Chapter One: Same Ole Love

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SABTI POV

Hi there! My name is Sabti Moonlight Zuniga. I was born on May 27, 1971 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. My mother Venus is Honduran and my father Jackson is Jamaican and British. I'm the oldest of three siblings: I have a younger sister named Topaz (born in 1974) and a brother named Zircon (born in 1982). My childhood was deeply affected by my parents' marriage. You see, my father served in the Air Force, and had that military attitude of ''It's my way or the highway," meaning that his word was law. When my mother spoke her mind or challenged his opinion, he would beat her and when Mom had enough, he'd beat us too. Eventually, they divorced when I was twelve. My mother was diagnosed with PTSD and we were split up. I spent time in so many foster homes I lost count, and learned to self-medicate with alcohol by the time I was fifteen. 

By the time I was an adult, I tried to be normal but the scars remained. I spent some time in rehab to battle my drinking problem/suicidal ideation. It was here I ended up discovering my ability to write and after leaving rehab, I began making a name for myself as a spoken word poet. In 1996, I wrote my first poetry book called Brown Skin Girl, which reached the second position on the New York Times  Bestseller List and was even given the sticker from Oprah's Book Club. That's how you know I made it! A year later, I met DeVante Swing....you know the sexy light-skinned leader of Jodeci? We met at some vegan restaurant and I wasn't impressed by him at all. I thought he was corny, arrogant, and just plain stuck on himself. But somehow, he won me over. We became engaged on Halloween 1998 and married on September 29, 1999, his 30th birthday in the Virgin Islands. 

Happily ever after, right? Mmmm....NOPE!

I love my husband, but we are having our problems. If anyone claims they have a perfect marriage, they are LYING!!! Marriage is work. DeVante and I live in a wonderful home, but our lives aren't a reflection of how we live.  I cook, clean, work and do everything for DeVante but he doesn't even say thank  you or barely tells me the three magic words "I love you." It's like I'm his assistant rather than his wife; and that hurts so bad. I don't want to leave my husband, but I don't want to cheat either. I'm losing all around! 

Someone out there has to understand what I'm going through!!!! 



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