to be called.

When I finally got my room and my bed, I sat there and thought what would happen next? Would I live the rest of my teenager years in a shelter or would I have to make a better change for myself? I was scared. I didn’t know what to do and when to do it, so I sat there and thought. I thought about the good times I had with my mother and how we used go do our hair together and how we used to just chill and relax. I really missed that. Also, I thought about how my brother will soon grow up without an older sister in his life. I was and still am a big impact in my little brother’s life. I think if it wasn’t for him, I would be dead. It was like he was my guardian angel. While I was thinking, I felt myself dosing off and I fell asleep.

The next morning I heard this loud horn, and I woke up very fast. It was some old lady screaming at the top of her lungs, “Breakfast!” like she was a horn. I got up, brushed my teeth and went downstairs. I looked around and saw only a few people downstairs. I went to go get a plate and saw the food. It was nothing like the food at home. It was like, cold oatmeal and the milk was tepid. I just left it there and just took an apple. I sat down near the table. It was just Samantha and I. We sat there and spoke about our family history and how hopefully things would change.

“How did you sleep?” Samantha said.

“Good,” I answered.

“So tell me about yourself,” She said.

“Well, I live in the Bronx. I have one brother younger than me, and he means the world to me. I go to school in the Bronx and I work. How about you?”

“I also live in the Bronx. I used to live with my boyfriend,” she replied.

“With your boyfriend?” I asked, with my eyebrow up.

“Yea,” she paused. “I was pregnant by him and he took me out of my house because my mom wanted me to have an abortion, and we didn’t want to have it. So she kicks me out. And I ended up with him.”

“Where is the baby now?” I said.

“I lost it,” she said. The room got quiet it was scary that someone that young can lose someone younger than her. I was going to ask how she lost it, but it wasn’t any of my business. When breakfast was over we both went upstairs and she started getting ready. I asked where she is going. She replied, “GED.”

So I lay there and think about what I am going to do next. As I see myself falling asleep, my counselor comes in and tells me that I have to go to the doctor and get a check up. I still remember her name, it was Ms. Hoover. She was a tall black lady with long black hair. She was in her mid 20s. She looked like she was 15, it was crazy. So I get up and get ready to leave.
We arrive at the hospital, so many people were there, it was like a concert with no music, but lucky for me I had my counselor to help me skip the lines. When I walked in the hospital, I felt like everyone was staring at me. Like I was fresh meat and they wanted to eat me alive. I walk in the doctor’s office and she checked my height, my weight, you know the normal things a doctor does. Everything came out good.

“Did you eat?” Ms Hoover said.

“I just had an apple,” I replied. She doesn’t say nothing more. We get in the car and she puts on the music and turns up the A.C. The song “No one” by Alicia Keys was playing. I started to sing it in my head. I wanted to go home; I started to think about how things would be different. It was a happy thought. But as we pull up to McDee’s my counselor messed up my thoughts.

“Do you want something from here?” she asked.

“No thank you,” I replied.

“Come on! Don’t be shy. I will buy you anything,” I stay quiet. She leaves the car and comes back with a chicken sandwich and passes it to me.

“Thank you,” I said.

“You’re welcome,” she said with a smile.