. I'm Darleen

llo

u feeling?"

m ok

I could tell she was nervous,

but, none of your family membe

rehend them. It was like that moment, my who

ices and we will make sure we ge

y family was as easy as going t

didn't want to hear their apologies as though that would bring them back. As the realisation

EL'

to leave. I was tired of my father's abuse and I had been planning this

retended to be asleep and waited for him to finish

started to pack my suitcase with the little clothes that I had. It was th

he slept, he would be knocked out till morning. After about an h

bus station. I was a bit paranoid that my father would wake up to find me gone and be out to look f

xt year. He still had four more months of payments to

cked with a lot of people. It seemed like I wa

k. It was my dream city. I h

*

se I was paranoid. I kept thinking my Dad was following me behind but it was all in my head. I knew by now he would have already noticed tha

heapest houses, but at the same time, I needed a good job that paid well so I could get myself through college. I decided that I would go to Manhattan. We had arrived

ttan. There, I was able to get a studio apart

s enough for me to feed myself and pay my rent. I never made any frien

anybody. After I had been disappointed by the two people who were supposed to protect me, I lost

after having to throw fake smiles at people and serve them the whole day, I

table for the night before my sh

guing, but their discussion was very serious. For some reason, I decided to pay attention while I

w how to solve the problem. I wasn't quite sure i

while they kept trying to solv

e the solution for it on a napkin and tuck it in. I gave them t