<p><em><strong>&ldquo;No, Grandma, please don&rsquo;t kill me, please don&rsquo;t kill me."</strong></em></p>

<p>"I&rsquo;m sorry. I&rsquo;m sorry. I won&rsquo;t ever get out of bed again, I promise. Please don&rsquo;t hurt me.&rdquo; I screamed louder.</p>

<p>I was shaking badly. I couldn&rsquo;t get away. It had taken a few seconds before I realized she had stopped whipping me. I saw her walk toward the front of the house where someone was knocking on the front door. I followed at a safe distance, trying to see what was going on.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Good evening Mrs. Christian.&rdquo; It was the police chief, Mr. Holland. &ldquo;May I come in,&rdquo; he asked.</p>

<p>&hellip;she opened the screen door still holding the buggy whip in her hand.</p>

<p><strong><em>Nine years later:</em></strong></p>

<p>&nbsp;&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no room for you at Grandma&rsquo;s&hellip;we have been talking about what to do with you.&rdquo;</p>

<p>I don&rsquo;t know if anger or disappointment, unleashed a powerful energy within me that exploded. I decided at that moment that no one would find me in the way or a nuisance any longer. &ldquo;Mom, stop! I can decide my own damned destiny; I&rsquo;m gonna&rsquo; join the Army Air Force.&rdquo;</p>

<p><em><strong>"My mother didn&#39;t love me or want me..."</strong></em></p>