My Life, Christina Jackson [pdf e book reader txt] 📗

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

I can remember waking up that morning of October 3, 1986, the day my life took a turn for the worst. It started off like any other morning, but I just didn't feel like going to school, so I told my mother who was getting dress to go up my cousin Terry's school that I didnt feel good and my stomach was hurting really bad. My mother turned to me and said Ok chrissy, you can stay home if you're really sick, but you're not going outside with the other kids at 3:00PM. She kissed me on my forhead and walked out the door.

 

Who would've known that would be my last time seeing my mother alive. I decided to go on to school so I could go ouside with my friends when school let out at 3:00PM.  At noon the bell rung for luch and I was headed toward the playground to meet up with my friends so we could gossip about the boys and the kids we didn't like. Before I could make it outside I was called to the office, I was amazed because I've never been called to the office brfore and I knew that you only got called to the office when you was in troyble, but that wasn't the cast and nothing could prepare me for the deverstating news I was getting ready to recieve.

THOSE WAS THE DAYS

 
I remember jumping rope and cheering with my girls Tee, DeeDee, Nette, Q, and Squirt. We was so innocent back then. We use to get t-shirts made with our names on it and played hide and seek all night around the neighborhoodbecuase we knew we was safe and besides all the big kids and adults use to be gambling and shooting dice on the corner and smoking weed. As I look back I remember thinking about how I was going to grow up and purchase my own hair salon because I use to do my friends hair at least I thought I was.

 

I never like playing with doll babies because you had to take care of them and that was just like having kids, something I didn't want after watching my mother struggle just to be able to put food on the table and clothes on our backs. I also didn't want to end up with men like my mother who used drugs and sold them.

 

My sister and brother was older so they was fascinated by everything that was going on in the neighborhood, they fitted right in. My sister wasn't really into all of that, but wanted to be apart of, but my brother started being mischevious early. I think it started around the age of nine (9) when he begin getting into trouble stealing from out the stores and pumping gas at the gas station so he could help our mother with food because of the no good man that she was dating at the time who we will call Rus.

 

 

THE TURNING POINT

I remember riding down this long road with my mother to go behind a building that set in this big open field that was surrounded with tall metal fences. I remember that in order to get in we had to go through some big machines that beeped if you had something in your pockets and then into this little room with other women and kids so we could take off our clothes to make sure we didn't have any drugs on us, but I couldn't understand at the time why my mother would go to the bathroom everytime we finish putting our clothes back on and remove this plastic bag from her vagina and place it into her purse and then give it to my stepfather who we will call (Steven). I started noticing that she always would wear a skirt or dress each time we went to this place and would send me off to get stuff out the vending machine and when I would return they would be sitting really close to each other and the top of her skirt was long enough to go over his legs.

 

The next thing I remember is that we moved in with his mother on Pond St. and that was the worst mistake that she could've done. We wasn't never wanted and they made sure they let her know that everyday. We was only suppose to be there until Steven came home, but it felt like forever. One day my mother told me that we was getting our own place and I was so happy that we was going to be leaving the wicked mother in-law house, but not knowing that we went from the furnace to the fire and my life would forever be changed.

THE DUNGEON

It was a beautiful day, the sun was out and we was on our way to see our new apartment. I said to myself "I'm so glad to  be finally moving out of the evil step grand mother house. As we approached the building I could see a lot of kids and people on the playground running, playing, and dancing. As we proceeded to the  entrance of the building called the "tunnel" I could smell a strong urine odor, but we continued into the building.  On the first floor of the building was a gang of guys shooting dice, smoking weed, and drinking alcohol. We was approached by some of the guys asking us "hey baby what you looking for we got whatever you need" my mother responded, "no my daughter and I are ok" as we continued to walk up the stairs trying to make it to the third floor.

 

As we continued up the stairs that reeked of urine became even stronger and graffiti of names, pictures, and profanity filled the hallway walls as we approached the third floor apartment #319 I could see that there was another set of stairs that was right in front of our apartment door that led to the back stairs of the building were people smoked drugs and had sex. We put the key in the lock and turned it to see what was on the other side. As we looked around I started trying to figure out which room was going to be mine and to know that we finally had a place we could call home and start our lives would be the same place my mother would meet her death.

FRIENDS "TO DEATH DO US PART"

My mother who we'll call (Mil) had finally found an girlfriend who we will call (NeeNee). They was like two peas in a pod you may even call them Thelma and Louise that's how close they was. I really looked up to Nee Nee like a aunt that I never had. Nee Nee had three sons and two brothers that she was really close with and they really loved us we was like family. I use to go over aunt Nee Nee house and her sons would come over our house when our mothers would go out partying like they always did until this one particular day all hell broke lose.

 

I got dress and before my mother walked out the door she told me to drop the keys off to aunt Nee Nee and she would pick them up on her way back from Terry's school. I grabbed my books and headed out the door. I dropped the keys off and proceeded to school. The bell rung for lunch an as I was apporaching the outside door that led to the playground, I heard my name being called over the intercom to report to the office. As I approached the office door I could see aunt Nee Nee sitting with this vague look on her face. She said I need to talk to you because something tragic has happen to you mother. At that moment I was confused because I was only thirteen at the time not knowing that what she was about to say would be the beginning of an downhill spiral of an thirteen little girl who now must become thirty in order to survive. Aunt Nee Nee looked at me with tears in her eyes and said "your mother was stabbed and she is DEAD"!!!

THE SEQUEL