42 - Basic Survival

~This is part two, Javi's story~

I saw things, things no child should ever have to see. 

I saw my mom shoot up, I saw her almost overdose multiple times. I saw her fucking men, I was forced to watch her get raped more than once. 

I saw drug deals, I saw people get stabbed, get shot. 

It was south central Los Angeles, in the late 90’s and shit was just always crazy. The woman who gave birth to me, Lydia, had left Mexico when she was 17 for a better life. She came with a pimp, who promised her the world and then left her as soon as she got pregnant from a john. 

Lydia should have never have gotten pregnant, and even after that, she could have put me up for adoption, but she was selfish.