{2} 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 | 𝙻𝚞𝚔𝚎 𝙲𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚗

29.

ᥫ᭡. 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 ᥫ᭡.

𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝟏𝟕 𝐭𝐨 𝟏𝟖 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨...

Melina Reyes was homeless. Using the little bits of money, she had to buy some snacks and possibly sell them in the subways of New York. Of course, people would ignore her or just shun her or even wave their hand. She would sit on the street and felt awful for begging.

She didn't want her daughter to see her life this...a failure of a mother. A failure of a person.

She would have her daughter tied up either behind her back as she slept or in front to keep a close watch on her.

Her eyes would well up in tears as she would hold her daughter in her arms in the cold nights as she tried her best to supply warmth on those awful cold winter nights. She feared homeless shelters as she experienced them all too well, the assaults. The molestations, she couldn't have that happen to her daughter. So, she tried her best.

She had forgotten about the father of her child, she didn't care about him and had to put all her emotions and patience to her daughter. All of the focus was on her small miracle that came from all that pain...

Hayley often cried from nightmares even as a baby; Melina would try her best to calm her down. Sometimes sitting in the trains of the MTA only to be kicked out.

Where could she go? Where could they go? Were they even wanted?

She had even tried to reunite with her abusive parents for her child's sake, of course they slammed the door right in her face when she was at her lowest.

But she didn't give up, soon enough and grateful for it began gaining little bits of money, minimizing her food intake just to save up.

By the time Hayley was 5 they lived in a tiny one room apartment, you opened the door and all there was a bed. Nothing else. But it was good, but not safe.

Melina had to work, job after job taking Hayley wherever she could. She didn't want to leave her alone in the apartment where all she heard at night were screams, a gunshot or two, or thuds and sounds no one wanted to hear.

But as Hayley grew up, she saw her mom's pain, always on her knees praying to a small picture of what she knew of as God and his son.

She saw her mom pray to the picture and whenever her mom left, she would do the same just so her mom's wishes could come true maybe extra harder in her mind.

She was always a sweet little girl. And yet...

There were people who heard her prayers...

But never replied.

Whenever she was asleep and woke up from nowhere, she would hear her mom on her shoulder crying as she sang her a small Spanish folk song in her ear.

Hayley would cry herself to sleep while listening to her mom's painful aching voice. But she wouldn't make a sound, all there would be are the tears that run down her face as she tried to control her breathing. She wanted to be her mom's strength. Not a weakness.

But thankfully Melina got her life on track and once Hayley became a teen they tried every way to make their life better, Melina knew that her daughter would always put her before any of her happiness.

Her mother didn't want that but Hayley insisted and she grew up far faster than any normal child in a regular family would.

Even selling some of her paintings for extra cash on the street and people did buy them which made Hayley proud but...she would see kids off in the distance talking and laughing all hanging out and having fun.