My mother was working the night shift at a bar, and he was here with his friends watching a football game. My aunt always fussed at my mother about leaving us in the house with a man that wasn’t our father, but she never listened. Adrienne and Miyah were asleep when I went downstairs for a drink. I tried to sneak past them, but he caught me.
“Alayah!” he called, stopping mein my tracks.
“Yes?”
“Come here.”
I hesitated before walkingover to him. His friends gave me the same creepvibes. They all watched as I entered the living room.Rodney grabbed my arm and pulled me down onto hislap.
“Whatchu doing up, pretty girl?”
I hated when hecalled me that.
“I was just getting a drink andgoing back to bed.”
He chuckled as he looked aroundat his friends. “Ain’t she beautiful?” he asked, strokingmy hair.
“Yeah… She’s real pretty,” his friend said,eyeing me.
I tried to get up, but his griparound my waist tightened.
“Where you going? I thought youwere thirsty.” He grabbed a red cup from the tableand handed it to me. “Drink.”
I shook my head. “I can’t.”
“Come on. I won’t tell yourmama. You ever had moonshine?”
“I’m fourteen.”
He laughed. “I had my first sip at twelve. It ain’tgon’ hurt you. Take a sip.”
“I just wanna goto bed, Rodney.”
“Then take a sip.”
I looked athis friends for help, thinking one of them would havethe decency to speak up. Alas, they all seemed tobe waiting. I grabbed the cup and took a smallsip. The liquor was strong and burned my chest. Itried to hand the cup back, but he shook hishead.
“All of it.”
“I don’t want to.”
Heroughly grabbed my face. “Drink it.”
Terrified, I quickly drankthe disgusting liquid in the cup. My chest was burningso bad that I had a coughing fit. Whatever wasin the cup tasted like rubbing alcohol. He and hisfriends laughed as I ran upstairs when he finally releasedme. I wanted to make myself throw up, but Iknew it would burn twice as bad coming back up.When my coughing finally got under control, I sat onthe edge of my bed. All I wanted to dowas lay down.
The effects of the liquor hit mequick. I fell back across my bed and stared upat the ceiling feeling like my head was spinning. Iwasn’t sure how long I’d been laying therewhen my door opened. My vision was slightly blurry, andI couldn’t make out the figure, but I knewit was Rodney.
“Damn, baby girl,” he mumbled.
I felthis hands on my body, but I didn’t havethe strength or mental capacity to stop him. The nextthing I felt was his lips on my neck andface, then finally my lips.
“St-Stop…” I groaned, tryingto turn my head.
“Shhh!”
I felt my clothes beingremoved and then the heaviest weight on me and asharp pain between my legs. I couldn’t move. Icouldn’t speak. I could barely breathe. Before I knewit, I had passed out.
That night, my innocence was stolen, and it was the beginning of the hell I experienced at the hands of my mother’s boyfriend. Almost every time my mother went to work and my sisters were in bed, he came to me. When I threatened to tell, he threatened to go after my little sisters or have one of his boys have their way with them.
