by Jessica Fantini

Though my story isn’t pretty, I am more than willing to share it now. I believe with any story you have to start at the beginning; here is a short version of my background so the rest of the story makes a little more sense. I’m the youngest of two in a single parent household. My parents were never married and separated before I was born. I grew up on welfare, and we had Salvation Army Christmases. We were poor. Every time I asked my mother to buy me something, she told me to be patient and wait because maybe we’d be able to get it next time when it was on sale. Continue reading →