Everything can seem so different in an instant. You can see how a person really is in seconds. And depending on how those seconds go can change everything. Everything.

Hi. This is the first time I have ever told anyone this. So if you kept it to yourself... that would be awesome. I have two sisters and a mom. That's who I consider my family. My parents got divorced before I was one, so I don't remember anything that use to be civil between my mom and dad. But I am told and reminded daily that they use to actually be friends and asked how I can't remember anything. How I didn't know that Annie ruined everything. How I didn't know that she wrecked a perfect friendship and family. Well to answer the question of How and Why is simple. I was a baby. I was about four when everything changed, but I didn't know that everything changed because... well I was four. I began to actually realize about a month after Katrina hit that everyone I thought that loved me and cared for me, really didn't. My dad had a house in Madisonville and my mom still has a condo in Beau Chene. My dad having a home with a backyard, pool, fence, and garage it needed to be kept beautiful and tidy. A tree had fallen from our neighbors yard and then into our yard. I don't remember the tree fall because I wasn't there for it, but I do remember showing up at his house and seeing the tree in the backyard that had filled our pool with leaves and twigs and bugs and disgust. I remember analyzing my whole backyard. Seeing my trampoline, rusted and old. Seeing our play set that was also old. But the grass green and full of life. Devin and I both still analyzing heard our dad say that he was going to work the next day and that we were going to spend the day with Annie, my stepmom. Devin made it sound that someone told her that she had to go to church or something. But I was excited... I actually liked Annie at the time. Hearing the horrid news Devin marched to her room and slammed the door, and I went to my room to watch some tv. It was just an average Friday. But trust me when I say... It was no ordinary Saturday.


Devin and I woke up late like we always did. It was about 9:30 when we came out of our rooms to see Annie dressed like she was going somewhere. I asked where we were going but she just said, " Oh. I have an appointment for my nails. I'll be back. Y'all will be fine here alone." and she walked out the door. Devin furious told me not to be aggravating. I told her I wouldn't be. Until we heard the sound of our backyard gate open and slam closed about an hour after Annie left. Devin went to the backdoor to see what the noise was and screamed my name when she saw that it was three men in hats and bandanas over their faces with chainsaws. Devin being about twelve and me being about nine we became frantic. We called Annie. No answer. Called again. No Answer. Called my dad. No Answer. Called Annie a third time. No answer. Finally we make the decision to call our mom. She always answered us. We told her the whole situation and she told us to calm down and that she was on her way to comfort us until our dad got home. Soon after we got off the phone our mom was parking in our driveway with my Aunt Rachel in the passenger seat. She came to the door and we opened it for her and invited her in. Then we heard the opening and slam of a car door.


Annie was home. All I heard after that was the clicking of her heels and screaming. Annie screaming, " Get your skin white ass off my property." and then my mom in front of her... and her being her said," Why thank you! but no. Why are my kids here by themselves with men with chainsaws in their hands in the backyard." Annie stated that she was only gone for an hour and that she told us the men were coming here to cut down the tree. Lie. My mom knew it. She told us to come with her and that she would call our dad and tell him that she would bring us back when he got home. Understandable. A mother that doesn't want us home alone. Annie didn't really think that was understandable. Devin and I walked out the door... well tried but were quickly pulled back by the collars of our shirts. We flung backwards and the door was shut. The door. Damn that door. Not letting us to freedom. Not letting us to the one person we knew we would be safe with.


Annie pulled us into the Kitchen and yelled. Yelled to the top of her lungs. " WHY WOULD YOU LET HER INTO THIS HOUSE." what an idiotic question. Obviously she knew the answer. Fool. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard, " Well I am their mother." I giggled and try to go to her. Well a large female was in the way of that. Next thing you know I see my mom being pushed out of the house, being threatened that her skinny white ass would be kicked, and the cops would be called. My mom knew she was on property that she forced herself on and that was not hers. So she looked at us and knew she had to get out of the house. She left. But not far. She was right outside. We were forced to go into our rooms. Thank God Devin took me into her room. I was in hysterics as it was. Devin just hugged me and told me that it was going to be fine. She was my comfort. My security blanket. She was my everything at the time. And I knew I was hers.


Annie walked into the room without warning. Devin being as brave as she is, put me behind her. Annie asked why I was crying like this was such a no biggie, normal situation. Was she retarded? Devin stood up when Annie tried to touch me. Fist at her side and tears almost coming down her face. Annie started getting in her face and telling her that she was nothing. She wasn't, she was everything but I said nothing. Nothing at all. It still confuses me to this day... how could I sit there and do nothing. Let someone talk to my sister that. How could I be so pathetic. All I could do was cry. Devin was pushed back by Annie. After pushing her she left. I think she knew that Devin would have punched her directly in the face. But Devin held back her anger and just sat back down next to me and cuddled me. Back then I thought that she was holding me just because I was crying. Now I know that she held me because it comforted her to know that I was okay. It calmed her nerves a little more, but at the same time it got her even more infuriated to know that someone tried to hurt me and succeeded.


We heard a tap on the window and jumped up, somehow we knew it was our mom. I knew that it broke her heart to know that we were crying and she couldn't do anything about it. She tried and wished that she could comfort us. But nothing she said helped. That didn't keep her from trying. We opened the window so we could at least hold her hand and know that she was okay. We unlocked the lock and lifted. and then *BEEP*. I saw the look in my moms face. She said she had to go before Annie saw her at the window. She got in her car and went around the block. Annie barged in. "WHY THE HELL DID THAT WINDOW OPEN?!" We played dumb. "What do you mean?" She said that she heard the alarm system beep when it opened. Damn that alarm. We just continued to play dumb until she got so aggravated that she left. But then we heard the worst.


Annie was on the phone. Yelling. " BOBBY THESE DAMN KIDS ARE BEING RIDICULOUS. DESIREE IS TRYING TO GET IN THE HOUSE TO SEE THEM. I AM CALLING THE POLICE." Next we heard. "Hello. My husbands crazy ex-wife is trying to break into our house and kidnap my kids." Lies. How could she lie like that. She was so full of crap! Devin's grip got tighter around me, letting me know that this was not going to end well at all. By the end of this day we could be stuck here.


Before we knew it we hear that *BEEP*. The clinging of my dads chain neckless hitting his chest and the tapping of his dress army shoes came closer and closer.

Once again Devins door flung open. A red faces 5'5 man dressed in a army dress uniform in both of our faces, with a 5'5 woman behind him. I've never seen him so furious in the nine years of life. Devin held my hand and I knew that she knew what was going to happen next. My dad got into Devins face the most. Asked her why she would call our mom instead of him when we knew we were at his house for the week. Devin just said calmly that Annie wasn't home and that we called her three times and then him twice. Continued with we knew mom was going to answer so we called her. Maybe Annie and You should be actually be home when we were over. I smiled knowing that Devin made a great point. Next thing you know his hand is raised and Devins face quickly moves to her left.


She cried. She was so brave. Crying may not be brave, but who wouldn't in that situation? Your own father slapping you across the face and knowing the only reason he did it was because Annie was in the room and if he didn't he would be in trouble. Your own father slapping you to save his own ass. I just looked at him. Hating him. Then looked at her and saw a grin on her face. I hated them both so much. I just hugged her. Hoping it would help. Hoping it would stop the tears from rolling down her face. I knew it wouldn't. Dad just continued to yell. Told us he hoped our mom would be put in Jail. Then we heard a car door slam and a couple of seconds later we heard a loud knock on the door. It was the police. It was the police coming to probably ruin everything.


They both walked out of the room to go talk to them. Annie told them that she left, but that she was probably in the neighborhood. Told them that she drove a black Mini Cooper with strips on the hood. Absorbing that in their minds, they left and searched and found. She was five doors down. They brought both my mom and aunt back to the house. The police try to get both of their storied. As we watch through the window of Devin's bedroom, we hear all of Annie's lies. Devin couldn't take anymore she ran out the room and I followed. We went through the wooden front door and found a screaming fight between my mom and Annie. The cops and my dad standing to the side trying not to get involved. Devin on the other hand jumped straight in and yelled. My mom took me in her arms and placed a hand on Devin's shoulder, as if to let Devin know that she was right behind her and she was there to protect her if Annie or my dad was to come at her, to comfort her. It worked and Devin got all the confidence she needed to let out that Annie was a lying, fat idiot. Dad and Annie both got closer and mom grabbed Devin and pulled her back. She might as well have been a mama bear. If she was a mama bear her teeth would have been showing, growling, and would have attacked. Sadly that was not the case all she could do was give mean looks and tell the cops the truth. Which she did. After the cops heard everything. They told both my dad and my mom that they were not allowed to go to each others homes. At any point in time. They agreed and it was over. But we weren't allowed to leave with my mom since it was my dads week. My mom couldn't do anything, but she said that if anything happens call 911 immediately.


My mom left. Then the cops followed to make sure she left and we went back inside. Devin was going to be hit again. I knew it. Especially after everything she said about Annie. We ran into Devins room, hoping it would keep us safe! And it did for about thirty minutes. Until we hear the screeching of tires against the pavement and another car door slam.


Peaches. Annie's youngest daughter. A violent little thing. She's my height and has the temper of white trash. This chick was expelled for beating the crap out of a girl twice her size. Peaches, a nineteen year old, got into Devins face and said, " YOU GOT A PROBLEM WIT MA MAMA?!?" Ew. Disgusting. She's from Alabama so that is exactly how she said it. Devin replied with a yes and was slapped and pushed. That was the time that my dad decided to be somewhat of a father and pull her off of Devin. After that... Nothing really mattered. I hated my dad. I hated my stepmom. I hated everyone but Devin. People don't understand when I worry about Devin and worry if she'll be mad at me or do anything she tells me to. It's because of this. It's because she was hit twice just sticking up for me. Just trying to take care of me. I really do love her more than anything.

Everything can seem so different in an instant. You can see how a person really is in seconds. And depending on how those seconds go... can change everything.


Everything.