To make a long story short, over the past 10 years, my step-mother has not exactly been kind to us. She literally would butt heads with teenagers and an autistic person, as a then 40, now 50, year old woman, and all the while, try to preach the word of God. It has been an uphill battle between my mom and stepmom about the treatment of since she moved to Canada in October 2011. Since day fucking 1, she butt heads with my sister, then me, and finally, my brother. I understand cultures between South Africa and Canada are different and all, but, when the literal mother of your stepchildren says you're fucking up, you're fucking up. It wasn't very frequent at first, because when we lived in the middle of Buttfuck Nowhere, Alberta, the 3 of us were enrolled in so many extra curriculars, Like the Canadian Scouts, the Girl Guides of Canada, the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, dance programs. You name it, we probably did it all except for sports, because it's small town Alberta, what else are we gonna do?

Now, as we approach June 2012, we move back to Alberta's capital city after 4 years and a bit. Now it's no secret shit's expensive in cities, so we didn't re-enroll in our extracurriculars, so that meant we were spending a lot more time at home than we used to, and my stepmom started to butt heads with my sister about various things. When my sister finally had enough, she peaced out, leaving my brother and I, and I was the next target. A mentally ill, still very much questioning her gender and sexuality, 15/16 year old.

Now, let me get it out of the way first, when she zeroed in on me, I was shoplifting at the time. I was 16, and we were fucking broke, like, damn near unable to pay our rent broke, so I was giving my lunches to my younger brother, and filling the gap by taking small items from places like Dollarama, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Walmart. Of course, I was caught and arrested twice. I learned my lesson and never did it again, but from late 2013 to early 2015, she treated me like I was gonna steal something from her! By then, mom had already started to put her foot down, and she was repeatedly told to stop treating us like that. Remember, she had been living with us for 2.5 years at that point. Her treatment of me was horrid, but that was nothing to what she was about to do.

Once I was able to find a steady job, I was home way less often, which meant she had one target left to abuse, my younger brother. My brother, as mentioned above, is autistic. And it seems like my stepmom just loves to push his buttons in anyway possible. After more attempts to get my stepmom to stop her garbage treatment of us, and especially the one with special needs, my mom blows up again, though it's not the first time either, and when she gets like that, she doesn't stop yelling until she feels her point has gotten across. But there's no need to take your anger out on us. Doesn't matter if it's words, or adults. Sort the problem out with the person you're having the disagreement with.

Now, I'm moving out of province mid next year for greener pastures, and my mom says to me as we wait for the bus home, "You know I won't survive without you," which sealed her fate. Tonight, I'm talking with my partner, as we've done almost everyday for 3 years. She was already pretty pissy with my stepmom about nothing else about her treatment of my little brother. Dinner was ready, and I said I'd get it when I'm ready. She doesn't even wait 10 minutes before literally screaming my name down the hallway. I'd acknowledged her before then, telling I'd get my dinner later, and then she gets on my case about it'll go cold. I work fucking 2nd shift, having to nuke food doesn't bug me, even if I'm home. I want to finish talking with my partner before they go to bed. No no, that won't fucking do. I'm not working, so I can eat now. So she rides my ass about it.

M-Mom B-Brookie
M: "Your food is now sitting there, on the counter, soggy from grease!"
B: "Okay? I said I'd get it when I had a minute."
M: "You said that 10 minutes ago!"
B: "Yeah! Excuse me for wanting to talk with my partner that I haven't seen in 2 fucking years! I thought that you of all people would understand! Don't get pissy with me because you're pissy with your wife!"
M: "While we were at Grandma's I still took the 5 seconds to get the dinner she made for me. So you can get off your ass off your computer to do the same."
B: "Excuse me for not wanting to eat dinner in my partner's ear! It would've gotten cold anyway, regardless if it sat on the counter or on my desk!"

Now I'm not saying I'm ungrateful for my mom making dinner for me tonight, I do honestly appreciate it. But I swear to god, since turning 18, my mother has gotten more and more and more narcissistic, and with each passing year, less and less remorseful about it.

I need to leave this house, this city, this province. I'm done with everything about it. I need to do this for my own mental and physical health.

"Tell my mother, tell my father/That sometimes goodbye is a second chance" -Second Chance by Shinedown