Family life in a bubble.

So, I didn't grow up in the church. My family is "Catholic," but they only went to church for Palm Sunday, Ash Wednesday, funerals or baptisms. I lived with both of my parents  and my 3 older sisters, 2 older brothers, and one younger brother up until the age of 7 or 8. My parents split around that time. I'd see my dad once in a while until I was around 9, then he was shipped (I'm mean.:)) back to Mexico. Yeah, that was the last time I really saw him. He would call every couple of months, he would send letters and pictures. I mean I knew my dad, I loved my dad, but I never really had my dad.

My mom stepped out of the picture not too long after my dad did. Eventually, my sister, Adrianna, was living with my grandma and my brother, Richard, was staying with one of my aunts. I went to a school called Project Hope. The school was for kids living in motels or shelters. I felt far less than anyone that went to public schools, but the people at Project Hope were loving. They were always there, they showed some caring when, both the faculty and we (the students), knew our parents hardly cared. They would make a monthly birthday cake and if you were born in that month they would add your name to the cake. They gave us some Christmas gifts during the Christmas season. When I'd go to school with ripped shoes, they'd send me to Mr. Bill to get some donated ones. I loved them. 

Yes, I lived in several motels from when I was in 3rd grade to around 5th grade. It was Anthony, Crystal, Stephanie, JJ, my mom, and I living in a no bedroom, two bed motel. Eventually, my mom gave up completely, or so it seemed. She would constantly be in and out of bars and jail cells, so my grandma and great aunt Mary took us in. My brother Anthony was the next one to move out. So, it was Crystal, Steph, JJ, and I living with the two most wonderful women ever. They tried their hardest to do what they could. I knew they loved me, loved us. I would see my mom once every 2 weeks if I was lucky. Need I mention, we lived with my great aunt and my grandma in a senior citizen apartment with one teeny-tiny bedroom. My great aunt was notified that the young ones living with her had to move out or they were going to kick her out, so we were forced to move.

By this time, Richard was still living with my aunt, Anthony was living with friends, Crystal got to stay with my great aunt Mary, and Adrianna was married with a daughter. We ended up moving in with Adrianna and her small family. One two bedroom apartment with Adrianna, Theodore, Noelia, Grandma, Stephanie, and I. It was a lot to put on my sister's plate, but she loves us so she did it.

After being kicked out of Adrianna's house into Richards, and back to Adrianna's. Adrianna had to give all of us up. Stephanie, JJ, and I moved in with my brother, Anthony. This was around the time I was a freshmen in high school, my mom eventually came back and said she wasn't going to go to jail or leave anymore. She has done a great job of staying out of jail, but she's been gone. When she came back she would tell me what to do, like any mother does to their child, but I felt like someone that was never there for me shouldn't be telling me what to do. I listened anyways, I just had bad feelings towards her for always abandoning us.

Eventually, Anthony couldn't do it anymore either, so back to Adrianna's we all three went. Let's just fast forward to the now. Steph doesn't live with us anymore, she hasn't for a while now. She's an adult and is figuring out what to do with her life, or living in her youth still, whichever. JJ doesn't live with us either, he lives with Richard. So, it's Adrianna, Theodore, Noelia, Daniel, and I. My mom left me, personally, in August of 2011.

She called me a bitch, said i was going to hell, and other stuff, because I wouldn't give her money for drugs, no she didn't specify that they were for drugs, but I'm sure of it. What she had said just broke me. I left the room we were in to go to my sister's room, so I could cry. She packed her stuff and left. I've seen her 4 times in the last 8-9 months. The first two times were just a "you're not going to say hi to your mom?" conversation, they literally were less than 5 minute encounters. The third time I saw her was when I was in the hospital, the day before I had surgery. We talked a little more, we exchanged about 5 sentences that day. The last time I saw her wasn't that long ago. It was awkward, she was in my presence for a whopping 5-10 minutes. I invited her to my graduation, she told me she was getting married. Like I said, it was awkward.

Thanksgiving 2010