Her.

1

Sha'Reya Woods was still trying to make a living in these streets. She was a runaway from home filled with people who didn't care that she was even gone.

| a couple years ago|

Reya lived with her mom who was never home and always stayed laid up with different men for money. Her dad was never in her life, he left when he found out her mom was pregnant with her. Her mom was once loving, but when she was left on her own with a baby things changed. Her mom started doing drugs and prostituting for money. Reya had dealt with social services plenty of times, getting taken away from her home due to neglect most of the times. Her mom finally cleaned up to get her back then relapsed again and again.

Reya never had stability in her life, never had someone who loved her, no one to look after her. She had to do that all on her own.

A night in particular changed the innocence and the sweetness that was left of Reya. Her mom walked in so drunk she could barely speak understandable words. She pushed her mom up the stairs to her bedroom, like she always did most nights and let her sleep. She went to her room and saw her mom's boyfriend on the edge of her bed. As uncomfortable as she was, she started walking towards the hallway but he grabbed her by her hair and shut the door. Her loud screams filled the whole house, but nobody bothered to help. Her mom was passed out drunk, so she couldn't hear anything. Her loud cries were suddenly silenced to his large hand being put over her mouth. He had raped her that night and she was only 12 years old then.

She tried telling her mom a couple days later when she found the courage but her mom didn't believe her. Her mom called her a hoe, called her disgusting and jealous for trying to sleep with her man.

All Reya wanted was a mother's love. She just wanted her mom to love her, or her dad to magically come save her. She prayed every night for strength to live through another day, and with the power of God, she lived through.

It was after that night, that Reya decided she was gonna runaway from home. She needed to.She had to. She couldn't stay in this household any longer. Her hopes for the future turned to shit after that night, she no longer thought she would get married one day and have kids. She didn't want to anymore, she thought she would never be loved by anyone.

Reya turned cold hearted, it was impossible for her to be kind and loving, she didn't have it in her. Every time she came across a man tryna hit on her, she looked at them with disgust and she didn't turn to girls because she knew she wasn't gay.

At the age of 12 she would mostly stay at a friends house most nights but on the nights she couldn't, she would sleep in her backyard behind the shed and wait for her mom and boyfriend to leave before she could shower and dress for the day.

Reya already had it set in her mind that she was gonna move far away from Chicago. She thought about it everyday where she wanted to go and how she was gonna make a living on her own. She knew her mom had a stash but she wasn't a thief, she wasn't gonna take it. She was gonna make her own money, so she went and looking for a job that would accept extra help at her young age, although she had to wait until she was 15 to legally have a job she would help this lady Robin around her shop most evenings after school just to avoid going home.

Battling with school and work, she was never home and she didn't mind. She would do her homework on the bus, sometimes stay the night with Robin just to avoid going home. She knew she couldn't keep putting herself in the situation where she could get raped again.

She never could get through her head why her mom didn't love her, what was it that she did wrong that made her mom become her enemy, her first bully. Sometimes Reya would cry herself sick thinking about all she's been through and how much she had to stay strong for her own well being. She questioned what she did wrong to deserve this, she thought maybe she wouldn't be good enough for anyone since she was constantly being treated like trash.

Luckily, Robin who was 32 and Puerto Rican took her in to live with her until she got on her feet. She still attended school and maintained her job for a while. She didn't have to pay rent , food or for clothes which she thanked Robin for, the only thing she had to do was follow the household rules.

Her and Robin built a great bond, Reya felt like Robin was more of a mother than her real mom ever was. Slowly as the days went on, she would sneak into her mother's home to get clothes so everything that was hers could eventually be out the house. 

The third time she came to get clothes her mother caught her. "You can't come back here anymore you little bitch.You think I don't know what yo ass been doing coming back here when I'm not to get clothes. I ain't stupid hefa." Reya stood shocked, she didn't know her mom would be home around this time of night and she wasn't prepared to face her mom right now. "Mom- why are you like this?? What did I ever do Mommy?" Reya said as tears started to fill her eyes.

"Stop that crying in my house.  I hate that shìt. You were a mistake, I was left with you on my own! You made my life a living hell. You can't stay here anymore and I don't want to see you, now get out and don't come back for no more shit. I bought all this with the money I earned! You hear me?? I earned the money to buy you shit, now you wanna come and try and take it ?! No. And by the way, my man doesn't like you, you make him uncomfortable so you definitely won't be able to even walk past my house, we don't want to see you!" She screamed while pushing Reya around.

Reya just dropped her clothes, she was ready to fall to the ground and break down but she didn't. She got one more good look at the person who damaged her so badly, her broken mother currently high off the drugs and ran out the door. She started running down the street as fast she could not looking back. Eventually she stopped and collapsed to the ground hyperventilating and crying hysterically creating small wet puddles from her tears.

She eventually pulled herself together and walked a few more blocks back to Robin's house.

Ever since then, Reya never asked anyone for anything, she didn't even feel like she should be staying at Robin's house but Robin insisted. She woke up everyday wondering if what happened was a dream but she knew it wasn't. As the days went on, she admired Robin and looked up to her for a lot of things. Eventually her name turned to Mama R and in a way Reya thought it was fate that they met.

See Robin struggled for a long time with having kids, so she just gave up and never thought to try again but Reya came into her life and Robin saw and treated Reya as a daughter.

Robin attended Reya's graduation at 17 since she was able to graduate early due to good grades and even took pictures of her and everything. Robin had her mom come over and cook a special dinner for her accomplishments. Even though it seemed like Reya's life was turning around, she still lived with a vacant spot in her heart that was filled with a lot of nothingness.

She wasn't even sad no more, she didn't cry anymore, she felt nothing. You could see nothing but blankness in her pretty hazel eyes. It was as if Reya lacked emotion when it came to things.

When Reya turned 18 and collected enough money, she took off to Miami Florida. She always wanted to go to Miami but never was never able to. Although Robin was sad about it and even cried to her to stay, Reya felt as if she had to get away and start her life over. She loved Robin so much, she felt guilt in her stomach when she decided to take off. She promised Robin to visit her all the time once she had a stable income and thanked her for everything. They vowed to stay in touch no matter what. Reya even wanted her to move with her but Robin's life was in Chicago. Her last words to Robin were "I love you mama R, thank you for everything you've done for me. I swear you came into my life for a reason and nothing can explain how grateful I am to have met you. You've showed me what a real mom is, you taught me how to cook, you taught me to never give up and you also gave me that backbone to continue on in life. I know you never expected to take me in at 12 and I never would've thought this would be my home but I'm greatful." She hugged Robin tightly and also left a card saying similar words to Robin's mom who also accepted her for her.

Reya's life been died in Chicago and it was now time for a fresh start...