Friday, October 1, 2010

Teenage Love Affair


I met Raymond when I was 16 years old. He told me he was 19 and self employed. I didn't really care much about what he did for a living because he was so beautiful to look at. I had always noticed him in front of the bodega down the block from the McDonald's I worked at and one day he finally spoke to me. I cant even remember what he said but little did I know he was now an important part of my life.

My parents worked night shifts so I invited him over the same night. We had sex and continued it every night from then on. He never officially called me his girl and I ever expected it. I started coming late to work and breaking curfew to see him every minute I could. I was falling in love fast with a guy I barely knew.

Eventually he started laying the rules for me and I followed. Soon I was giving him half my check as fast as I could cash it and whatever I had left over was spent on gifts for him. I wasn't allowed to hang with my friends because as he put it they were "Ho's who were jealous of me and him". So I dropped them and focused all my attention on him. My grades even started to slip because I was staying up all night with him.

Then after a couple of months his true side came out. We were standing outside and I said hello to a guy I had known since I was a kid. I noticed a look come across his face but i never took it as anger. A minute later he slapped me right across the face. I cried. Not because I got slapped but because I had made him angry with me. He came over that night we had sex and all was forgiven. That's the same night I went through his wallet and saw his true age was 25. I didn't care though, I was already in love.

After a while the slaps became punches and I had bruises and black eyes. Shades were becoming a part of my everyday outfit. I figured he could only get mad enough to hit me if he truly loved me. I made myself believe it was okay. I had to be special, why else would such a mature guy want to be with me?

Its amazing how your mind can do mental gymnastics to convince you something you know is ruining you is good for you. After getting my ass beat to the point where I was in the bed for about two days, lying to my parents I had been jumped, i realized this wasn't love. I wasn't special. And he was just using me. I was a young girl who was manipulated by a older guy. I changed my number. I changed schools. I got back to the most important thing in my life. Me.