Child of Baltimore
by
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The whipping went on forever, it seemed. My mother angrily swings the belt on both of
us and we scream out in pain. We had
been caught walking home from school with Michelle and this was the dreaded
punishment that we received. Poochie
was so pissed after the beating that she decided to run away from home. She was
sick and tired of all the rules that she thought were totally ridiculous. I tried to talk her out of it, but her mind
was made up. I didn’t want to be
without her since we shared so many secrets.
So reluctantly, I decided to go with her even though I was scared to
death and we had no plans whatsoever.
We just craved to get out of the prison that we felt we were in. While my mother was off in the basement
somewhere, we jetted out the back door with just the clothes on our backs and
headed around the corner to Michelle’s house.
Michelle knew all about how it was living over our house and she felt
sorry for us totally, and even explained to her mother about what had been
going on. We tearfully told Michelle
and her mother that we had just gotten a beating for walking home from school
with Michelle, someone who was not one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Michelle’s mom couldn’t understand why we
were being forbidden from hanging around her daughter. I mean, Michelle was an
honor roll student, with no problems, who just wanted to be friends with
us. Disturbed, her mom called my
mother over to discuss this reasonably.
When my mother arrived, we could see from the look on her face that as
soon as we were back home, we were going to be in even more trouble. We cried
for Michelle’s mom to not make us go back home because we knew what would
happen as soon as we got in the door.
My mother would promise nothing to no one. Not to Michelle’s mother and certainly not to us. She basically told her mother where to go
and to mind her own business. After
hours of us crying and airing out our frustrations, we realized that we really
couldn’t just stay over Michelle’s house. We had no choice but to go back home.
As soon as we got back, my mother had the extension cord laid out on the
bed. She beat us with all of the anger
she could muster. This was not the
first time an extension cord had been used and it would surely not be the last.
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About the Book
What would you do if your every move was controlled by your parents? What if you were denied the company of friends or any contact with your immediate family? What if you were raised to believe that your sole purpose in life was to become a religious pioneer? What if your mother and brother were arrested and charged with the brutal beating death of your father? What if your entire life was marked by tragedy after tragedy? What would you do?
Child of Baltimore is the compelling true story of a young woman growing up in the city of Baltimore in the ultimate of dysfunctional families. Surrounded by siblings and parents as troubled as she, Tia had to find a way to confront the demons of her past, head on, and change the expected course of her life. Determined to find answers at any cost, she takes matters in her own hands to pursue what future, if any, she holds. Child of Baltimore is a rare, bold account of a life damaged by drug abuse, physical and emotional abuse. It is a glimpse into a life destroyed and a life reconstructed.
About the Author
Tia Lincoln, born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland is the owner of Old School/New School, a mobile disc jockey service. She resides in Baltimore with her husband, daughter, and son.