NIYA'S STORY

Where do I begin ....As a child I watched my mother be abused by my stepfather occasionally. There were good times & very bad times. I suppose because of this I thought that this is what all relationships were like. At the age of 15 I lost my virginity to my child's father soon after I was pregnant and such a disappointment to my entire family I dropped out of high school in my junior year.16 & pregnant....huh they now have a show called just that! The abuse began, the first time he hit me I was a few weeks into my pregnancy. He smacked me & I was so hurt,confused,unstable. I wanted to kill myself & the unborn child. First I thought about jumping from my attic window but I didn't instead I took about 8 or 9 pills I don't remember what kind they were I layed down & expected to die but God had a purpose for my life he made each and ever pill I took come back out of my body. This was the beginning of a terrible relationship. He would beat me anytime for anything throughout my pregnancy I was punched in my eyes kicked in my stomach and constantly verbally abused. All this because he was sleeping with other women. He would come & cry & say he was sorry showering my with expensive gifts,flowers u name it. He would even use my family to get me back and like a fool I went back every time. By now my eyes had been blacked so many times I lost count. I would fix my hair pulling it over my eyes or use makeup or sunglasses to hide my bruises from everyone. I had started to fight back but that would only get me hit harder! Our child was now 2 and I wanted out . I tried to hide but he would always find me , he would stalk me and anyone with me most of my friends didn't want to hang around me because of him they were scared. I enrolled back in high school but that was short lived because he would follow me and taunt me to and from school everyday until I could no longer take it . Finally I asked God from deep within my soul to take away ALL feelings I had for this person and as always he delivered I can't explain it but I no longer had the desire to even see this person. It was over just like that he continued to stalk me but I kept my faith the last thing that I almost did was kill him. He put his hands on me after several months of us being apart I snapped grabing a gun and almost blowing his brains out thoughts of my daughters life flashed before my eyes with a mother in jail and a father dead at the hands of her mother. I quickly realized this was not the answer I hit him with the handel of the gun splitting his head I ran not knowing what I had done and found out later that he had to get 8 stiches. I had become him violent and careless so I had to find myself. I went back to school and got my high school diploma,relocated and pursued my dreams of becoming a cosmetologist. He never touched me again and he finally let me go. I am now a happy women who knows that No one deserves to be abused! If you are in a abusive relationship GET OUT NOW .....he will never change and you and your children deserve better please stop the cycle ......you are not alone!

Niya Thomas

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