An angel arrives....FINALLY!

So we get to Michigan, and my dad takes me to my moms apartment, and just drops me off. I BEGGED him not to leave me here, because I remember VERY well how abusive this woman is, I DON'T want to be left with her. My dad just looked at me and said "you did this to yourself, and if you try to run away your mother is going to put you in a foster home" Hell, if I would have been thinking clearly at the time, that's exactly what I SHOULD HAVE DONE, it had to be better than these crazy people.

Even though I hadn't seen my mom very much at all in the past years, my dad thought that THIS would be a good idea....wow, as soon as I moved here, my mom made it VERY clear that when I turned 18 I had to move out. Wow, thanks mom I haven't seen you in YEARS, and you are already telling me that I'm OUT when I'm 18!

 So at least for a little while I was stuck here, so I tried to make the best of it. Even though I would graduate in 3 months, I still made friends fairly quickly at my new school and did my best to live a normal life. The only good thing about the situation, was that my BROTHER was here. I cried a lot, because I had been ripped out of the only life I had ever known...no matter how abusive it was, it was MY life and it had been changed forever.  I can remember many nights I would be crying, and Todd ( my brother)  would sit by me on the couch and tell me that "everything would be ok"....I miss THAT part of my brother, but I don't know him anymore, he has turned into a very mean and unhappy man...but I guess years of abuse will do that to you!

My mom had a boyfriend when I moved to Michigan his name was Mike (more about him later) she had her own apartment, but spent almost everyday with Mike, so she left me and my brother alone...A LOT. So needless to say, we got into some trouble. We were teenagers with NO guidance...what did she expect? My brother was very heavily into drugs, and remained that way for years, I looked up to him so I followed in his footsteps, not with the drugs, but the drinking (heavily) and partying all the time. Actually, when I look back on it, as dysfunctional as it was, I ENJOYED partying with my brother...everyone knew us, we were very popular among our friends...it felt good!

My brother ended up moving out of my moms apartment, and got his own apartment with a friend, I wanted to go SO badly but obviously I couldn't so again...he left me. My mom ended up moving in with her boyfriend Mike after my brother left so I went with her. I had met Mike before, but didn't know him very well at the time so I was nervous about living there. He has a daughter who is around my age, so I thought that was pretty cool I would have a "sister". I had NO idea how this man and his family would change my life....for the better :)