My family was always poor. It seemed all of our ancestors were incredibly poor. My family knew the challenges of poverty all too well. More often than not, I went to bed feeling hungry after a small meal for dinner. While my friends got all the newest toys and clothes, I was stuck with old stuff that we found at thrift stores and garage sales.

Our house was tiny, with only two bedrooms. My bedroom was pretty much just a storage space, but we managed to fit a small mattress in there and a closet. There was mould on the walls where we lived, and we never had hot running water. So, yeah, we were quite poor.

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I had a really conservative family growing up. And when I say “conservative” I mean REALLY, REALLY conservative to the point of an extreme. My parents had set out rules and restrictions, framed them, and put it up in the walls of my room, kitchen, and even the living area.

The rules were about what I was supposed to do in and outside of the house and about my academics. There was literally a rule for me to get a certain grade. And the restrictions were about the clothes and the time I could stay outside of the house which was just an hour after school.

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I would say that I was your pretty average teenager. I didn’t do anything weird or crazy, or even adventurous. I went to school, I came home, I joined a few clubs, I did my homework, I kissed a few boys, that was all. There was nothing about me that was more or less special than any other teenager in the country. There was nothing about me that stood out, or was worth writing down, beside whatever social media gossip was happening at the moment. I wasn’t under some delusion that I was particularly awesome, and my parents didn’t tell me that I was special. They didn’t demand my teachers give me special treatment, or scream at them when they didn’t see my full potential or something.

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Swimming had been my most favorite activity, sport, and hobby since I was small. It was also the only sport I was good at. Because I was so passionate about it, my parents had paid for the lessons since I was a child. But later in high school, I took swimming so there was no need of putting extra cash in training out of school. I was undoubtedly the best swimmer in the school and all of my friends knew that. However, my school coach was not the best or even good at all. It was mostly because he was so biased. He would never give me a chance to compete in any of the competitions or championships even when I was the best of all because he wanted his own son in that position.

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I watched everyone packing up their stuff and stuffing it in their bags as I sunk lower and lower in my chair. I was ashamed of having just failed an important test, and having been asked, in front of everyone, to stay behind and talk to my teacher. He sat on his desk with his hands on each side the way teachers do when they’re disappointed. I shamefully walked to the front and sat down, crossing my arms.

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My girlfriend almost ran out of the car as soon as I parked in front of the school. She was late for a prom committee meeting, so she didn’t even say “Bye” to me before disappearing. I sighed and shouldered my backpack walking into the building like everybody else. School was bustling with excitement for prom, which was the next day, but I was more nervous than excited.

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Can you imagine having criminals for parents? Well I didn’t have to imagine at all. My mom and dad were both scammers. They weren’t always that way though. They hadn’t been to college and they didn’t have any real skills so they had very ordinary jobs. They weren’t satisfied with how much money they were making. We’d have enough money for food and we had a little house but when my mom became pregnant with my baby brother, they grew more and more dissatisfied with our lives. They wanted big money, and fast!

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“Oh my God! I just got accepted to my dream college!” my older brother Jeffrey screamed. My mom, dad and little sister began clapping and cheering. I just stood in shock and sadness.

“Mom, dad, you both just lost your jobs. How are you guys going to afford that?” I said, snapping everyone back to reality.

The room instantly went quiet.

“She’s right son. I don’t even know how I’m going to continue paying for Ari to attend that special school.” my dad said.

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Now, the story I'm about to tell you is not for the faint-hearted. You have been warned. I was locked in a hospital overnight, and what I witnessed was probably one of the scariest things I have ever seen in my life.

I was a nurse at the local hospital in my town. I've always wanted to work in medicine, and since I was a teenager I've been working towards becoming a nurse. I just love it. I love helping people, I love the thrill of saving someone's life. Even if I am just a nurse, not a doctor, my job is just as important.

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