“From the ages of 7 to 12, we were pretty much on our own....

“From the ages of 7 to 12, we were pretty much on our own. Sometimes we’d be left alone for days at a time. We wouldn’t have lights, water, or heat. At night we’d huddle around the stove for warmth. We lived in a bad neighborhood, so we knew what was going on. We even knew where the crack house was. We’d walk down the street to see if our mom’s car was parked out front. We ate whatever we could find. Some days it was just cereal and sardines. We shared what we had. My younger brother was the hustler. He was nine. He’d knock on doors in the neighborhood, looking for jobs. He mowed lawns, raked leaves, shoveled snow. Then he’d always share his money with us to buy food. But a lot of times our mom would take it for herself. One time my mom brought us home a dog. We pooled all our money together to buy it food, and took care of it for awhile. But it got sick one day, and we didn’t know what to do, and we couldn’t find our mom. So it died.”

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