Rena's Unfinished Story

Awaken from her slumber. Rena decides to try yet again to step outside. She had been struggling with going outside for almost a month. There were good days, but too many bad days. A lot of her time she spent sitting in the backyard wondering how long she was going to be trapped in this hell she unknowingly created. In her defense, she thought she had everything figured out, so what she did did not matter. She was supposed to be long gone by now.

However, she was unable to this time. The moment her hand went on the doorknob tears started to relentlessly stream down her face, not making a sound she silently wept and returned to her room to finish cleaning. “Why is this happening? It was supposed to be simple.” She thought to herself. Not knowing how to help herself and with a house full of people themselves not knowing how to help, she sighs and thinks about the events that led up to this break.

Throughout her teenage years, she was quiet. Nobody ever questioned it. She would talk, but she never really started conversations. She was a mute for the most part. I was not looking to make any friends. She is not living her childhood, but what could she live?

As she searched through her memories trying to figure out why she was so quiet and why nobody ever seemed to wonder why she barely talked. She began to laugh recalling when Tina dropped her off at a football game. Rena did not attend school functions. This was because she did not have a social life. Richard had a baby while he was in high school and that disrupted Rena’s life. Rena loved her niece very much, however, what she did not love was feeling like she was a parent. Richard's baby's mom would let their daughter come over, however, there were times when the baby was supposed to go back home the baby's mom could not be found. This left Rena who was thirteen at the time the only one to care for the baby while the grown-ups were out working to keep a roof over everyone’s head. The first couple of times were okay. When Tina called Rena to the room to ask her to stay home to watch the baby Rena thought nothing of it. She did not mind she was the aunt after all and she understood someone needed to watch her niece. Over time it started to take a toll on Rena. Mainly because this would happen days at a time. Richard nor his baby mom ever once thanked Rena instead they acted as if she did not do anything! As if having a child only affected them and their parents! Rena recalled this and those emotions and sighed because as the youngest she had gotten used to being treated as if she was nobody and didn’t matter. The only time she mattered was when someone needed something from her. Surprisingly, the silver lining to her niece coming into the world was that Rena now enjoyed going to school and wanted to be more social. So Rena started staying after school more. When her friend Vee asked her about going to the game, she actually wanted to. Vee and Rena meet in ninth grade. They had a class together and hit it off. Vee did not mind sharing lockers with Rena. Rena had multiple friends who shared a locker without them she would be late for her classes.

Rena talked to Tina about going to the game and got the approval. However, what Rena did not expect Tina to do was drop her off at the crowded gate, roll down the window, and yell “Bye Hoey!” embarrassed Rena kept walking pretending like she did not hear anything. Vee asked her about it and Rena just pretended like it did not happen. What had she done to deserve that? She was still a virgin, she did not have a boyfriend, never been on a date, and Yet She Was A HOE? Yes, she enjoys wearing shorts and tank tops, but what kid her age didn’t? She wasn’t sneaking out or causing trouble. She was not the one who had a baby while in high school. She had promised herself she would not start having sex until she got out of high school because she was terrified of being yet another kid to not graduate from high school or get pregnant while in school. So, what made her a hoe? Why did Tina decide to yell that out in front of the school?

Gathering the courage Rena deep sighed and walked out of her room to Tina’s room. She knocked went inside and sat on the couch. Tina was sitting in her recliner, so Rena waited a bit before proceeding. “Hey Mom, do you remember when I went to the game and you yelled Bye Hoey?” as Rena asked she did not look at her mother afraid to see her face she just wanted to hear her response and understand why. Soon after Tina started talking Rena realized this conversation was a lost cost, so after Tina said “No” Rena just let it go.