Continued..

    When I was 4 years old, my mother fled. She took us to a cabin in the woods in Willard, Ohio where we stayed for two years. At that time I thought it was a vacation, but now I know it was to hide us from my father who was trying to gain sole custody. My mother was abusive, and she along with her boyfriend would cues me and my siblings psychological and physical anguish. She was on drugs and never cared for hers or our personal hygiene. We lived in a small cabin with no beds, AC, or even a restroom.
     Eventually, we left. And we went back home. My grandmother would take us shopping due to our lack of clothing for school. When we would bring them back, my mother would throw them on the floor for the dogs. She despised my father and everyone associated to him.
     When I was seven, my father gained sole custody. He brought us down to McAllen, Texas where he and his fiancé were living. After they got married, we moved to a bigger house in southern McAllen. Two years passed and my stepmom got pregnant. This caused her to lash out at us and our father. We moved to San Juan, Texas, where we lived for two years more. My father separated from my stepmom and we stayed in San Juan along with him.
     My father eventually met a woman from his job named Anna. She and her daughter lived in Mission, Texas. We would visit them and stay for weeks at a time. Anna was a nice woman who took care of us and spoiled us, she would never yell at us or cause us pain. The only problem however, was she caused my father to start drinking again.

To be continued.....

(this picture was taken by Anna in summer 2011)