Strength
Have you ever question your strength or ability? Life resembles hardships, and it’s written all over people’s faces that are struggling to beat the game. I have seen the worst, people getting sick, robbing folks, and dying because they messed with the wrong people. I live right in the middle of this ridiculous city, and fear for my life. My name is Lisa Monroe and I’m fourteen years old. I have two younger siblings, Amanda who is seven, and Michael who is four. We live in Queens, New York, it is a pretty place, however, it’s the personality of the city that scares me. The people that live here don’t care about your problems because they experience problems themselves. My mother is a drug and alcohol addict, and sometimes she leaves us alone to live in fear and fend for ourselves, in fear of our lives. My siblings and I were abandoned by our own mother, realizing my worst fear.
“Lisa, I’m hungry,” my little brother Michael said to me. We have been living in the dark for the past month and a half, I was now getting to a point where I had no more excuses to give to my siblings. They now saw that I lied to them. So today and right now I to finally tell the kids my mom was not coming back for us. "Mikey whale, I know you are hungry, but we cannot eat, because there is no food." "Li-Li, why don't we have any food?" His whiny voice made my heart break, Amanda sat there with questioning glossy eyes. Now I am in charge and scared because I will be raising two kids alone. Even though I basically have already been raising the kids, now keeping them was permanently. "Look here Amanda and Michael, remember I told you Momma went to pick up groceries and then go out of town with some friends?" They both looked at each other and nodded their little heads. "Well, obviously you can see that mommy did not go get groceries, our mom left because of her addiction to drugs drugs. She is in rehab trying to get better." They looked around and said in unison, "How are we going to eat?" I looked at them and cried, I cannot believe I just lied to them again, they do not deserve this. I have no choice but to summon the strength for us to make it."I will be right back babes, I love you," they hugged me and said “We love you too." With that I walked out the door, down the trash and pee filled steps and out the door in the windy dark night of Queens. I walked to the corner store, and walked to be greeted by a stale smelling room. I looked around and I do not see my friend Terry, anywhere. Terry Scott my best friend, have been inseparable since diapers. Terry works at corner store, and usually helps me out with getting food, but tonight I guess I plan to steal with Terry not here.
I looked around to see who was working. I do not see anybody so I started walking through the aisles. I reached the cereal section and I picked up Trix for Michael and then over to the chips area and picked up Cheetos for Amanda. The puff kind, she is weird she only eats puffs not the crunchy. I finally put the food in my baggy sweatsuit, and headed for the door. I touched the handle to open the door but then I felt a grimy, sweaty pair of hands grab my shoulders. I turned around to see Mr. Carter standing there with an angry look on his face. Mr. Carter owns this corner store, and he and I are not the best of acquaintances, and see things totally differently. I yelled, "Why are you grabbing my arm?" He replies, "You have some of my products in your clothes, sweetheart,” Sarcastically. “Now take it out or I will call the police."Right as he said that, Terry walked in.
"Mr. Carter... " he looked down at me with concern, and finished, "what is the matter?" With glaring eyes Mr. Carter said.
"This trash has been stealing from me again.” I just stared at Terry with pleading eyes, his saw my fear and said,
"Mr. Carter I will no problem, I will pay." They stared each other down which felt like hours. Mr Carter finally said, "Fine, but I do not want her in here anymore." I nodded my head and ran out.
Ten minutes passed and Terry walked out with a look on his face that I have never seen before. "Why are you staring at me like that?" Terry grabbed me and took me around the corner so we could talk in private. "Lisa, why did you come in here and steal? I told you to always make sure that I was in the store first, now Mr. Carter is not going to let me live this down and watch me closely. What made you steal tonight?" I started crying again, I’m so tired of crying. "Amanda and Mikey are so hungry and I told them that Momma was gone, but I lied to them again and said she was getting help. Terry I do not know what else to do, I came in here to get them food, but I can’t keep doing this. I need help." Terry hugged me as I cried on his chest, he told me to wait for a little bit and he would walk me home. He finally clocked out of work and he came outside to get me. We walked back to my house, in the windy cold night, this reminded me that I would have to get candles soon, because without electricity we don’t have any lights or heat and I know the covers will not always keep the kids warm. I unlocked the door and pushed hard to open the door, I yelled, “Hey” a little above a speaking tone to let the kids know I was home and they came out. I looked at them and waved the food in their faces, "My favorite!”, Amanda yelled and ran to her room. Mikey took his box of Trix, and followed me to the couch and sat in my lap like he always did when he eats . I am so glad I have these kids in my life as well as Terry to keep me sane.
A couple months have passed since that night I at the store, I finally came out and told the kids that mom was not coming back at all. The kids did not take it very well. However, we are doing just fine, Terry moved in with us and has helped me with the kids and food. I applied for a job a the local CVS, and I enrolled the kids into school. We all started acting as a happy family. Sometimes I will stay up and sit next to Michael and Amanda while they're asleep and will wonder why my ungrateful mother would leave us in the dump alone. I have forgiven her, even though I have not seen her.
"Mikey Whale, and Amanda lets go, time to leave for school." I was just notified that the bus that we usually took broke down, so we would have to walk to subway for the ride to their school. "Can you guys hurry we are going to be late, I know you want to eat breakfast." With that said they ran to the front with their shoes and jackets in hand. I laughed at the sight of them so eager to get out the door. The subway was about four miles away, and school started in an hour, so we would have to book it. We all said bye to Terry and made our way downstairs to begin our journey. We played games, sang songs, and laughed the whole way to the subway. My laughter ended when I saw a familiar face standing about thirty feet in front of us.
My mom was standing right there, and she looked worse than she did when she left us months ago. I stopped my siblings from walking any further and said, "Do not run off when you turn around. Mom is standing behind you and she does not look well at all, if you get scared, get close to me and we will leave quickly." They looked around trying to find her.
I grabbed their attention by saying"I love you babies and I do not want to lose you." They stared at me and said "I love you too." I fixed their backpacks and jackets before we walked any further. I guess my mom heard footsteps behind her and she turned around, and smiled big at us. Her teeth were yellow, her hair looked like a bird’s nest. Michael and Amanda looked at her with wide glossy eyes, not believing that that was once there mother. "I have a home for us, we can be one big happy family again." I looked at her with anger filled eyes, "we were never a family, you abandoned us, and did not even bother to come back to check on us, however it is okay, because you see the kids right here?" I pointed to the kids and she looked from me to them to me again, "They are now mine, and I love them, more than you ever did." I started crying because I called my siblings my kids, I never realized how much I have grown within a couple months, and how strong I have now become. "Mom get yourself cleaned up, and do something with your life, good luck!" With that I grabbed both of Michael and Amanda's hands. I pray for my mom every night for strength. I also thank The Lord for giving me this opportunity, because I realized I had something I did not have before, and that is.... Strength!