Chapter One
********* 16 Years Earlier *********
"Shut up John.... just leave me alone." I heard my mom say. Their at it again I thought in my head. I laid across my bed while my best friends Ashley and Kellie were painting their nails. "How do you deal with this?" Kellie asked me." I mean your parents are suppose to be happy, this is suppose to be a happy home" she added. "There's no such thing as a happy home Kellie" I said "Every family has their problems." "Yeah at least Jamie's parents just argue all the time, my mom is sleeping with other guys just to solve her problems" Ashley said before tears started rolling over her cheeks. Me and Kellie looked at her in shock. "How do you know your mom is cheating on your dad?" I asked. "I walked in on them having sex, and boy it wasn't a pretty sight." Ashley stated. "Well how do you know it wasn't your dad" I asked. "My dad isn't black and he wouldn't call my mother Kayla when her name is Jane." She said. "It will be okay Ashley" Kellie said hugging trying to calm her down. I still could her my parents and the sound of glass breaking. I turned on the radio and turned up he volume. "I'll be right back" I told the girls before leaving the room. As I walk out of my room I see my dad rushing up the stairs and into my parents' bedroom. "What's going on?" I asked my dad as he pulled out a suitcase and started stuffing it with his clothes. "Why are you packing daddy?" I added. He stopped packing and looked at me "I'm sorry Jamie" he said. "I've tried everything I could to keep this family together but its not working. I love you and you mother very much but I can't deal with your mother's alcohol problem, so I'm leaving and I'll probably never return but I want you to know that I love you Jamie." He said before closing his suitcase. He walked over and gave me a kiss on my forehead, then headed downstairs. I ran after him and said "Daddy please stay for me?" I said stopping him in the middle of the stairs as tears ran down my face. He looked at me and shook his head and resumed walking.
I ran down the stairs after him as he headed for the door. I hugged him from behind stopping him as his hand reached for the doorknob. "Please don't go I need you" I said. He unwrapped my arms from around his waist then said "I'm sorry sweetheart." before leaving out of my life forever.
I walked into the kitchen to see my mother drinking a bottle of vodka. I hated when she got drunk, she always started fighting with my dad for no reason. "What do you want" my mother said with slurred words. I looked at her with tears in my eyes. "How could you just let dad leave out lie that. He did everything he could to keep this family together and stay with your alcoholic ass for the sake of me but all you care about is liquor. Liquor doesn't solve all problems." Usually in a dysfunctional family the man would be the alcoholic and the woman would try to keep the family together for the sake of kids but my family was different. How could one someone supposedly be the sweet one, the one who birthed you be the most hated member of the family, in my family my mom was the alcoholic and abusive one and my dad the loving and caring one. In my eyes my dad was both my mom and dad and Ann aka my mom never existed. "You have no idea what you're talking about your father was my problem he ruined my life" she said. "I do know what I'm talking about you're the one with the drinking problem. You're the reason why dad left. I hate you. I wish you were never my mother you're just a lazy, non loving alcoholic bitch. Dad should of just divorced you and took me with him." I screamed out t her. Letting everything I wanted to say come out with no regret. Before I could turn around and leave I felt the back of her hand go across my face. and fell to the floor. I held my burning, red cheek. "Don't say anything to me you little ungrateful ass bitch." she said before leaving out the kitchen. I got off the floor and ran upstairs to my room.
As I walked in my room to see Ashley and Kellie on my bed staring at me confused. I put my back against the wall and slid down on to the floor into a fettle position as tears rolled down my face. Ashley and Kellie rushed over to me saying "Its gonna be okay." "This will all blow over soon." "He'll come back." We sat there crying for moment. "Promise me something" I said looking at my friends. "Never let a man cause you so much pain and heartache that he ruins your life." "We promise" they said at the same time. This is how one little pact made by three little girls caused many lives in the future.
