One night I went to one of my girlfriends apartments called the Sandpiper. I hung out there regularly with my older friends, but this night was different. My girlfriend had two guys over there that I had never seen before Billy* & Eddie.* They were a little rough around the edges, but nice enough.
As time passed I started getting closer to Billy and soon we were dating. I was now 16, he was 18. At the age of 18, he already had two children by a girl he had known since he was 14 years old. Her name was Sandra.* I was concerned about that, but put it at the back of my mind because he had made me feel so special and loved.
Before we knew it I was pregnant and my grandmother told us that we had to get married ... and we did. Once the mother of his children found out about our relationship she told us that she was pregnant with his child. Her daughter is 6 months older than my son. By this time our relationship had turned from loving to volatile. One night things went to far and he ended up in jail.
Even though the reason he had went to prison was because of domestic violence I stood by him because we were young and both were way out of line that night. I looked beyond that and hoped for our unborn child that we could make it work. Then it happened...
Sandra called me at my house to announce that she had been sleeping with my husband and had done so literally the day before our wedding. I was floored. Here I was 16 years old, 6 months pregnant, and just been told the one man I had finally trusted had been playing me all along. I cried for months and made the decision that the day he walked out of prison that I would divorce him.
I had my son on September 8, 1998 weighing 7lbs, 6oz with my mother and my Aunt Jackie by my side. By this time I was 17 years old. This was before 16 and Pregnant on MTV. When girls my age had a child young, we had noone giving us money to glamorize it. i wasn't on the cover of any magazines. If it hadn't been for the help of my family I would've never made it.
From that moment on, I made the choice that never again would I let a man hurt me. I would hurt them first and guard my heart like never before. I will never regret Billy because I have my son to show for it. I never loved him really. I mean who knows a damn thing about love at 16 years old? I was a kid, just playing house.
I waited to divorce him because I thought it was cruel to do it in prison., but that didn't stop me from moving on.
And then there was Frerick*....
*Names have been changed to protect peoples privacy.
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