Magnolia closed her eyes and took a moment to herself. When they opened, she unlocked the bedroom door to see her mother exhaustedly leaning on the doorsill. Her mom looked so worn out, absent of the fight she used to have when Magnolia was young. The last thing she wanted to do was cause her mom pain but she believed that she didn't have a choice. "Magnolia, why do you do this to yourself?", she asked. Magnolia saw the tears begin to fall from her mother's eyes and it broke her in a place deep inside her. Her mother reached up and brushed her finger against the bloody wound on Magnolia's forehead. Magnolia flinched and backed away. "Mama, I do it because these little bruises are nothing compared to the pain that I feel everyday, out there, being treated like I'm not a person, when we both know that we are so much more."