I remember the day my life changed forever, but changed for the good.  My mom pulled me aside and said to me, ”You are old enough to understand what I am about to tell you and I will explain it to you after I get this out.” At this moment, I realized that my mom was about to tell me something that would change my life forever.  Thoughts and ideas raced through my mind about what she could be telling me about. Was someone sick in my family? Can I not have a princess birthday party? The moment of truth was when my mother came out and said to me,” You have a sister.” I don’t think I have ever been shocked to the point where I felt almost paralyzed. My little ten-year-old self felt her heart stop and the world stop moving around her. I felt like a part of me was suddenly ripped away from me.  I was confused.
My mother is a strong and will-powered woman, but she wasn’t always like this. My mother began to tell me about the life she had before me. She was arranged to marry a young and powerful man in her homeland of Lebanon.  At the point of her life, she felt like she was in a fairytale. She felt like a princess just like she makes me feel and how my dad makes her feel. But no fairytale has a happy ending or should I say beginning. The man and my mother moved to his house in the mountains where he lived with all of his family. My mother went from a loving, strong and amazing woman to a sad, weak and abused woman the minute she stepped foot into that house. I could no longer feel my legs and all of a sudden I dropped to the floor. I was shocked and confused. Why would anyone want to hurt my mommy? Why would someone hurt a princess? I was always a little more mature than kids my age and I understood things more clearly. I understood most of what my mom was saying, but I didn’t want too.
The sacrifices a mother makes are ones that last forever and are never forgotten. My mother took in a long breath and continued. At first, the man treated her well for the first two months, but things quickly progressed from good to bad.  The man and his family began by all calling my mother names and putting her down with words, but this wasn’t enough for them. One by one, they all beat on her until she became black and blue. The man’s father would beat my mom till blood dripped down her face and no one tried to stop him, but, instead, they all decided to join in on beating her. From punches and kicks to whipping her with a belt, my mom took it all for her dad. She didn’t want her father knowing that she was not safe in this arranged marriage that he made since he gave her everything she needed in wanted in life even if they didn’t have the money for it. My grandfather was more than a great man, but he would’ve probably killed the man, which was why my mom didn’t tell him. She didn’t want him getting hurt. I couldn’t hear this anymore. I just wanted to crawl into the corner and cry out of pain for my mom, but I knew that I had to seem strong for her.
My sister was the result of this horrible man. He was a 26-year-old man who was double her size with a whole family behind him and she was a 19-year-old girl in a house with none of her family there.  After the few weeks, my mom realized that she was pregnant and she knew that she couldn’t stay there. She finally got the guts to call her father, tell him everything that was going on and she told him that she had to leave. My grandfather got her out of the house immediately after the call, but the man continued to search for my mom. He couldn’t have the shame put on his family name that his own “wife” left him.  After my sister was born, she found my mother and dragged my sister away from her. My mother searched all over the country for her from the mountains to the beaches. His family told my sister all throughout her life that my mom was a horrible mom and how she hated her, but soon my mother found her and got her out of the house. They didn’t let her wear any normal clothing, makeup and jewelry. She was pretty much deprived of her whole childhood because of her dad and his family. My sister moved in with my grandmother, but my mom fell in love with my dad and moved to the states with him.  The only reason my mom stayed with the man was because of my sister. I couldn’t stop myself from shaking and silently crying. My mommy was getting hurt and I could do nothing to help her.
My mother sacrificed her life and happiness for my sister and her family. Although my sister is only my half-sister, she will always be my sister. After she finished this story, I realized that I have a person who will help me down the road. My sister could help me with makeup, clothes and dressing up as a princess. I finally had what I always wanted. Although she happened under difficult circumstances, she will forever be my sister and my one and only. My mother never treated her differently and if something, she treated her slightly better because of the deprivement she went through. Not only was she deprived of a childhood, but also she was deprived at a young age of the love of her own mother. My mother is no longer a weak 19 year old, but a strong woman. I will never forget the day my life changed forever. I will never forget the day my childlike innocence was slowly stripped away from me as I heard my mother talk about her life. I will never forget the sacrifices my mother made her get to where and who she is today.