Marcella Marquez, born on May 17th, into a poor family in New York City. Her parents had successfully crossed the border many years ago. Marcella, also known as Mimi to her family and friends was an only child. Her mother, Pamela was tall, slim and had short curly black hair. She worked in the train station, selling tickets. Her father, Salvador was unemployed. He was rarely home. He and Pamela rarely got along. Fights would break out, arguments about their daughter, money, food and how they would pay the rent was always happening. Even when the fights would stop, the apartment still had a tense, unwelcome feeling that Pamela despised. A majority of the time it was just Pamela and Mimi. For a five year old, Mimi was short. She had long dark brown hair, big brown eyes and tanned skin. She resembled her mother a lot, yet her hair was exactly like her grandmothers. As years went on, Salvador kept up his behavior to his mother and started on his daughter, Mimi. He began hitting her, kicking her, smacking her and often yelling at her. Mimi at age 7 wasn't sure what was exactly happening.
Mimi went to the public school exactly 5 and a half blocks walking distance from her ratty apartment where she lived. She had worn down clothes; her hair was long, matted and tangled and had very few friends. But, she did have one friend, Angel. Angel was literally an angel sent to Mimi. He understood her. He knew just what to say, and when to say it. Angel was too abused.
One night, her mother and father got into a huge fight. Things were getting knocked over, curses flying across the room, hurtful statements being thrown at each other and Mimi couldn't do anything but sit on her lumpy mattress and cry. She wish she had Angel. She wished that she was born somewhere else. She wish she could just disappear like the characters in the books that she would read in class. Mimi had constant dreams of being a beautiful princess with her prince charming. She often felt herself being like Cinderella, and she knew that she would hopefully have her own happy ending. She snapped out of her dreamy haze. SLAM. Mimi looked at her closed bedroom door. She had figured either her mother or her father had gotten so frustrated, they walked out. Tears started to flood her eyes again. They burned her face as they came down. Mimi cautiously opened her door and peaked out. She saw her mother on the couch crying. Mimi took notice to all of the rubble and debris on the floor. Mimi didn't know what to do. She just stood there looking at her mother as tears soon began to flood her eyes once again.