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Sprinting Toward a Horrific Destiny at 17
He was in full control of my life. I did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, however he wanted it done. Why did he need control of my child, too?
I’m a survivor.
Leo needed total control. He already had established who held the power in our relationship. Not me. I was 17 and in love.
In my version of love, I did not question him. He had me. To finalize his total control, he needed power over the other human I loved as much as him, my son. Leo had a plan.
He told me to remove my son from my mother’s care and put him in a daycare that was closer to Leo. That way I could pick my kid up and stop by to see Leo every day.
I briefly wondered why Leo wanted me to change daycares, but I did it anyway. The arrangement with my mother was: she would watch my son for me while I went to work and I would pay her phone bill and give her a little cash. Mom took him to daycare twice a week. We both got something out of the deal. He loved being at grandma’s house. He was her first grandchild. She treated him as a precious piece of gold that could do no wrong.
Why did I call it “Gangster Daycare”? It was in the Henry Horner projects. Although the children were two-, three-, and four-year-old’s, they looked rough, like little gangsters.
