The Trials and Tribulations of a so-called Trouble Teen

Chapter 49 - Runaway

TW: Discussion of abuse

I always find it intriguing to watch people on their morning commute. This particular district of London is giving me a different look to things. Considering it's the "high-end place to be in business", I'm seeing a lot of very important (so to speak) people walking all over the place. This place runs on making the rich the richer while the poor become poorer. The income poverty number in this borough floats somewhere between 40% and 50% depending on what source I look at. Even if that was at 1%, it would be 1% too much. Does that even make sense? Eh... It's a tale of two cities - one for the wealthy and one for the poor. Two very different livelihoods, one common area. There seems to be no end to any of this.

So many possibilities in such a small part of the city. Anyone can fall into poverty, likewise anyone could make large amounts of money in the blink of an eye. We can never really expect what will happen to us. Lots of people, unfortunately, will never fully escape the poverty trap because of government policies favouring profits over people. Many promises will be made to the people only for them to be ignored. That's always just been the way things are. I doubt we will ever be able to change it as long as those in power have their pockets lined.

In other news, I did not expect to spend my breakfast time explaining my situation with my siblings and my mother to Cher. It's a strange thing shared with anyone, never mind with Cher. She's encouraged me to not step back in my search for a full answer, and has even offered to help me with the full search. I want to bring my siblings to London but that is a difficult task, especially with the uncertainty of Brexit.

Ch: So, your mother has no real idea that you've been speaking to your siblings?

E: None whatsoever. I'm sort of...

Ch: Incognito?

E: Yeah! How do I go from A to B though?

Ch: It's a tough one.

E: In an ideal situation I'd just say hi to her but that's not how this works. [eats toast]

Ch: Have you thought about...

E: ...How different our upbringings have been and how that could cause potential for a conflict of interests? Yep.

Ch: I didn't really think about that.

E: [moves hair]

Ch: Is that a bruise?

E: Oh, this? Yeah...

TW

Ch: How on earth did you get that?

E: It was either the time I fell off the step ladder while trying to get my radio or when... [sighs] Maya hit me.

Ch: "Hit you"? What do you mean "hit you"?

E: A lot has happened in such a short amount of time. Ever since Maya's parents just got up and left her, she's become a shell of herself and takes everything out on me. She'll never do it in public though - she's smart about it. My dad and I have tried to get her to actually go into therapy but she's resistant. I even talked her into couple's therapy but getting her into the building is difficult. I'm not gonna kick her out because she has nowhere to go and by removing that safe space she has in our house, we could be endangering her to a life of violence and fallout. There is no point in making her any worse because there's no point. If we can target her actual problems right now at this time, we could possibly make her better before it's too late. But what the hell does that mean we have to do? Lock her up for months on end until she feels better? Let her continue until I'm the one who has to go away? I don't want that. I don't want anyone to have to go away. Maya's been one of the few people I've been able to talk to about things for years, I don't know if I can do my life without her.