It all started in 2018.

I was happy as could be as a kid until my stepfather became an alcoholic and laid his hands on my little siblings and me. I got tired of it and told the counselor, and he called Child Protective Services (CPS). My mom ended up losing custody of my siblings and me, so I was upset at myself for losing her like that.

Since my mom lost custody, we had to live with our real father. Our real father had always been abusive but he “brainwashed” us and called it “tough love,” and we believed it at the time. After my mom lost custody of us, she went into a depressed state, quit her job, and lost everything.

I lived with my abusive father for two years after losing my mother. I finally had enough of his abusiveness and told my counselors. The second counselor also told CPS, and my father lost custody. He went to jail for it.

My siblings stayed with their grandma from my dad’s side. I was then reunited with my mother, but she was still homeless throughout those years. She didn’t have the strength or motivation to do anything without us. I didn’t care that she was still homeless because I was just happy to see her again.

Since my mom got custody of me again, she was happy as can be. She was ashamed of being homeless around me. Since she was ashamed, she got a job and worked hard to provide food and a home for me. I didn’t want her working alone by herself, so I decided to get hired at the same job as hers. We started to rebuild what we once had together. My mom and I had finally saved up for a used car. She and I slept in the car instead of in parks on the concrete.

It was a new beginning of something beautiful. We struggled and struggled to save up for a house to rent, but sleeping in the car made our necks and bodies hurt. We couldn’t sleep in the car anymore, so she and I decided to live in a hotel. We lived in the hotel for four years.

After four long years, we had saved up enough to get the perfect house like the one we once had. She and I had finally achieved our new beginning.

We had the perfect house, two cars, a basketball court, pool table, and even a beautiful pool. My mother was finally happy again. It almost brought me to tears to see her smile once again. She always had the most beautiful smile. All it took was a “New Beginning.”

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Jesse Robert Martinez is a student at Edward L. Wenzlaff Education Center in Desert Hot Springs, California. He will graduate in June. Martinez enjoys working, playing video games, and skating. He hopes to become a streamer after high school.

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