This is the story of my mother and father’s divorce, and what effect it had upon me. My mom and dad have separated and absolved multiple times but their divorce had an effect on me in both positive and negative ways. This story is powerful to me because it is a major key moment in my life. The positive effect is that I now know the ways of men and how they act when they are deceiving in marriage. The negative effect is that about once or twice a year, I break down in tears knowing my father will never return home.

In the very beginning, it all started with my father being on his phone 24/7. He would never leave it anywhere lying around and always went into the bathroom, and seemed to stay for hours. When my mom, dad, and I went shopping, he would always walk away in another direction making a phone call. My mother would make a scowl on her face knowing what he was up to. When it was just my father and I, I asked to play on his phone all the time. Countless times before he gave me his phone, I always saw him delete his recent history with a female’s name.

When he got out of the car to get gas, I would secretly go to his messages and scroll through his chat with this mystery female. I understood everything that was happening but never told my mother and of course never said anything to my father. The final straw was when my mother was watching my father through the house camera located downstairs in the den. He would text and laugh all night while watching football while my mother and I relaxed in the bed. She went downstairs and asked him for his phone. He claimed he didn’t know where it was and I came downstairs to help search for his phone. My mom slid her hand under the couch as if she already knew it was there, grabbed hold of the phone, and stomped upstairs.

All I could remember was constant yelling and screaming between my mother and father, and watching my mother beat my father’s phone with a hammer till it was in pieces. She then forced him to leave the house as she threatened to harm him if he stayed any longer. I cried myself to sleep that night. All I wanted was to be alone. I don’t exactly remember anything after that night, but my mother and father are now officially divorced. Today I still spend time with my father every two weeks and I live with my mother and an adorable dog named Trinity. She helps me through tough times when I start thinking about this tragic memory and all of a sudden, I just break out in tears, and she comes and cuddles near me or tries to get me to play a combination of fetch and tug of war which always cheers me up.

I don’t cry as much as I used to after they first divorced. Only about once or twice a year. It gets easier as time flies. I sometimes imagine what changes I would have in life if he remained in the family. My mother always talks about what I could have or what we all could have owned if he stayed with the family. I guess the take-away quote would be, at your darkest times, think of something positive to revert your mind from that negative moment. At times when I catch myself thinking about my parent’s divorce, I start thinking about things I desire like a new teacup-yorkie puppy or LED lights for my bedroom. The overall take-away is that no matter what goes on, everything will turn out to be okay; it all depends on the way you handle and cope with the situation.

© Janiyah. All rights reserved. If you are interested in quoting this story, contact the national team and we can put you in touch with the author’s teacher.