The Struggle To a New Beginning

T W O

The next day, Kalila dropped off Nova to Miss Della without saying a word to her. Her mind was still stuck on the fact that Nova might get taken away from her. She headed to have breakfast with her best friend, Naomi. She's known Kalila ever since they were in diapers together, and she too knows about the abuse that goes on in the house. Kalila walked into IHOP to find Naomi sitting in the booth. "Hey girl I already ordered for our food and she came and brought our coffee." she said. "Okay, thank you." she replied as she  sat down and poured the coffee in her mug. Naomi looked at her concerned, "Are you okay boo? You seem real stressed?". Kalila didn't want to tell her what she was going through. "Nothing.. can I ask you something?" Naomi nodded. "So yesterday, I overheard a conversation about a woman whose child may get taken away because she lives in an abusive household. Do you think that she should  have her child taken away?" "Well yeah. She's putting herself and her child in danger. God forbid if he put his hands on the child one day, they'll both get in trouble." Chills ran up Kalila's spine as she thought of Terry putting his hands on Nova in the future. After breakfast, Kalila went home to find Terry eating a bowl of cereal. She sat down in the chair across from him. "Terry we need counseling." He looked at her like she had lost her mind. "Man, gone somewhere Lila, I ain't going to no damn counseling!" "Our relationship is not healthy. If it doesn't change soon, I'm taking Nova and le-" before she can get her sentence out, Terry threw the bowl and hit her with it, drenching her in milk and Frosted Flakes. He got up, went over to her, and grabbed a fistful of her hair. "TERRY!" "Listen to me, if you ever think about taking my child, I'll kill you. You ain't going nowhere!" He let her go and went in the bedroom and Kalila got up and walked in the bathroom. She knew this wasn't the life for her but she grew up surrounded by nothing but abuse. Her mother was abused by her father around when she was 6 months old and it escalated over the time. When Kalila was 2 years old, CPS was called and she was taken from them. Miss Della ended up taking Kalila as her foster child, because she kept Kalila as a baby. Kalila turned on the shower and looked in the mirror at herself. Smelly from the soggy cereal and her makeup smeared, Revealing the bruise on her cheek from yesterday. Kalila you're better than this. You and Nova deserve better, she thought to herself.