My own mother threw me out of the flat because she cared more about my stepfather!
I lived with my dad until I was five, and those years were the happiest I can remember. When he passed away, my mum stopped really caring for me and started focusing on her own life. By the time I was eight, I had a stepfather who tried to control every move I made, as well as my mums, and my whole world turned upside down.
We all lived by a routine set completely by my stepdad; he assigned all the chores and usually did nothing himself, claiming he was too exhausted from work. Mum always made sure I did whatever he wanted, terrified hed become cross and cause an argument.
Once I hit my teenage years, I started rebelling. Id come home from school only to have to cook, clean, wash my stepdads car, and do whatever random jobs they could find for me, while the loved-up couple lounged in front of the telly. Afterwards, Id get a slap and a lecture about how ungrateful I was for all they gave me.
Besides a roof over my head and mealswhich I basically earned by doing all the cleaning and houseworkthey gave me nothing. If I wanted to take an extra course, see a tutor, or go to the gym, theyd laugh in my face and say I should learn how to earn money before I spent it. They rarely bought me new clothes and, when they did, theyd go on about it for weeks.
When I turned eighteen and finished school, my mum told me it was time to find a place of my own. She said university wasnt an option and that I ought to get a job straight away, because I couldnt live with them any longer.
Were from a small town and decent jobs are hard to come by. To be honest, I didnt want to work all hours; I still hoped my parents would change their minds when they saw I could study independently. But my mum kept pushing, so during my final three months of school, instead of revising for my A-levels, I worked as a waitressshifts from ten till midnight, earning next to nothing and making hardly any tips. All I could save covered two months rent, and I didnt even know what Id eat. I missed so many crucial classes that my grades suffered and I didnt get into a state university. I had nobody to pay my fees for anything else.
I quit my job that summer and started searching for something better paid since my mum and stepdad kept asking when, exactly, I planned to move outand eventually, they just kicked me out.
I tried working at a shop selling household cleaning products, but after a few days, I got sick from the chemicals. When I tried to come back, they told me theyd taken on someone else. Time kept slipping byI tried different jobs but couldnt manage to support myself.
My birthday falls right in the middle of summer, and that year, my aunt came to see me. I hadnt told anyone what was happening, but when she pulled me aside and asked what was wrong, I just broke down. She helped me pack that same day and took me back to her place. Id finally done what my parents wanted and moved far away, so strangely, life felt lighter.
My aunt helped me find a good job at a local bookshop, so I could earn money and keep studying. When I retook my A-levels the next year, I got the grades I needed and made it into a state university myself. My aunt was there every step of the way; she never left me alone with those dark thoughts, even when my parents once again told me how terrible and ungrateful Id been.
Time went onI finished my studies and got a decent job. Now, Im forever grateful to my aunt for standing by me through the hardest moments; I support her now, take her on lovely holidays, and do all I can to show her the kindness she showed me.
