Stones Diary: Built for Pressura' 2

Chapter 47.) Product of Your Environment

12-year-old Lucky

Halloween rolled around just like any other national holiday but just like last year and the years before, young Lucky would be spending it inside with the doors double locked, windows padded, and some sort of protection close by. Halloween wasn't always bad but in Lucky's neighborhood, constant drivebys and muggings were reoccurring. Zoya was no stranger to the environment but would have loved to be in a safer state right about now but Philly was her best option to stay off of Hakim's radar.

She swore she ran into him weeks ago but realized it was just her paranoia. The abuse she put up with from Camille's father wasn't as bad as some may think. They had bad moments but when things were good, things were extremely good. She knew that staying in the relationship wasn't a smart idea. What was she to do? She escaped her first abuser and fell into the lap of another who she just so happen to be helplessly in love with.

Did that make her weak? No. Did it make her stupid? Not at all.

On the outside looking in, a person is always quick to judge the victim or shame the victim for staying especially when kids are involved but nobody really takes the time to understand why victims stay. The abuse is bad, but so is having to take care of multiple bills, and manage kids while trying to make sure home life is better than what's going on outside. It could seem as if it's easy to leave but it's never easy to leave without turning back when the victim feels as if their abuser owns their mental state.

It sucks when love is thrown into the mix. Even when they're aware that love isn't supposed to hurt or feel as if you're being smacked with bricks every few weeks. Was Zoya aware that she deserved better than her current situation? Absolutely but emotionally and physically she was stuck. Whenever she grew tired of the verbal assaults, she had no issue putting up a fight. It was the physical part that crushed her self-esteem but wearing a brave face around her kids came easier to her than it should have.

She wanted a better life for her kids but all she knew was to settle. No college degree, barely made it through high school, and her parents were no longer on earth, she had nobody. So if she had to kiss a few frogs and take more licks, she would. And whenever God was ready to intervene and save her from the hell she desperately wanted out of, she'd be ready. If she wasn't, she knew how to get ready.

"Ma! Cam in here getting chocolate everywhere!" Lucky's voice snapped Zoya out of her daze.

"I can't leave you two alone for a second, why did you let her do dat, Ra?!"

Lucky frowned his face up, "what you meannn?" his expression hardened as his words dragged, "I was blocking off tha' backdoor."

Amused at his demeanor, Zoya chuckled to herself as she picked Camille up and took the chocolate syrup from her, "where'd you get dis from?"

"Her dumb daddy,"

"Ay," Zoya cut her eyes at him.

Sucking his teeth, Lucky grabbed the roll of paper towels and headed toward the sink cursing Camille's father under his breath. Lucky had no idea why a grown man or whatever he considered himself, would buy a little child a boatload of sweets and leave them unsupervised.

"Ya' hear me?"

"Nah, what you say?" he glanced at his mom after squeezing the water out.

"Excuse me?" She quirked a brow.

"What'd you say, ma?"

"I was saying I got it, help her wash her hands then get in tha' front room."