Shine Now Magazine 6 Vol. 1 | Page 47

I withdrew from the university with the mockery repeating in my head of my offender saying , “ Welcome to Alabama State University .”
Although what happened to me was unfair , I had already learned by now that life is not fair . Therefore , my resilience told me that I would not go down without a fight . One year later , I re-enrolled in the university with the mindset that I would not be forgotten . By the time I left ASU , I had won six or more writing and public speaking awards and inducted into three national honor societies , which I held offices in two .
As president of the school ’ s honor society , I was a shoe-in for Ms . Alabama State University , so I ran . No one knew , but I was struggling to keep my dual life a secret . While I was going to school , and taking several medications for Bipolar disorder , my live-in , bipolar boyfriend was abusive .
After lots of prayer and a horrible fight , which included broken furniture , grits spit on me , false accusations of infidelity and springing both my wrists , I could not continue living this way . I grew tired of hiding the scars from self-mutilation , codependency , and fear .
Two classes and an internship away from graduation , I dropped the run for Ms . ASU and left the abusive boyfriend . I had to get myself together if I wanted to graduate . One year of financial aid was pending at the university . My teaching certification and degree were at risk . I had to re-evaluate my priorities and focus on my academics .
I moved into my own place . It took an adjustment to being single after a four-year relationship and playing mother to someone else ’ s child . I dated and dieted a lot . After undergoing unsuccessful infertility treatment , I gave up .
One morning , rushing to the sound of the alarm , I fainted and awoke in a puddle of blood two hours later . After calling 911 , I was rushed to the local Emergency Room ( ER ) to receive stitches in my head .
To my astonishment , I was four weeks pregnant . After checking the calendar , my new beau was the father — only he was in Mexico with his
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