"I met my younger self today."

"I met my younger self today." "I told her we made it to the life she used to dream about." She had A LOT of questions. TW: Sexual assault & childhood trauma "Does Mom ever buy her own house?" I hate living for rent at Dad's sister's house. Remember Dad's other sister's husband sexually assaulted me in the car outside this house during his wife's 50th birthday party." "Yes, baby girl." Mom's sister helped her finally buy a house in 2017. Last year for Mom's birthday, I paid off her mortgage. $509,000!! And baby girl, we don't talk to him." "Can we please pay back ALL of Dad's sisters?" I talked shit to them one day and the only thing they had to say was if I can talk all this shit, I can surely pay back everything we owe them. They started listing things from before I was even born. One had a notebook of every $20 she gave Dad for gas, food or literally anything. I didn't know siblings kept tabs like that and would ask ME to pay it back when I was 23." "Yes, baby girl." We paid them all back right when they brought it up. And we don't talk shit. We only spit facts." "Do we ever work things out with them?" Because sometimes they're SO nice to us. They take us places. Drive us to school. Buy us clothes. Take care of us while Mom goes to college. Offer to pay for things when we don't have money in. Sometimes I feel like they loved us. Sometimes I feel like they hated us. I don't understand." "No, baby girl." I'm still trying to understand that one. People can do nice things for you and still hurt you. Both can be true. But this relationship with them is over." "One of dad's sisters who's husband sexually assaulted me said I'm going to be a whore, end up pregnant, broke and on the streets." Please don't let that happen to us." "Don't worry, baby girl." Getting pregnant was actually one of the hardest things we ever do. We needed IVF. But we have TWO BEAUTIFUL babies. And don't worry... We're not broke." "Do we ever go back to the temple?" Dad's sister was scared to sleep alone after Dad's aunt died. Even though she had two kids, I had to sleep at her house every night. When her husband wasn't home so she wouldn't be scared. Then one day, when I was waiting to go to the temple, her husband came home early from a work trip. He sexually assaulted me in the bedroom. I screamed, hit him and ran home crying." Yes, baby girl. It takes us a long time to separate what he did from our faith. But we find our way back to God." And we go no contact with them." "Do we EVER get to go on a plane?" Everyone else gets to travel. I just want to see the world." Dad's sister's husband who sexually assaulted me in the car offered to pay for ONLY MY ticket to go to the Dominican Republic. Mom said no. I was so sad. I just wanted to go on a flight." "Yes, baby girl." Mom did the right thing. She still doesn't know what he did to you. But without even knowing, she protected you." And don't worry... You went on your first flight at 17." and you've been on 61 flights since." "Mom cries every time we come home from Dad's sisters' houses." They call me dumb because my grades are bad. They call me dark. They call me fat. Mom can't really stick up for us because she's alone here." Does that ever stop?" "Yes, baby girl." The little girl they called dumb graduates with honours from the University of Toronto. She builds multiple successful businesses. She works high-paying senior management jobs. And eventually, we stop going back to the people who make Mom cry. We created our own village." And our kids only know what it feels like to be loved."