eBook
Available on Compatible NOOK devices, the free NOOK App and in My Digital Library.
Related collections and offers
Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781468565270 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 04/09/2012 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 240 |
| File size: | 799 KB |
| Age Range: | 3 Months to 18 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHILD SUPPORT
By Hisoka Takara
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2012 Hisoka TakaraAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-6526-3
Chapter One
Childhood
It's hard to keep your head up with so much against you what do you do? Keep praying is what I can say now. What I would have said before I got focus more on God I don't know. It took many tribulations for me to become the woman that I am today and I can truly say I still have a ways to go for it is not to strive for perfection as much as it is to strive for correction. My life has never been easy so I know my day of greatness is near or on my itinerary before my eyes seal shut. I am named after my mother's mom Paris. Great lady strength like the bull of her astrology sign, but often hated on for overcoming challenges, which I feel was passed down to me, they say be careful who you name your children after. She was known for hair weaving, fashion and her talent in singing in our hometown of Tampa, Florida. She was a very opinionated woman and carried herself very ladylike in her approach toward any situation positive or negative. Like us all she started off ruff around the edges with all good intentions later turning to Christ after the grandchildren started adding up, she recognized the blessings stowed upon her life, the long way she had come with the grace, and mercy God had given her. Like so many of us she took life for peaks sake, she influenced so many by example in the way she carried herself. My granny was the concrete of our family, when she spoke we listened and took heed like most Madea's of their family. Her and my mom had a weird relationship out of all her children I think it was, because my mom was most like her. My mom admired her character and wanted to be like her, even better, all my grandmother's children had a skill like her, but my mom had most. Mom was a little rebel at heart and dated my father despite my grannies opinion of him not being good enough, he was a little older. I consider myself a love child, my dad and mom were just physically attracted to one another more than anything. They were both hot items all the odds were against them making it together, as what would look like the perfect pair. My dad had two daughters before I came along and manage to have one after I came all while having some form of relationship with my mom before finally marrying her when I was four. So, this made four girls for him in all, all by different women. Out of the four girls my dad had, I was the one he spent the most time with, showing somewhat his character of a man to, and what he was capable of as a father. I also endured, saw, and experienced the ups and downs of his wellbeing. He was a good person until weed turned into cocaine and cocaine turned into crack. The Cosby spin off that could have been, died. My family went from eating together every evening, going to the park, having beautiful holidays, to my dad being abusive toward my mom who he always adorned and still does, abusing, neglecting, and even molesting me. I since a child always have had a figure eight shape, butter brown skin, nice texture hair with length. Almond shaped eyes and a very warm spirit, when my dad went as far as putting his finger in me I was very confused. I remembered the day like it was yesterday, he was high out of his mind and referred to me as his Janet Jackson. Shortly before my mom and dad separated, dad started hitting on her, it became more than enough to deal with, and so we went to live with my granny. Once we had that distance I decided to tell my mom about what, I experienced with my dad. By them having a recreational bond (smoking weed) along with being legally married they communicated regardless of the separation. One Saturday my mom took me to see my dad, so he could watch me while she worked. At the time she was at Home Depot in Clearwater maybe like 25-30 minutes from Tampa. They had a small conversation as I stayed down stairs and watched WWF (that was one of me and my dad's favorite programs) when they came back down she was left out for work. Dad sat down rolled a joint and asked, "Why would you tell your mom something like that?" as if he had forgotten what had happened. I never answered the question, because I knew he was about to go off into abusive mode. I was taught never to repeat what I saw or heard let alone endure, but I felt nasty since the incident and was uncomfortable around him. Before I could blink there went the famous back hand to the lip, with the repeated words, "you talk too much." You better not cry he often kept the inside of my lip raw from the back hand slap; I was use to it at that point. I remembered taken a nap, waking up to peanut butter and jelly, going outside to train on the boxing bag with my dad. His missed his opportunity of becoming a boxer running the streets, the man was known for his quick hands and bad temper. We hung out for the remainder of the evening until my mom came and got me after work. I was thinking when she got me, "why would she leave me in a situation like that" trusting that I would to be all right. I never knew why my mom would trust him with me, after what I told her. I knew from then I couldn't tell her things and she trust what I said and protect me. Her and my dad's relationship was not going anywhere; she was hoping that he would straighten up and get his life together for the sake of me. He was just getting worst in his drug use, the man slept under my grannies house one night claiming that he could hear my mom in the room with another man. My granny almost shot him that morning ranging the doorbell repeatedly, cursing, and threatening to kill us. My granny had to start walking me to and from the bus stop, because they were afraid that he would kidnap me or something. My dad got to the point of stalking my mom and me, when she tried to live over to her girlfriend's house he came by one evening with a gun. The police had to come and restrain him from the property, it was a hot mess. My mom was waiting to save enough money to move and start over with it just being us two; she wanted her husband regardless of the drama just to clean up his act. I remember her begging him to come with us to Clearwater, Fla. when it was time for us to move. I was thinking to myself, "let that man be crazy" dad or no dad it was too much, I was tired of running and hiding all over the city, within a year's time we moved with three of her friends and he found us every time. When I would go to church or choir rehearsal with my granny, I would pray for his healing and that he wouldn't hurt my mom any more. I used to hate that she was so weak for his character; I would talk to my granny about it, and she would agree. Granny and I were extremely close; I felt comfortable talking to her about things, because I knew that she would do what she could to protect me. She never liked my dad from the time he came to my granny to tell her to mind her business, she ran him out of her house with a knife following behind him. Granny was one lady he would not cross the wrong way; my dad's mom was different. She past when I was in the fourth grade, she was a very good grandma as I can remember; she taught me how to say my prayers at night on my knees. My dad treated her bad in her last years; being on drugs really bad around those times. He was in prison during her funeral and was escorted by the guards in shackles under his suit. They pulled up in a patty wagon to the front of the church. I was thinking to myself, "that was not the way he should have come," but he did not have too much of an option. My dad start going to jail and prison a lot, it was hard keeping up with him for a moment that was my dad. Having the respect of him being the man the God choose for me to have with that title what more can I say, but I love him.
My mom and I moved to Tarpon Springs, a little town outside of Clearwater by her job. We started a life there with all confidence that my dad would not be able to find us on one of his intermissions from jail or prison. I had to be more independent than usual, because my mom had to work, so she would get me ready for school, I had to walk to and from. I had to sit home patiently until she came in from work; I use to do a good job with myself alone. It was no time before my mom met a man named William that was from the town we lived in; his entire family resided there as well. He was very popular in the town, because he played football and had a chance on making it pro until he hurt his knee in college. They started dating and the word spread, our neighbor that lived across the walkway from us started babysitting me just to get in my mom's business about William. William was cool, he was established, had a good job, and a nice car all the things that a woman would considered. William just had one small glitch he had nine children and was barely active with them. They saw him when they needed something financially, but quality time was out, he was busy trying to be too popular. William was acknowledged everywhere he went, my mom was the "who's that girl" of the town she worked most of the time and didn't hang out much but was noticed. They were the talk of the town, she had a sweet demeanor, and people wondered how she was going to handle his glitch. My mother accepted William and his glitch, expecting something different than what she heard. Would I have done the same, probably not, nine step children would have been a bit much for me, but William was a provider and I think my mother considered the resources between the two and was willing to make it work. She likes challenges, I think, the men that would be more difficult to settle down with. My mom and dad were not legally divorced at the time, she had tried, but he threatened to kill her and was not signing anything that stated separation. My mom and William started this relationship, and it was the talk of the town, they made a nice looking couple and the ladies that liked William were jealous, even the babysitter. They would get around my mom anyway they could to throw William under every bus they could find. She heard things from his past true or not, she was not satisfied not winning or achieving her goal with getting this man. She wanted to be the one that changed the talk of the town, no matter what it took. I really didn't know what my mom told William about the marital status between her and my dad, but William had been married and separated before, so I think he would understand whatever the situation was. I never remember my family from Tampa visiting us in Tarpon Springs, we always went to Tampa. My mom was too much of a disappointment to my granny, and it was known throughout the family. My mom took William to meet my granny; she was cool with him, because he was a stable man. Regardless of how many children William had, he was stable. Shortly after the meeting of the families started taking place the children started coming around. William's ex's was so jealous he called himself moved in with another woman and helping her with her child, they started dropping children off. I can't begin to explain how many weekend and holiday's I went through sharing my room with them. I look back on those times now and really commend my mom for being that type of woman, it's not many women that would do things that she did for another person's children, but she had a good step dad once in her life and took notes. William and I had a cool relationship; I never really respected him like my dad, because he never really stepped in like my dad. He stepped in like a man dating my mom and was good for money when she needed, he wined and dined her, but I was never there. She would get money from him for me, but I was never with them, spending time together as a family. I would imagine if he were not doing that with his own children why would I be so special, but to the outside it didn't look like that. People thought because he was staying under the same roof as I, I was getting the treatment, I can remember times, him being home, and we wouldn't even talk to each other unless I needed to ask for something. He never had anything to talk to me about and I wasn't at the age where I could just spark up a conversation, I was nine by then. My mom shortly after got pregnant with my little sister, I knew things were really going to be interesting; William was going to have 10 children, and a step daughter. I was ready for the little sister, it was going to grow me up a lot, but I was ready. When my sister got here I don't think William was mentally ready, he had gone so far into the relationship, had so many odds against him, and he had to face up to the responsibility. The night she was born William didn't get to the hospital that night, as I remember until my sister was almost born; he was drunk just coming from hanging out. My sister out of the 10 was the only one William had saw delivered, I guess that was a step toward change. My sister was like my baby, I had to be a big sister for sure; William would leave and go hanging out while my mom went to work. I was singing in the children's chore at William's aunt church, and I would take my sister with me. Get her dressed, make her bottles like my mom taught me, and walk with her on the other side of the town. William would have to call around looking for me, I had things to do, and I was not waiting for him to come home. If I had to take my sister with me then that's what I had to do with no complaints, she was so cute to me like a black Barbie. My mom was climbing the corporate ladder at Home Depot; they offered her a position in the corporate office in Atlanta. She had to relocate unexpectedly and William would have to figure out what he was going to do about his job. He had been with the company for at least 10 years; he had a little money invested that would support the transition until he could get employment in Atlanta. It was him leaving his comfort zone that was his biggest issue. My mom was going to wait until the following school year to move me with her; she had to start the job at a certain time. My mom took my little sister with her, her being an infant, but I had to go move with my granny to finish fourth grade with my God sister who was a teacher at a elementary school I would attend. It was a ruff school, but no one was worried about me keeping up with that I could handle myself. I was not the run-over type and I didn't mind trouble, my god mother knew that, she would warn me all the time. Telling me not to get into trouble or she was going to deal with me, I was coming under my god sister's image and I was not going to embarrass her name. I was thinking, "whatever" if it came to me I was going to deal with it and deal with my consequences after that, and that's very much what I did. I was cute and my granny dressed me in the things my mom left me with every day, she took time with me every morning. I had a jerry curl then with a nice length, I was known for having the best banana clips that matched my outfits. I kept a clean pair of Keds and had an option what I wanted to do for lunch, eat with my god sister, school lunch, or my granny packing me something the night before. The boys liked me and the girls hated me, it was only three cute girls in the class, as I think back and I was one of them. I use to get attention, because of who my god sister was. The teacher or students would go up the hall to tell my god sister, I remember I was fighting and arguing with the teacher one Friday. My god mother called for me to come see her that Saturday morning early, when I was at my grannies. She had me to lie under a coffee table, and she beat the bottom half of what was lying out from the table. It was crazy; my god sister could have looked out for me not telling, after she jacked me up in front of everybody that day and embarrassed me, I thought that would have been enough. I was thinking man where is my mom, it was a little longer before school was out before she was coming to get me. The odds were against her moving out of state away from her family, it was much being said from the family because my mom and William were not married. It was more security when you were married to the man than you just having a baby with him in my grannies eyes; that was the way she saw it. I was just ready to leave Tampa, I was missing my mom and getting beat for everything I was getting into; my mom never beat me like what I was experiencing. It was just punishments with her, I can remember a time I was hiding food under my bed, because I felt like William was eating all the food. I had cold items under the bed and a fan blowing under the bed so the food can stay cold, black ants started coming from everywhere. She punished me, if I would have been around my granny or god mother, they would have given me the business with a switch or belt.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from CHILD SUPPORT by Hisoka Takara Copyright © 2012 by Hisoka Takara. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction....................viiChildhood....................1
Getting my boys....................15
Me and my boys....................33
Child Support....................60
The change in me....................83
The Salons....................113
The court battles....................132
Clayton County....................158
Redirected....................186
Conclusion....................225