Rose from Discrimination

Chapter 1: How Life Was

My name is Sophie Harper, I was born on October 31st, 1948. Growing up, I lived with my father Henry Harper, my mother Hollie Riley-Harper, and my two older brothers Jack and Samuel Harper. We used to live in Tennessee and than moved to Washington D.C. when I was 5. I was my dad's least favorite child out of the three, Jack was the favorite, he was glad my brother shared a love for politics like him, and he hopes that one day he'll be senator just like him. When I was 8, my dad was emotionally abusive, and than when I was 10, he became physical, and not just to me but to my mother as well because of our genders. My mom was basically the maid in our household. She tried to pass that down onto me by teaching me to cook at 10 because, 'That's a woman's purpose.' I hated it, whenever she would say that I would often question myself if she was right or if she was setting a wrong example for me like every other mother. When I was 17 1/2, I started going to college. My father refused to send me to college, but my mom wanted me to because the only reason why women went to college was just to find a husband. I went to college and met a man named Luke Byrne. I didn't really like him since he was a bully, but of course, his parents were friends with mine, i've met his parents on a couple occasions but never Luke. Than within 5 months, we were married at 18. I'm going to be honest with you, I did not love him. Now, you maybe questioning, 'If you didn't love him, and never did, than why did you marry him?' Well, our parents forced us to marry. The way he acted towards me was the same way my father acted towards my mother, emotionally and physically abusive, and treated me like a housemaid, and sooner or later, a babymaker. I mean, I do want a child, but I don't want to have one at such a young age, nor do I want my child to be raised by a man whom I refuse to call my husband.