Married To The Game

Chapter 1- Who Says I Got To Stay In Your House

Bam!

I slammed the door behind me as I rushed outside. "I hate you" I screamed upstairs to my aunt, who had custody of me for the past twelve years.

  My mother was doing time in a Virginia Women's State Prison for child neglect. One night after a three-day stay at the crack house, she came home frustrated and shook my little brother to death. She would often come home fien'in once her monthly welfare check was gone and there would be no more money for drugs. This particular time, Momma was so sick that the constant cry of my 5-month old brother drove her insane.

  I was hiding under the table,which faced the bedroom my brother and I shared. My mother couldn't see me because it was extremely dark in the house. We only had candle lighting because the electronic company turned off our services due to non-payment I remembered my mom yelling, "Shut up,boy Shut the hell up! as she shook my brother until he was silent. Once he was quiet , she laid him on the floor, and she pulled out a cigarette. I peered at her as she left the room to go lie on the cpucj . it wasn't until then I felt safe enough to come out. I crawled by into the bedroom or lie beside my lite brother. I cried silently as I touch his still and cold hand.

  " Wake up, Little Ray. Wake Up" I whispered. But there was no response. I wrapped my arm around his little body and feel asleep.

  Beep . . . . .beeep. . . . .Beeeeepppp!

I woke up to see red,orange, and yellow flames all around me. It was amazing that I could still see the fore because the air was filled with thick smoke. I panicked once I realized I couldn't breathe. I didn't know where to find my mom and little brother.

"Mommy . . . . Mommy!" I talked frantically as I felt my way to the back door.

I managed to get outside the house , where I saw all my neighbors standing by , looking at the scene, but my mom and little brother weren't out there. It also seemed that no one knew there were people in the house because they all seemed surprised once I came out. As soon as the firemen pulled up , I begged them to save my brother and mother. Within minutes, they were out .They Mother lay still as the paramedics tired to resuscitate them. My mom came around shortly after, but my brothers body was covered with a white blanket. That was my signal that he was gone. Everyone figured it was from smoke inhalation, but I knew the truth. And to this day, no one knows that my mom really killed little Jay. That will be a secret I'll take to my grave .

  The only reason my mom was arrest was for child neglect. The neighbors had reported her to Child Protective Services a number of times,and this time, when she fell asleep with a lit cigarette, was the last straw. It didn't take long for the paramedics to realize she was high. She got a fifteen- year sentence to the Women's State Prison, and that's where shed been for the past twelve Yeats of my life.

In those Year's, I'd blossomed from a timid 5-year-old kid to a rebellious teenager. The constant bickering between my aunt and me let me know she was just about sick of my mess.

  "If you hate it here so bad,then leave!" my aunt yelled after me. I could hear her coming down the stairs as her shouts got louder. "Where you gonna go?Don't nobody else want you" she continued to yell as she opened the screen door.