Being Different

Chapter 1. The Beginning

So hey guys here is my first chapter. Like I said before this one just explains what the mother of the main character went through so ya'll can see why she is the way she is later in the story. Hope ya'll like it. Please do review and if ya'll have any comments or ideas as to how to make it better I would really appreciate it. Thank you

Growing up is hard. Some way say that it isn't, but those are the ones that have had everything in life. As a child it is kind of easy because your parents don't tell you that the bills have to paid or how much as to be paid. We just think that everything is free. Once you become a teenager that's where everything starts. All childhoods are different. Some are similar and there are those that are worse. My childhood was not perfect but nobody's life is perfect. I am the third daughter out of six children. I am also the youngest child and the only daughter that actually grew up with her parents. My two older sisters did not grow up with me because they were born in Guatemala. My mother is from a place called "El Manguito". You have to cross a river to get to my grandmother's land. My grandmother married when she was eighteen. My grandfather had already had children with another woman but he had never been married. My mother was the first child out of seven. The third child passed away after being two months old. My grandfather passed away after my mother turned eight years old. By the way that she talks about him it looks like he loved her very much. He took her where ever he went and her two brothers also.

My mother said that after her father passed away she was sent to the capital city of Guatemala with one of her aunts that had told my grandmother that she just wanted to help my mother by giving her an education now that her father was not there. My grandmother agreed and my mother left with her aunt. Instead of living better it was worse. Once she got there they treated like a servant. She had to get up at three in the morning to make fresh orange juice and to make the breakfast. She also had to feed the baby that they had and then she could go to school. To her school was where she was free for a few hours and where she could get the sleep that she didn't get when she was at her aunt's house. When she got back to the house after school she had to cook, wash clothes, take care of the baby and if there was left over food she would eat and it there wasn't then she wouldn't eat. There was a night when she was in the kitchen and one of her cousin's got her against the wall and tried to abuse her. When he saw that she was fighting it he got a gun and put it against her temple. There was a knock on the door. He told her to stay still and not to say a thing or else he was going to kill her. He went to open the door and it was my grandmother that was coming for a visit. My mother ran to her and started crying. She told her about what her cousin wanted to do and everything that they had made her do. Luckily my grandmother believed her and took her back with her to "El Manguito". When she was twelve there were older guys that wanted to marry her. There was one that was a captain and he had sons that were already grown but she refused the offer. When my mother was fifteen was when she met my father for the first time. She says that she did not like him when they met. She says that it all started a Sunday…..

I was busy washing dishes and making something to eat for my brothers since they were going to have a game today. Jose, the fourth one of us had killed an alligator today and he had fried the meat. We took the food to the table. There was a man there. He had come from "El Progreso". He was going to be the referee in the game.

"Hi." He said.

"Hi." I said.

"What is that?" he asked Jose.

"Alligator meat. You want to try some?" Jose said.

"Sure." He said. Jose gave him some food. When everyone was done eating I went to wash the dishes.

"Hi." He said again.

"Look. You are going to get me in trouble." I said

"You are not going to the game?" He asked.

"No. They don't let me go."

"Oh."

Then he went to talk to my brothers and my mother. After a while he came back.

"I asked for permission and your mother said that you can go." He said. I was surprised. My mother had never let me go to a game with anyone. I decided to go. I had found it so weird that she had let me go. When we got to the field, everyone was staring at us. There were some there that had wanted to talk to me but my brothers scared them off. My sister, Gabriela, had to come with me. She didn't understand either why our mother was like that. I noticed that our mother didn't like her. She was always mad with her and everything she did was wrong. After that game Anibal came every Sunday to visit. He had asked permission to my mother and my brothers. They had accepted. I really didn't care I didn't like him. There had been one that I had liked and he was an officer. He had sent me a letter saying that he liked me. When I went to look for him they told me that he was sent to the capital. He was tall and handsome. But if it was not meant to be then it wasn't meant to be.

Some months later I left with Anibal. It was not because I had fallen in love with him, but to get away from the house. Sometimes it felt like I didn't have enough space to breathe. My mother had told me to accept him because his family was important people and that they were educated and had money. The money didn't interest me it didn't matter. I just wanted to get away from everything I had to do. Well washing clothes and dishes wasn't didn't bother me. What bothered me was that I couldn't talk to anyone as a friend because my brothers were always thinking wrong. I turned sixteen when I left with him. We were living with his parents. His mother did not like me. Everything I did was wrong for her. I would get up at four in the morning to help her with everything I could. After a few months after trying to come out pregnant we noticed that I couldn't get pregnant .a lady had said that my womb was frozen and that that was the reason why I could not get pregnant. She gave me an oil to drink. It was really thick that I couldn't even swallow it. I was seventeen and in no time I was pregnant. My mother-in-law would tell me that my baby was a product of all the men that I had sex with. I didn't tell her anything first because I was living in her house and second because I had to respect her. When she told me that I went to get all my stuff together because I wanted to go back to my mother's house.

"What are you doing?" Anibal asked.

"I'm going back to my mother." I said

"Don't leave."

"You know what? I have had enough. First, one of your brothers tried to have sex with me. Second your mother keeps offending me. You heard what she said about my baby. Maybe you think the same thing because you did not say a thing!"

"Vero please don't leave. I do think that is mine."

"I'm sorry but I can't stay here anymore."

"Alright. At least let me take you."

"Fine."

"Anibal. Let her go." His mother said. But he didn't listen to her.

"Mother she is my wife and she is carrying my child."

"Fine. You will lose all benefits you have here for disobeying me."

He didn't go back. To say the truth I kind of liked it that he was becoming responsible. When we got to my mother's house she was surprised.

"What are you doing here?" She asked

"I decided to come back."

"Okay. You know this will always be your home. But we do need to talk Anibal. She is pregnant and there is some responsibility that has to be taken." She said looking at Anibal.

"I understand Dona Marina and don't worry I will come and see her and I will bring money for anything that is necessary."

She nodded. "Very well."

"Nice seeing you Dona Marina. I have to go there is some stuff that I have to fix with my mother."

"It was nice seeing you again Anibal. Take care."

He nodded and left. As the months passed I got bigger and bigger and as he promised he came to visit. I was already eighteen when the time came to give birth to my baby. Anibal had come to visit and he was told to wait outside. My mother was with me and so was a friend of hers. The pain is indescribable. It feels like cramps going from your back to your stomach and every time they got stronger. The worst thing that happened was that I couldn't give birth to my baby. It was like he or she didn't wanted to get out and at the same time it did. I know that it lasted for hours because there was a time that I couldn't anymore. There was this thing that happens to some women then it's their first child. They get sleepy and they get knocked out while the baby is inside. It is called the dream of death. I tried to stay conscious for my baby.

"I need her husband's shirt." My mother's friend said.

His shirt?

"And if it's wet with sweat its better."

With his sweat? What did she need that for?

"Here it is." My mother said.

"Give it to me."

I felt when she put something wet on me.

"Try to relax." She said.

"Breathe in, breathe out." My mother said.

I tried to relax and I did what I was told.

"Alright, here we go again."

I nodded. I really don't know what happened but the baby came out finally. I was glad that the pain was gone.

"It's a girl!" My mother's friend said. She brought her to me. My baby was a girl. I was thankful to God that she was born healthy. They let Anibal, my brothers and sisters in.

"What are you going to name her?"

"Claudia Karina."

They all smiled. A few months later Anibal left to the United States to find a job so we could buy our own house. He would send me money and letters. My mother had put up a store at the house. She had named it "Tienda Claudita.". Anibal came back on December. He brought a car for Claudia. She was a year and five months. Then he left in January. A month later I found out that I was pregnant again. I couldn't believe it. Nine months passed and it was time for my baby to be born. This time they took me to the hospital. The doctors said that I was two weeks late and that the baby was sitting up. It had not turned by itself like babies do normally. After they made the contractions come I got swollen because I could not give birth to her. They tried to turn her by turning and twisting my stomach and that hurt a lot. I remember that I was wearing a watch and it broke when I started to get swollen. After a while the pain started to change.

"I can see the baby's feet." The doctor said.

I was glad because the pain was becoming so uncomfortable. A few minutes later I heard my baby cry.

"It's a girl!." The doctor said.

I smiled. It was a girl. She was healthy and safe and she was fine.

"She's beautiful." I said when they put her against my chest. She was born on November twenty fifth of nineteen eighty eight. Claudia had been born on July seventh of nineteen eighty six.

"What are you going to name her?" The doctor asked.

I smiled. "Jakelin Veronica."

She smiled. "That is a beautiful name."

I nodded.

"I will let you rest now."

Anibal kept sending me letters. He said that he couldn't wait to see both our daughters. The fruit of our love. I liked it when he said that. He came to visit in December like he did every year since he had left. He brought our daughters toys. Well to Claudia because Jakelin was only a month old. Time went by so fast when he was here and so slow when he was gone. After a year he sent me enough money to buy a house in Santo Tomas. I bought furniture and everything that we needed for our house. He kept coming every December as he promised. Claudia was four and Jakelin was two the last time that he came to visit. I was pregnant again when he left. Sometimes it made me hate myself because since I drank that oil every time that Anibal touched me I became pregnant. When I was on my third month of pregnancy I found out that Anibal had sent money to Blanca, his ex-girlfriend, so she could go to the United States. What made it worse was that his own mother told me. I went back home and burned all his letters. Even the ones were he said that he loved our family. After two months it was my turn to go to the United States. We had decided that it was going to be a better life. There were other people that were going as well .nobody knew that I was pregnant and since I was skinny nobody noticed. We had to run when we were in the desert and everyone was surprised that I was right behind the man that was guiding us after they found out that I was pregnant. I starved for three days. My baby kept moving a lot and there was some pain that was kind of hard to ignore but not possible.

God if you want this baby to be born then it will and if you don't then it will come by itself. I leave my baby in your hands. I said in my mind. We finally made it to El Paso, Texas. I called my mother to tell her that I was almost there. They put Claudia on the phone.

"Momma, when are you coming home?" She asked.

When she would ask me the same question every time that I talked to her I felt horrible. I had left both of my daughters with my mother. I couldn't trust anybody else but her with them. I wanted to go back. I wanted immigration to catch me and send me back even though I was just a few hours away. The guide paid for an airplane ticket and he sent me to Houston, Texas where Anibal was going to be waiting for me at the airport. When we got to the airport and went inside Anibal was waiting for me. Instead of telling me that he was glad to see me and that he was glad that I had made it he said.

"You look horrible."

"I feel horrible. I'm in a lot of pain."

"Did you already eat something?"

"I haven't eaten in three days."

"What?! I gave them some extra money so they could buy you some food."

"I just want to sit down."

"Let's go home."

Home didn't sound right. Home to me was in Guatemala where I had left my two daughters, one that in a month would turn five years old and one that in November was going to turn three. We went to the house where he was renting a room. The owner of the house was a woman named Johanna. She was born here in the United States and I didn't know how Anibal was able to understand what she was saying but she was nice.

"Do you want something to eat?" He asked.

"Some milk?"

He nodded.

I ate some cereal with milk.

"Don't full yourself. It can be bad for you and the baby since you did not eat for three days."

I nodded. Then July came, and August passed by. I had met two women that were so nice to me that I felt comfortable to be around them. Then September came. It was the second. I was taken to the hospital because my contractions had already begun. At noon my baby was born. It was a girl. Anibal came to visit. We didn't know what name to give her since she was our third daughter. Since anibal had named the first two he said for me to name her. I had heard this name on television it was Karla Gragueta. It sounded nice but I ended up with Karla Yesenia. That same day I got to go home but Karla had to stay in the hospital because they wanted to run some tests on her because they thought that she might have heart problems. The next day she was released and we took her home. Johanna was in love with Karla and so were her two sons. I guess that they had not seen a baby in a long time.

Anibal and I got married on November eleventh of nineteen ninety one. That same day Adela and Felipe got married. We were each other witnesses. Seven months later I was pregnant again. My sister, Floridalma, or Flora as we call her wanted to come to the United States also. She was eighteen. She came from Guatemala and I wanted her to study she still had the opportunity but she didn't wanted to. She just wanted to be wearing make-up instead of helping. That was fine. I wasn't asking for anything. There was a guy that came a lot to see her. He took her to the movies and out to eat. I didn't tell her anything because she already knew what she was doing. Nine months later Carmen and Adela, the two women I had met when I had just came here, were doing a baby shower for me.

It was January second of nineteen ninety three. That same day I went into labor. This time it was a boy. Anibal went crazy because he was the first boy. He wanted the baby to have his name and I wanted him to have my father's name. So we named him Anibal Antonio. Two years later flora had a boy with a guy she left with after meeting Manuel for a month. They named him Manuel Jr. Manuel was someone that lived in the willow creek apartments and someone we met when he barely moved there. Three years later I had another boy. Claudia and Jakelin were here with us and I was so happy. Claudia named him Christopher because of the little boy that came out in Winnie the pooh. Since they had come illegally and were caught with someone else's papers we had to take them back because we were trying to fix them papers. Two years later I was eight months pregnant and we found a house in Channelview. The apartment was getting smaller for us since we were five and there was only one bedroom so we were looking for a house.

We bought it on May third of two thousand. Kevin was born eleven days later after we had moved in. I got a surgery done so I couldn't have any more children. We went to Guatemala the next year. I was so happy because I was going to see both of my daughters. Claudia was the same. The difference was that she was older. Her personality had not changed since we had come for them in nineteen ninety seven. But Jakelin was different. She was distant. Well with us because with Karla and Tito, Anibal Jr., she got along fine. After we came back Anibal and I started having more problems, not that we didn't have some before, but we argued more and it got more physical. He would hit me even in front of the children and that was something that they didn't need to see. I started to fall in love with another man. He treated me good and he was nice to my children. I could tell that he loved them as if they were his own. But it was kind of wrong because he had been my sister's first husband. He was Manuelito's father and because she was with someone else didn't mean that I could be with him and I didn't even know if he felt the same way. I got sick in two thousand and three. I kept getting this anxiety attacks. I didn't even noticed when I was already in love with him. It just happened.

When I notice it I kept asking myself the same questions over and over.

Why? Why did it have to be him? Why couldn't it be someone else? What was he going to say when he found out? Did he already know? I kept thinking and thinking and it came by itself. I had fallen in love with him because of all the attention that he gave me. He showed me that he cared about me. He was there when I needed to talk to someone. When I needed to tell someone how I felt when I was away from my daughters. Someone that I could cry with and I knew he wasn't going to tell anyone. Someone that cared about my children. if they had something to eat. If the bills were paid so they wouldn't suffer. It didn't matter to him if he stayed without anything as long as my children and I were okay. That was the reason that I fell in love with him and when I tried not to love him and he did that for me I loved him even more. In October of two thousand three I signed the divorce papers. Anibal didn't want to sign. After being married for twelve years and being together for eighteen. Sometimes I felt like it was a waste of time being married to Anibal and getting pregnant and having six children with him.

But to me my children are the most amazing things that have happened in my life. Even though I have had some trouble with Tito because he wants everything to be done his way. In February of two thousand four Jakelin left with a guy that was around eleven years older than her. She was barely fifteen. My mother called me and I decided to go to Guatemala and look for her. If she loved him and he loved her it was fine with me. I just wanted him to talk to me and tell me that he was going to become responsible and that he was going to take care of her. But his father had said "That if I had money so did he. In case that my son goes to jail that's where I'll be. It's not like the queen from the United States came."

That was when I changed my mind. I was going to take her away from him no matter what. It didn't matter how much money I was going to have to spend, but I was not going to let her stay with him. Not because I didn't wanted her to but by taking her away I was going to get their mouth shut. I went to a lawyer. He had been a judge and he was the one that helped me. Four months after I had gotten to Guatemala we had a court date. They took Jakelin with them because the police told them that if she was not present that they were going to go to jail. I tried to go hug her but her boyfriend's family did not allow it. I looked at Jakelin. She hated me. Why she did I did not know. When they were not watching I grabbed Jakelin by the waist, since she was so skinny, and took her with me up the stairs.

"You're coming Claudia?!" I said.

"Yea mom right behind you." Claudia said

"Get Chris and Kevin."

"I have them with me."

I nodded. Chris and Kevin were little. Chris was six and Kevin was four. He was turning four that same day as the court and I was too busy with the problem that I did not even notice. We went inside.

"Alright we are here today because Alba, mother of Jakelin Veronica, who is a minor tried to talk this out and come out with an agreement but ya'll refused." The judge said.

"Yes, and because I am fixing both of my daughters papers so I can take them with me to the United States." I said.

The judge nodded.

"Mr. Carrera your son is Carlos Carrera?"

Oscar Carrera nodded.

"Alright will you be so kind to explain why your son did not want to talk to the mother? You know that is the proper thing to do and especially when it's a minor."

"Yes I do know but she threatened my son that she was going to send him to jail."

"She most definitely can if she wants to. Her daughter is a minor. Why didn't your son show up today? He was the one that took Jakelin with him."

"He couldn't come."

"He couldn't come….." She said nodding. "Well Jakelin what do you want to do in life?"

"Nothing." Jakelin said.

"Nothing…. Well I have no other choice than to return you to your mother."

'No!" Jakelin said slamming her hands on the desk.

"You are just a child!"

"No I am not!"

"Yes you are! You are a child. You don't even know what you want."

"I don't want to go with her!"

"I am sorry but my choice has been made. Besides it is not what you want it's what I decide, and I have decided that you are going to be with your mother. Case closed!"

"No! I don't want to go with her!"

I went to grab her by the waist again. She kicked and she tried to get off of my arms but I just tried to keep my arms around her. Once we were outside I saw a taxi. I got her in and I got in with her. I told Claudia to take her of her brothers. I took Jakelin to my cousin's house. Claudia, Chris, Kevin and the rest of the family that were with me at the court arrived a few hours later. Jakelin locked herself in a room for three days. She would not eat and she most definitely would not talk to me.

"Jakelin eat something it is not good for your health."

"I don't want to eat."

"What's wrong?"

"I wanted to go with Carlos."

I sighed. "I understand. I just wanted to talk to him so he could let you get your papers fixed. That was all I wanted to do."

"What?" she said cleaning her tears. "They told us that you were looking for him to put him in jail."

I shook my head. "No. I just wanted to get everything fixed. I just wanted to tell him that and I wanted him to tell me that he was going to take care of you. I just want to get you your papers fixed so in case that you change your mind some day you can go to the United States and study and graduate. I wanted for both of you to have a better opportunity. I wanted him to tell me that he really loved you and that he was going to let you go and that he was going to follow you and after you had graduated both of you could get married."

"Really?"

"Yes."

She smiled. "Okay." She said and she started eating.

"Let me ask you something. It has been bothering the whole afternoon."

She nodded.

"Are you pregnant?"

She swallowed and looked down. "I don't know."

I nodded. "Tomorrow we'll go to the doctor."

She nodded.

"So, we're good right?"

She nodded and smiled. "We're good."

I nodded and sighed. I got out of the room.

"How is she?" Claudia asked.

"We talked and she is better now. But there is something that we have to do."

"What?"

"I have to take her to the doctor and do a test but I'm already sure that it's going to be positive."

"What? A pregnancy test?"

I nodded.

"You think that she is pregnant? How?"

I sighed. "I don't know. I can just feel it."

"When are you taking her?"

"Tomorrow. Both of you have to get some tests done anyways. Remember?"

She nodded.

Tomorrow. I was going to have to wait until tomorrow to find out if my second daughter was pregnant. I went to the room where Chris and Kevin were sleeping. Kevin had turned four today. They were growing up so fast. Chris was six. Kevin was four. Tito was eleven and Karla was twelve. They had stayed with Anibal because they were going to school. I went to sleep. I had not rested well these days and I was tired. I fell asleep quick. The light that was coming in through the window woke me up. Chris and Kevin were still sleeping. I tried to get up as quietly as I could without waking them up. I went to the kitchen.

"So you are taking her today?"

I nodded.

"Why did you lie to her about Carlos?"

"I didn't lie to her. That was what I wanted to do. I still want to do that. Besides if she is pregnant that is what has to be done."

"What about my aunt? Will she accept her if she is pregnant?"

"Berta Alicia I don't know."

She nodded. "But you know what she is going to say in case she is pregnant right?"

I sighed. "Yes. The same thing that she told me when I told her that I was going to leave Jakelin with Carlos."

"What did she say?"

"She said that since I didn't raise her that's why I was going to let her do what she wanted. That because I did not love her." I shook my head.

"But do you love her?"

"Of course I love her. My mother doesn't know what I suffered so Anibal could give me money so I could send to them. She doesn't know what I felt every day being away from them."

The same morning I took Jakelin and Claudia to the doctor. They did the pregnancy test on Jakelin and it came out positive. I sighed. I had to put on the papers that she had been kidnapped and that she was rapped. That was what the papers from the court said. When my brothers and my mother found out they told me to make her have an abortion. That she was going to bring embarrassment to the family. I talked to two persons and realized that they were right. First, to my daughter Karla to see how she and Tito were doing since it had been months since I had last seen them.

"How is Jakelin?" She asked.

"Well I took her to the doctor today and they said that she is pregnant."

"Oh."

"Yes, and everyone here is telling me to make her have an abortion."

"Don't! she will never be the same if you do."

"I know."

"Are you going to make her?"

"No."

She sighed. "Don't listen to them. Think about Jakelin. How is she going to feel? What about if she gets married and then she can't have any more children?"

"You're right."

"I know."

In some ways she was not as young as she looked and in other ways she was a little younger. She was twelve and she already thought like an adult. Sometimes the thought would come to my mind alone that she was not the average teenager. Maybe it was because of everything she saw. When her father and I would argue in front of them and he would hit me. Once she got in a fight with Flora. I laughed in my mind when Flora told me. After that I heard someone say that Flora had told them that she was afraid of Karla but that person never told me why. Once I was in the room with Karla and she was telling me that she had gone to the flea market with Manuel and Flora.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Well my aunt bit my cheek and i told her not to do it again. So she did it again and I pulled her hair in front of everyone."

I laughed. "What did Manuel do?"

"He was telling me to let her go but I couldn't. I just got so mad and he was trying to separate us but he couldn't."

I shook my head. It was like she was a baby tiger and on the inside she felt like she was the adult tiger.

"How are you and Tito doing?"

"Good. He goes to his friend's house but he comes back and dad is working. He has two jobs now so I don't see him."

I nodded.

"Well I have to go the operator says I only have one minute left."

"Okay take care and take care of your brother."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

Manuel called me ten minutes later.

"So what did the doctor say?"

I sighed. "That she is pregnant."

"Wow. What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to take her home/"

"What about the baby?"

"I don't know what to do. My brothers, my sister and my mom are telling me to make her have an abortion."

"Don't do it. That baby is an innocent person. He or she doesn't know how to defend his or her own life. What about if it was you? Would you have gotten and abortion done the moment you found out that you were pregnant with Claudia, Jakelin, Karla, Tito, Chris or Kevin?"

He was right. I wouldn't have done it, and when I went to the clinic to get Kevin out because I was bleeding so much I couldn't do it. The doctor told me that they were going to put a machine and that little by little the heart will slow down and that he was going to die overnight and that I had to come the next day so they could pull him out. Even then I couldn't. I took the risk of dying instead of killing someone innocent.

"I wouldn't do it." I told Manuel.

"Right. Then why are you going to make her just because they are telling you to? Does she want the baby?"

"Yes, she does."

"Okay then don't make her. Something can happen to you for wanting that baby gone."

I nodded even though he couldn't see me. "You're right. I'm not going to do it. Karla told me the same thing."

"Listen to both of us."

"I am."

After that I went back to the United States because I needed someone's signature for the last step. Carmen and Toto had not qualified so I called Mrs. Alcala.

"Mrs. Marroquin don't worry. I'll ask Jaime and Marina. If they qualify I'll tell them to come sign as soon as possible." Mrs. Alcala said.

"Thank you Mrs. Alcala." I said.

"You are welcome."

Two days later she called me that Jaime and marina ha qualified and that they had already signed. I went to pick up the papers and sent them to Guatemala. It was the end of July already. My mother called me the first of August to tell me that Claudia and Jakelin already had the appointment on the fourth of August for their passports and their papers. I went back and when everything was done I only had enough money for Jakelin's ticket.

"Mom I don't have to go I can wait. The one that is important is Jakelin." Claudia said.

I shook my head. "Call your uncle Calico and your aunt Flora and ask them if they let you borrow the money. Tell them that I will pay them." I told her.

She nodded. She called Calico first.

"He says that he will let me borrow the money if you sell him the house you have here in Guatemala." Claudia said.

I sighed. I knew he was going to do that. "Tell him is fine." So in the end I sold my house that I had here in Guatemala. Calico would pay me fifty per week or a hundred and then he would give me fifty again. I didn't even see the money because I used to pay the bills. Jakelin came to live with me, not because she wanted to, but because she had to. That same night we had an argument.

"I don't want to live here. I don't like it here. This house is ugly and old. I want to go back to my Aunt Flora's house." She said.

"You know what? You are my daughter and you are going to stay here whether you like it or not. Yes this house is old but at least we have a roof we can live under. I can't give you more." I said.

"No! I don't want to stay here!"

"You can scream all you want. You are going to stay here." I said pulling her back from the door.

"You can't hurt her. You will go to jail." Karla said.

This is what I meant about sometimes she was younger because someone could act like they were trying to help her when from behind they were trying to turn her against me. So Jakelin left. She started walking and Rigo, Rosa's son, went after her. At least she wasn't alone. I had to call the police so they could find her. After a while they found her inside of Calico's car and they brought her home. After that she behaved. In January fourteen she gave birth to a baby girl. She got a little swollen because she couldn't give birth. The baby's head will come down but it would go back up. She named her Kimberly. When Kimberly was four months old Jakelin went to juvenile for hitting me. She said that she had done it because I had out Carlos in jail when I had not known anything about Carlos. While she was in juvenile I saw how Karla took care of Kimberly when she came home from school.

It was like Kimberly was her daughter. She would feed her during the night, change her diaper, give her a bath and change her clothes. It made me wonder how she was going to be with her own children. Two weeks later Jakelin came out of juvenile and she was different. I remember when I went to see her.

"Tell them to let me out mom." She told me.

"I'm sorry Jakelin but I can't do anything about it."

"I know if it was Karla, Tito, Chris or Kevin you would do it."

"That's where you are wrong. When they give you a court date you have to wait."

It did hurt seeing her in there but I couldn't do anything about it. Then in October calico came to the house and said that Carlos was looking for Jakelin and that Jakelin had to go to Flora's apartment. Jakelin didn't wanted to leave no more and I know that if I had not told her to go she wouldn't have destroyed her life. She stayed in the tenth grade. She didn't graduate from high school and to make it worse she gave her daughter away to a homosexual. He adopted her and from what I heard she was really spoiled. I didn't see Jakelin or Kimberly again after he came in January before Kimberly turned one. But now I know that one day she will open her eyes and she will see the truth. That is going to be when she is going to come home where she belongs and I will be waiting for the both of them with open arms. That is the only choice I have.