Alex and Tonya have such a long history together. Much of it had been plagued with pain and loneliness. To understand where they are, they have to understand where they came from. When Alex lost his mother, he became a ward of the state because his father was nowhere to be found. Leaving the confines of the children’s center to be bussed to school, he would run into Tonya often, an awkward 10 year old girl, who lost both of her parents early. Tonya took to Alex as her guardian almost immediately. Both of her parents were killed in a home invasion when she was 4 years old, and she has been in the system since. The gang that invaded her home had the wrong house, and left her alive as she cried under her bed for her parents. It was enough to make her very untrusting of all people. Everyday Tonya rode the bus; she would sit in the back, hiding from many of the children, not knowing she was there. On a bleak Monday morning, he saw her in the back of the bus, alone and withdrawn. Alex took it upon himself to look after her by offering her some of his breakfast bar. Tonya didn’t eat much in the morning because she was scared to eat with the other kids. On this day, she looked tired and weak, and unwilling to speak, but that breakfast bar broke the wall she had up. Hunger has a way of speaking for you as her stomach let out a “grrrrrrrrr.” Forgetting that he was saving the bar for later, he opened it and handed it to Tonya. She still didn’t say much but that didn’t stop him from talking about the comic books he had in his “Trapper Keeper.” No one ever listens to him, so she was perfect for him to talk to. Everyone avoided her, so she was glad someone was talking to her. Being only a few months older than her, Alex looked at her as his little sister from the beginning because he always wanted one. That day, she was locked to his side as they exited the bus. At lunch, she sat with him and after school he waited for her to come out. Seeing him, she rushed to him immediately. On that ride to and from school, they formed a relationship that would offer them protection from others and themselves.

Through the years, Tonya was shipped from three houses before she ended with Mrs. Anderson, a foster care thief who used the kids to gain the money. Being that Tonya was the oldest, she took care of all the children in the house while Mrs. Anderson came and went as she pleased. Sometimes, Alex would come over and help her monitor the children. As she grew older, she is still an awkward teen with her granny clothes, and long frizzy hair. Her light colored skin was smooth and almost flawless. Frequently at school with Alex, many of the children thought they were related. There were even days when he truly acted as her protector. Once he beat a boy fiercely for slapping her and calling her names. It was actually a boyfriend that didn’t like that she was talking to him, so he became violent. She came to Alex and told him what happened; that was that for him. He beat the boy so bad that he urinated on himself. That’s a beating if it makes you pee your pants. After a while, it was known that no one mess with her, just out of respect for him wanting to protect his sister. He’s always been protecting her, but now she is protecting him in more ways than one as they sit and try to move on with their relationship.

To be continued….

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About The Expert

On our About the Expert page, you can learn more about the author, including contact information and other posts they've written. About Rajah Smart, M.A. ED.