I’m a big girl now! Although I had attended St Bartholomew for preschool, going to kindergarten was a big deal. I would be at the same school as my big brother Van Zile Elementary and I would be able to walk with him in the morning. Kindergarten was only half a day so he would have to walk home by himself. Kindergarten is when I believe I started to become aware of my mother’s abusive relationship. You could see my school from my house so it was very close, so close that I thought I could hear my mother screaming. One particular day while I was at school I heard my mother scream. I got out of my chair and ran to the window, we were on the second floor so I had a good view of the neighborhood. My teacher came to me and asked me to sit down I remember telling her that my mom was being hurt and I heard her screaming. She took me to the office and my mom was called. Shortly after my mother arrived at the school and I asked her if she was ok and she asked me if I was ok. My mother wasn’t being abused, but I guess I was so used to hearing her scream it was playing in my head. At five years old my biggest concern was not learning to ride my bike, tie my shoe or even how to jump in during jump rope. My biggest concern was if my mother would be alive when I came home.