Tales Of Domestic Violence

By Nicole Michelle

Vanessa is an African American inner-city teen who developed into a young woman, consumed by negativity, feeling unworthy, and unable to express herself. Being naive, ignoring the negative in situations, Vanessa overlooked the obvious for the sake of love and fitting in. A chameleon, Tales of Domestic Violence is a collection of personal stories

• Language: English
• Publisher: Author Nicole Michelle
• Release date: Aug 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9798218042455

Book preview

Vanessa was born around the early 198O'S in the Nation's Capital, Washington, DC, where crack cocaine was predominant, taking over almost all of the city. The drug was so powerful and addictive that it wiped out generations and caused family members to turn against each other. Parents neglected to love and take care of their children, leaving them to be raised by other family members. They would probably sexually fondle the young, innocent child, leaving them scared, confused, angry, violated, and lost.

The victims had to find the strength within themselves to pull through it and move on; sadly, that birthed a burden they'd have to carry for their entire lives. Some children have had to deal with Child Protective Services because of the neglect of their parents. Gruesome, bloody murders reached national record heights. People’s property was violently stolen, while deception and prostitution increased. These were times when crimes were being committed 24/7, left and right. The drug dealers were in control, pandering to the weak just to sell their toxic drugs out of their homes. Forcing children to watch their mother get sexually abused for that quick, ultimate high. That was probably gratifying for them, but this product impacted our generation forever.

After Vanessa was born, her mother, Sophia, decided to move to the Bronx, NY, to be with Vanessa's father, David, to be together. David was born and raised in NY. For whatever reason, he had some sort of mental hold over Vanessa's mother, and somehow, he persuaded her into prostituting her precious, curvy body at a young age. He was her procurer. Their taste for self-indulgence and money led Vanessa to be raised by her paternal grandmother, Clara. While in Clara's care, who is now deceased, may her soul Rest in Peace. Clara also took care of her big cousin Shawnee. Her mother was also on the streets due to extreme drug usage. Her older cousin said sadly, You and I were always left in the care of our grandmother because our mothers and fathers had to run the streets. While being left in the care of Clara, Vanessa had to face a tragic, horrific situation soon after.

One evening, Clara had gotten overly drunk, as she did on many occasions. This night was different because it changed Vanessa's life forever. Vanessa's lack of experience and age made her select the wrong choice when her cousin thought it'd be funny to dare her. Shawnee dared Vanessa to take their grandmother's high blood pressure pills, found in the old wooden medicine cabinet's half-opened bottle. Shawnee told Vanessa that she would take a tablet, and then Vanessa had to take one, and the game would go back and forth. Shawnee popped a pill first, without hesitation.

Trying to outdo her, Vanessa quickly dumped half of the pills in the bottle into her mouth. That decision immediately started to take a tragic turn for the worse. Vanessa began repeatedly passing out. Her father. David came home and noticed everyone was scared and didn't know what to do. David rushed and called an ambulance. After the bumpy ride, poor Vanessa was rushed into Jacobi Hospital, where she continued to go through the phase of passing in and out until her vitals flatlined. A priest was called in to pray over her young soul. As soon as the priest entered, she returned to consciousness, not ready to go through those heavenly gates. She indubitably had a purpose here on earth and was created for a reason, just as all of us are.

Meanwhile, Sophia woke out of her sleep, discombobulated after receiving a hard knock on her apartment door. She noticed New York's Finest outside her door, looking through the peephole. As Sophia cautiously opened the door, the police informed her of the incident with her daughter Vanessa. Hysterical! She threw some clothes on and rushed to the hospital to be by her daughter's side until she fully recovered. After that freak accident, Sophia felt she could no longer trust leaving Vanessa in David or Clara's care. Sophia then decided what she had considered the best decision—not giving a second thought to her child's wish or understanding. Every little girl needs a father figure in her life, no matter the circumstances. Sophia selfishly removed Vanessa from David's life without looking at the situation from a different perspective or angle. Although she knew that her mother meant well and that her heart was in the right place, Vanessa felt upset.

Do all little girls need their father in their lives? Of course, they do. The father is supposed to be a little girl's first hero. They will love the first guy, and he's supposed to prove to them that they're his priority. A dad is the first guy who protects them and teaches them how to love themselves. He should tell them that they're beautiful, teach them how a man is supposed to treat, love them, and explain the dos and don'ts about men.

Vanessa lost the opportunity to have any bond or experience with her father. In his eyes, special moments getting told that she's beautiful and adorable were being stripped away from her. She would no longer enjoy her dad's gentle touches, hugs, kisses, life lessons from his point of view, happy times, sad times, or anything else. Lack of communication with her dad and selfishness made her yearn for him. Vanessa would never enjoy one of life's beautiful and joyous moments, growing up with a dad. A part of her would be lost, ultimately trying to find who she was and how to love by unwarily seeking love through the men she dated. That was a big mistake because you are supposed to find love within yourself first before looking for it elsewhere.

Once Vanessa recovered, her mom moved them back to DC with Angelica's great-grandmother, who lived on 13th and Riggs Street, NW. She had a 3-story house with five bedrooms and a basement with a small backyard. Vanessa got used to her family in New York, that when anyone on her mother's side approached her, she would run and hide under the table in fear of strangers. After a while, she relaxed and got used to her great-grandmother, who showed her nothing but unconditional love. She had so much love to spread around for all of them. She made sure that they felt and received it through her hugs and kisses. A few years passed by, and her great-grandmother died. Love and emotions were some of the most painful feelings that Vanessa had ever endured. She got left with a massive void of not feeling loved or wanted by anyone. It felt like this would be the last time she would experience getting loved unconditionally. Her family also separated, as the great-grandmother was their primary connection of love. While she was alive, everyone came over to their house for Sunday dinners and every holiday for gatherings.

Her great-grandmother's demise left a hole in her family's heart, leaving them feeling lost. Instead of bonding and remaining close, everyone went their separate ways. It felt like it was just Sophia, her siblings, Vanessa's maternal grandmother, and her siblings—the great aunts and uncles and a few cousins scattered around the place. That was until the passing of Vanessa's great-great-aunt Lovely in March 2015. Aunt Lovely was a fighter who wanted nothing more than for her family to reconnect. Lovely stayed around a little longer on her journey to make sure everybody felt and understood what she wanted them to accomplish—making it clear that that was all she wanted to achieve before ending her life's journey. She tried to salvage and maintain family ties by creating a lasting bond like they used to have before the great-grandma Angelica passed.

Before the passing of Vanessa's great grandmother, her mother, who had a thrill of life of self-indulgence, decided to move out again. This time with her three daughters, to the grimy side of Southeast Washington, DC, two blocks from Anacostia Senior High School and one block away from Kramer Junior High School on Q Street. Vanessa had no clue why Sophia decided to move out when she knew that she grew up in Uptown and had no knowledge of South East's different speeds. While staying in her tiny two-bedroom apartment, she began keeping inappropriate company. Sophia started hanging out with the downstairs neighbor, Amy, who was a drug addict. Amy introduced Sophia to drugs, a completely different situation from prostitution. She began associating with people, having parties, company, and sex, all in Vanessa and her sister's presence. Vanessa was the oldest and had to take care of her little sisters by feeding them, changing their diapers, and ensuring they were protected from incidents at their homes. Young Vanessa was in the second grade and had to walk alone from Q Street to Good Hope Road. She thought to herself, How irresponsible our mother is. The drugs had begun to take over her brain and wise decision-making abilities.

One incident that she could recall was the fight between her mom and her addicted friend Amy. She was not fully aware of what happened between them as she was still a child. Sophia ran into the house and asked Vanessa if she could help her push the cherry wood table— which was a housew arming gift from her grandmother—against the door. Vanessa knew that Amy was so strong that she broke through their fragile door and the table behind it. It was terrifying to watch as both older women in the room started fighting, and a male, who appeared out of nowhere, had to stop their fight. After this incident, Sophia cut ties with Amy completely. Shortly after, Amy moved out.

Things were getting more and more hectic. Sophia had owed a drug dealer some money. He threatened to kill her and sell Vanessa if she did not pay her debt. There were four apartments in the building—two units downstairs and two upstairs—all covered with screens leading to your backdoor. Upon entering, you would have to walk through the kitchen, and to the right was Vanessa and her sisters' room.

The drug dealer broke through the backdoor and got a hold of Sophia and assaulted her terribly. Vanessa took her little sisters and hid under their bunk beds as a scared little girl who didn't know what to do or what would come next.

Once their other family members knew about a few situations in which Sophia put the kids, they came to get Vanessa's younger sister first, the middle child. Vanessa and her sisters had just returned home after a weekend at their grandmother's house. Lily was super intelligent, intuitive, and observant at such a young age. Lily heard a lot of chatter and music coming from the living room. Lily peeked her tiny head through the crack of our bedroom door; her eyes widened from all the naked adults that filled the area with crack pipes and drinks in their hands. She was scared, and enough was enough. She called their great grandmother; they turned back around to get her and all her things that night. They left Vanessa and her baby sister, and Vanessa felt that it was her duty to protect her little sister from that drug and crime-infested area.

One day, Vanessa woke up out of her sleep because she heard voices coming from the living room. She peeped out of the slit of the door; she watched as her mother prepared her pipe with crack and some guy holding her baby sister on his lap. Vanessa courageously burst into the room, grabbed her baby sister off the man's lap, rushed into her mother's room, and closed the door behind them. A few weeks went by, and her maternal grandmother, Mary, told their family members to get Vanessa out of that infested area so she could go to school. Unbeknownst to Vanessa, her baby sister could not move with them. That broke her heart because the sister was her little doll baby, and she was not even a year old. Vanessa took care of her and loved her like no one ever did. They left her behind with Sophia because she was too young to decide independently, and there was nobody else to take care of her. That worried Vanessa. As time went on, one or two years later, after continually begging, crying, and pleading, Vanessa's baby sister finally joined her sisters in a safe suburbia environment, which was incredibly peaceful compared to Southeast. Violence was found everywhere, but Vanessa felt Southeast was a different territory, primarily if you were not raised there or used to the environment.

Mary raised them and ensured that they were well looked after, cared for, and felt safe. It was a struggle, but she did it with open arms, and Vanessa gladly commended her and felt gratitude towards her for assuring their safety and care. Vanessa felt that Mary never told her that she loved her and was always catatonic about it. Even though Vanessa felt truly blessed to get taken in, she was still missing out and yearned to be