Forever Family

Chapter 1

My name is Travis Jones and I am 14 years old and I live here in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with my grandmother and my little Ashley who is 5 years old and my two uncles Tyrone and Lionel and My cousin Damon. I was born and raised here in Baton Rouge. But used to live in South Baton Rouge with my mother brother and father and their names are Earl Jones, Jackie Jones and Darius Jones. My dad was born in South Baton Rouge but his parents died when he was young. So, he was moved from foster home to foster home. But his last foster parents were really abusive. But then his aunt Betsie that lived in South Baton Rouge asked him did he want to live with her and he agreed.

While in South Baton Rouge dad met my mom and he became a street hustler selling shoes and clothes to people on the block. But when my brother and Darius was born dad realized he needed to make more money to support his family. As a result, he finally he gave into the pressure by his friends to enter into the drug game.

My grandmother always knew my mother had a thing for the bad boys she noticed this since her youth when she gravitated towards the bad boy in class. So, she did her best to protect her child from those type dudes but my mom always rebelled and soon as she left home and started living with my father who was dealing drugs. And not long after my mom got pregnant with Darius and then me. After dealing drugs for a while dad soon became a big dealer in South Baton Rouge. He did his best to manage the drug game and his house hold but that became a lot harder than he expected. Realizing this his temper started to get really bad. He would snap at moment's notice. And he would even begin abusing on my mother.

One night my dad gets phone call from someone telling him that of his friends just got shot. So, he gets his gun and rushes out the door. But he forgets his books bag full of money and drugs on the floor. My mom goes into the book bag for money. Because dad barely gave her money for bills, he usually would just spend it on himself.

Then she sees a pack of cocaine and she puts it in her pocket. After going to the store and buying herself some clothes and some beer with the money. She comes back home and gets drunk and high. She then starts to get emotional when she starts remembering the embarrassment, she felt having to wear sunglasses to work because dad punched her in the eye after they had argument about money.

Then she goes into the bathroom and snorts a line of cocaine the she found in dad's book bag.

When dad comes back home, he just gets the feeling that something is so he immediately rushes over to his book bag and checks it. He opens book bag and start counting his money and realizes he is a few dollars short and pack of cocaine is missing.

This irritates dad and he goes into rage. He goes over and slaps mom and speaks. "Get up bitch"! "Did you steal from me"?

Mom looks dumbfounded at first then she says "No baby, you know I wouldn't do that". Dad comes closer to mom and looks her up and down.

You a motherfucking lie you still got some of shit on your face and your eyes red as damn fire! " I'm packing my shit and I'm gone for good this time! "I can't live with no damn theft and a fucking junkie"! "You gonna smoke up all my shit, Hell no! "She grabbed his legs as he walked out the door she was breaking down.

Let go motherfucker, I'm outta here." Says dad as he fights to mom's hands from around his legs. He walks out the door and I wouldn't see my dad again for year.

I can still see the pain in my mom's eyes after that our home life was never the same after that. She would have fits and rage often due to the drugs seeing my mother self-destruct it took a toll on my young mind. I would find myself just breaking down out of the blue which would result in my mom calling me a fucking cry baby if couldn't take the heat get out the kitchen she would say with her slurred speech.

And while all this was happening my brother Darius started hanging with wrong crowd and getting in trouble, he was getting into a lot of fights with people talking bout he was representing his hood and who ever didn't like it fuck them. Soon my brother ended up in jail for a few day for vandalizing an old man's house from down the street.

So, one day my grandmother called and asked me what was going at home so I broke everything down to her about my dad, mom, and brother. All this drama was becoming a little bit too much for me to handle and I started to break down.

So, my grandmother told me to give my mother the phone. So, I did and went outside and sat in the front of my house. I guess my grandmother told my mother what I had because I could hear my mom hollering and cussing from inside.

And then my mom and brother came outside and I looked in mother's eyes and can tell that she was angry and ashamed that I had just told my grandmother who she hadn't talked to in years since she left home and started living with my father.

My mom looked into my eyes in tears and said " If you wanna leave you can leave because I don't want anybody in my house that doesn't wanna be here, putting all damn business out in the street I'm going through a lot boy and you know that I can't take all this drama in my life right now I just can't". I could hear the anger in her voice. I put my face in my hand and broke down I didn't... barely getting my words out because I was crying so hard, I didn't know my grandmother was going to tell her everything I had said.

And then my brother Darius came up to me and said "Yeah get the fuck out of here boy" and then he pushed me and started laughing and went back inside.

My mom came back outside with the phone she gave it to me and said " Here go the phone call ya grandma and tell her to send you some money for your flight if you wanna go" she said this while crying and I could hear the hostility in her voice.

So, I was stuck still crying I had to make a decision I didn't want to leave but I started having flashbacks of my father slapping my mother the fear I used to feel when he walked through the door and telling me and my brother bad things our mother as she cried for him and how she would start shaking at night from her drug addiction.

All these things crossed my mind it was a hard decision but I decided that it would be best for me to go live with the grandmother and the rest of my family.

But i feel going to stay with grandma will best cuz i can't spend another night living in fear not knowing what is gonna happen next.

My Uncle Tyrone droves up to our his in his old Black Cadillac and greeted us and is ready to take me to my grandma's house in Glen Oaks.

Before I start getting into my Uncle Tyrone's car I reached over and gave my mother a hug but she didn't even look into my eyes as I hugged her, she just looked away with tears in her eyes I could see the pain her face I didn't wanna leave my mommy but felt this was the best decision for me.

So, after getting my bag in my uncle trunk I told my mom I love you and she just looked away and I said goodbye to her and told my brother Darius goodbye. And I waved at them while in car and I saw my brother Darius flipping me off and my still had that said that sad look in eyes and didn't wave back then they both just walked back inside. And then me and my uncle started head to to my grandma's house.