ter my death, my vicious mother went crazy and repented.
Chapter 1
I had a mom, but she wouldn’t let me call her
“Mom.”
Only “sis” was allowed.
I lived with her and her new husband as her
little sister.
She said I was a curse, that my birth started
her downhill slide.
My half brother, she claimed, was her lucky
charm, the reason for her “good” life.
As I grew older, she hated it when people said
I looked like her.
She wanted me to disappear.
If I died, she wouldn’t have to worry about
anyone figuring out I was her daughter.
Finally, I died for her precious son.
<
But then she destroyed herself, just to hear
me call her “Mom” one last time.
At the hospital, Janet was sobbing into her
husband, Rick’s, chest.
I just stood there behind them, silent.
The doctor had just gone over the scans.
Little Mikey had leukemia.
The air was thick with dread.
The hospital staff tried to reassure them.
Mikey’s leukemia was caught early.
If they could find a suitable bone marrow
donor and followed the treatment plan, his
chances were really good.
The doctor looked up and noticed the blood
still trickling down my forehead.
“Honey, you should get that cut looked at
over in the ER.”
Janet flew into a rage and slapped me.
“You freeloading bum! I forgot all about you.
く
wouldn’t have passed out!”
I stayed quiet.
Mikey was the one throwing punches, and
he’s the one who fell.
I didn’t even fight back.
This kind of thing happened all the time.
I didn’t bother explaining.
My silence was just an admission of guilt in
their eyes.
“Amy is Mikey’s aunt. She’s a pretty good match, doc said. Calm down, Jan. They’re
only a few years apart. They bicker, it’s
normal. Don’t sweat it.”
Rick patted Janet’s arm.
She seemed to think it over.
“Oh, yeah. I forgot about that.”
Janet spoke with the doctor for a few more
minutes.
Then, following the doctor’s instructions, she
took me to get my blood drawn for a
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matching test.
My name is Amy Waters.
Janet is my mom, but she doesn’t let me call
her “Mom.”
Only “sis” was allowed.
She’s always dreamed of marrying rich.
She was pretty and always had guys chasing
her in high school.
She got knocked up while still in school in her
pursuit of landing a rich husband and
becoming a trophy wife.
After the school found out, Janet and her
boyfriend got the boot.
My biological father was loaded.
When his family found out Janet was
pregnant, they brought her home to care for
her and gave my grandparents a boatload of
cash.
Janet was convinced she made the right
choice when she moved into the mansion.
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She made fun of her classmates who were
still stuck in school.
But her “good” life didn’t last long.
All because the baby wasn’t a boy.
My dad’s family flipped out the day I was
born.
They ditched her at the hospital.
The next day, they packed up and moved out
of state.
Then they went overseas.
Janet was left with no place to go but to ask
my grandparents for help.
My uncle had already blown through all the
money she had received.
My grandparents told her to fend for herself.
She gritted her teeth and said, “Put her on
Dad’s insurance. Tell everyone she’s my
sister. I can still get married again. I didn’t
sign any papers, so no one needs to know.”
My grandparents didn’t say anything else
when they heard the words “get married.”
Later, she moved from man to man, dragging
me along with her.
She married Rick when I was five.
When I was six, she gave birth to Mikey.
“Full of Joy” is what Mikey’s name means.
A parent’s love for their child is set from
birth.
Some kids are unwanted from the start.
Like me.
My mom named me Amy Waters.
My birth was a stain on her life.
She saw me as a mistake.
When my half–brother was born, my mom
kissed him over and over with pure joy.
He was the one she’d waited for.
Janet was glued to Mikey’s side at the
hospital during the days they waited for the
matching results.
I was back at boarding school.
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I passed out at school because I didn’t have
any money for food.
The school called Janet.
She said, annoyed, that they should just call a
cab.
The teacher was mad.
If a parent wasn’t there to take responsibility,
she couldn’t be responsible.
If Janet didn’t come pick me up, she would
have to call the cops.
Janet told me to drop dead over the phone,
then hung up on the teacher.
School was over, but my teachers and friends.
were keeping me company.
I felt ashamed and mortified.
It made me feel insecure not having someone
to pick me up.
I longed for her to pick me up.
I wanted my friends to know that someone
cared about me.
<
I’m not sure why.
Janet showed up at the school clinic after a
few hours.
I cracked my eyes open.
My expectations were high.
She glared at me.
“What are you faking for? Where’s that
viciousness you had when you attacked
Mikey?”
I quietly shook my head.
“I didn’t.”
“Liar!”
She raised her hand to hit me, but the teacher
stepped in.
She asked Janet if she was my mother.
That sent her over the edge.
“Are you blind? Can’t you see she’s my
sister?”
The teacher looked confused.
Then she apologized.
<
“You guys just look so alike.”
That’s when a few of the students who took
me to the nurse couldn’t help but say to the
teacher:
“Ms. Rogers, Amy doesn’t have parents. She
lives with her sister.”
“They’re so poor. Her sister doesn’t give her
any money. I saw her sneaking off and eating
just a plain bun every day.”
Janet grabbed me off the bed, fuming.
She started dragging me out.
“Who are you trying to make me look like I’m
abusing you?”
“I don’t have time for you, but I give you
money every week.”
She got more and more worked up.
She pushed me away and started bawling into Ms. Roger’s shoulder.
“My son has leukemia! I’m her sister, not her
mom. Her folks had her but couldn’t afford
<
her. Amy’s been living at my place, eating and
drinking for free, and she’s always hitting my
son when I’m not looking!”
“She’s just trash, nothing but trouble.”
I could feel the other kids looking at me
differently.
Ms. Rogers was taken aback.
“Are you sure? Amy is a hard worker in class
and tries her best. Other than being
introverted, there’s nothing wrong with her.”
They talked for what felt like forever.
My ears were ringing, and I couldn’t hear a
thing.
I just remembered her saying:
“I’m her sister, not her mom.”
It was pathetic.
She pretended to be a sister for too long and
forgot I was her daughter.
She gave me five hundred bucks a week, but
she also let Mikey steal the money.
<
Mikey faked passing out and she took my
allowance as punishment.
But she forgot about it all.
After eating a little something, I looked better.
The hospital called.
Janet left in a hurry again.
This time, I grabbed her arm.
“Give me money.”
“Money, money, money! That’s all you ever
think about!”
