Lauren Hampton was a 15-year old girl who lived in a small town in Oklahoma. She had long brown hair, blue eyes, and was very skinny. Lauren played softball and was a very good she was a catcher. Her best friend was Courtney. Lauren and Courtney did everything together. She was a normal teenage girl well that’s what everyone thought.

At the age of 3 Lauren was separated from her mother. Lauren now lives with her father who is a drunk and beats her. Lauren was scared of her father. She wouldn’t tell anyone about her father doing these things to her. She continued going to school each day with bruises all over her legs, arms, even her face. Teachers worried more and more about her each day. Lauren didn’t worry much about her father anymore; she thought she deserved these things to be done to her. Every night Lauren would pray that someday just somebody would realize why she has the bruises and things on her.
Even though Lauren hasn’t seen or heard from her mother since she was 3 she wondered about her each night” “How her life would be different if she hadn’t left?” “Would her dad still treat her the way he does now?” “Was she the reason her mom left?” “Would she ever see her mother again? “ Why couldn’t she just tell somebody she knew she would have a better life well she thought she would. She also knew that she didn’t want to go through life without her real dad she knew she already lost her mom and she didn’t want to loose her dad. Lauren cried herself to sleep each night thinking about the hateful things that just wouldn’t leave her mind.
One day Lauren came home from school and she knew that her father wasn’t in a good mood at all. She walked through the door and the 1st thing he yelled to her from the upstairs bedroom was “ Lauren you better have my dinner cooked and the dishes washed before the time I wake up” Lauren knew he wasn’t kidding around when he said this stuff. So she hollered back at him and said, “I will dad” When truthfully she really didn’t want to have to do any of this.
Lauren didn’t start dinner right away. She decided she was going to go up to her room for a little. On her way up to her room she saw the attic she knew she has only been up there once and her father didn’t want her up there that’s where he kept all the old things of her mother. For some reason Lauren’s father didn’t want her to know much about her mother but, Lauren knew she wanted to know as much as she could. She was so tempted to go up and just take a look around she didn’t know what it was going to hurt. Then also she knew that if her father woke up the trouble she might be getting herself into.
Lauren knew she was going to have to take the chance and go up in the attic if she wanted to know anything about her mother because she knew she wasn’t going to get any information from her father. Lauren started walking up the attic stairs slowly checking behind her to make sure her father was nowhere in sight. She started to feel the tension in her arms holding her back from going up but something just something told Lauren to keep going. Finally she reached the top of the steps. She saw nothing but a few boxes in the one corner she knew that must have been the things her father kept of her mother. She slowly eased her way to the corner with all the boxes and things something Inside of her was telling her not to look inside but she knew she had to someday Lauren wanted to see her mother again.
She opened the boxes slowly looking inside each one seeing what she could find. She knew she couldn’t be long up there she had to finish making her fathers dinner. In one of the boxes she had found a picture of her mother her father and her as a baby, they looked so happy together she was thinking to herself. Lauren knew that must have been the picture of her father when he wasn’t an alcoholic. Under a bunch of pictures and stuff she found a letter her mother had wrote to her. She read it slowly thinking about every word in it.

My loving daughter Lauren,

I know it may seem that since I do not come
and see you that I may not love you. Its not that I don’t love
you because I truly do. The truth is your father will not let me
see you he has told the court so many things that are not true
that they do not permit me to see you anymore, but I am allowed
to write && to call you. Every time I call no1 seems to answer.
I seriously hope that your father is not answering because he knows its

me. I hope to someday get to see you again. And remember I am always going to be your mother no matter what.

Lauren couldn’t continue to read the letter she felt the tears strolling down her eyes she felt like somebody just took her heart and ripped it apart. Why wouldn’t her dad want her to see her mother she thought that was the most uncalled for thing ever. Someday she would see her mother again she knew it she knew she would see her again someday and someday soon.
Lauren grabbed the letter and the picture stuck it in the pocket of her blouse and ran down the stairs hoping her father was not awake. When she got down there she realized he was not awake yet. She ran in her room stuck the picture and the letter inside her jewelry box that her grandmother had gave her when she was 10 she knew her father would never look in there.
Lauren walked out of her room still thinking why her father would ever keep her from seeing her mother. She thought if she wasn’t allowed to see her mother why should she be allowed to see her father he’s the one who abuses her. She started her father’s dinner she made him fish with French fries. After finishing his dinner she went back to her room laid on her bed and waited for her father to wake up. She knew once he was awake and ate she was going to add another bruise to her collection of bruises. She laid there thinking when she was going to finish reading the letter her mother wrote she knew she was going to have to finish reading it sooner or later if she ever wanted to see her again. She finally decided that tonight when her father left to go to his friends’ house and drink she would finish reading the letter.
Boom! The door slammed open and Lauren jumped. It was her father and he didn’t look very happy. “ Lauren!” Comes storming to her bed slaps her across the mouth and says “ I didn’t want fish and French fries tonight I wanted pizza and French fries you little brat” Lauren begins to cry and says “ but…but…but…dad you didn’t tell me what you wanted. He comes closer smacks her across the mouth as hard as he can and scolds at her and says “ I shouldn’t have to tell you what I want” And leaves the room with a few final words after that.
Lauren lies in her room crying thinking why she deserves to be treated like this? What did she ever do to her father? Wondering if her mother would treat her better? She decided she needed to finish reading the letter she found in the attic today. She slowly and quietly walks over to the jewelry box that she placed the picture and the letter in today. She slowly goes to the bottom and there is the picture underneath the picture is the letter. She slowly pulls it out wondering if by reading this letter her life will change at all.
Lauren takes the letter and slowly walks over to her bed. She gets beneath the blankets sticking the letter below her pillow so just in case her dad comes in he doesn’t see what she was reading. She didn’t need any more bruises than she already had or was going to get. She slowly unfolds the letter hoping she is doing the right thing from reading the letter. Slowly continuing reading where she left off.



Your father and I just weren’t going to work out. I hope he lets you read this letter it would mean the world to me to get to see you again. You were my baby girl and everybody knew it. I hope your life becomes the best it can be, and no matter what I don’t ever want you to forget if you ever want to talk or anything your dad has my cell phone number and ill give it to you now 1-649-8956 give me a call baby girl I love u with all my heart and I hope you never forget about me.






Love you,





Your mom

Lauren read the letter over and over again with the tears streaming down her eyes she felt like she was going to create a river of tears. These tears were not the same they weren’t like the tears when her father was smacking her around. They weren’t like the tears when she would get in a fight with her ex b/f’s. They weren’t like the tears that when she was getting scared when teachers asked what was wrong with her. These tears were different they were like she couldn’t stop crying all that ran through her head was mom…mom…mom…mom…she could almost get this mental image of her being with her mom telling her the things her dad had done to her. The things she needed to be told. Now she knew why she couldn’t tell anyone else about her father because she needed to tell her mother. How would she get to see her mother? She knew she was going to see her mother again no1 was going to stop her.
Lauren continued laying there that night thinking about everything she read in that letter. She wondered if it all was the truth. If everything her mother had said to her was the truth. Did her mother really love her like she said? Did her father really plan to keep her way from her mother? She didn’t know the answer to these questions, but she did know 1 thing she knew that she was going to see her mother no matter what her father had to say about. Well she thought he didn’t have to know about it. All she had to do was get to her mother and tell her the things her father was doing to her, and then hopefully if her mother really cared then she wouldn’t have to deal with her father giving her bruises each day. Finally she fell asleep.
The next morning she woke up and realized that last night after reading that letter her whole feeling for her mother had changed. Lauren’s father always told her that her mother had gone away because she didn’t want Lauren in her life no more she didn’t want anything to do with her and Lauren always believed that. She never had a reason not to her mother hasn’t communicated with her since she was like 3 why was there a reason she shouldn’t believe her father he was the 1 there her whole life. Now after reading that letter it was her father she didn’t want in her life why would he keep her away from her mother all these years he had no reason. Lauren wanted to believe that her father did it for a good reason but there was no explanation to it. Her father hated her mother and now he wanted to take the pain out on her.

Lauren didn’t go to school the next day instead she went on a search to get all the info she could about her mother. She knew her father wouldn’t be home until after work so she did all her research in the attic…she didn’t find much she found some more pictures she found some old jewelry of her mothers she found just a bunch of little stuff that wouldn’t help her much. Therefore she also found one thing that would help her allot on the search for her mother. She found her mothers birth certificate.

She took all the info she had and took it to the district administrative office. When she got in there an elder guy comes up to her and says ‘how may I help you miss?’ “I’m just looking for someone who could help me” she starts to studder “I’m…I’m…I’m looking for someone who could help me find my mom” The man looks at her in a confused way and says “Your lost?” She replays with a simple no. The man says follow me. Lauren does. She follows him to a very small room. In the room she sees all these folders and cabinets. She’s in there for at least 2 hours the man asking her all the questions possible, but finally he gives her the location of her mother.

Lauren is so excited when he handed her all the information she needed. While walking down the street she realizes that her mother lives in a whole different state than her. In her head she’s thinking how she will ever possibly find her now. If she just leaves she is sure her dad will notice. Who would cook his dinner? Who would do all the things she had to do now? Was it possible for her to find her mom? Nothing seemed possible to her at this moment, but she had all the faith in doing it. That night Lauren decided tomorrow she would go on the search to find her mom.

The next morning Lauren got dressed and acted like she was getting ready to go to school. She packed a few things to eat and then she left her house around 8:30 and she was on her way to find her mom. She did some research the night before at the library and to get to Ohio it would take her 2 days. She knew she could do it. She had all the confidence she needed to find her mother.

After 1 day the search for her mother Lauren started to wonder if her mom would still want to see her… if her mother had a new family…If her mother would want her back in her life…If she would even care what Lauren’s father was doing to her? It all ran through her head. Lauren was willing to see if her mother would care because she didn’t want anything more than her mother back in her life. Lauren continued her way to find her mother.

After 2 days of walking she finally reached Ohio. Now all she had to do was reach her mothers house. She wasn’t sure where it was so she asked people walking on the street where Elk street was. A lot said they didn’t know. Really she thought they just didn’t feel like wasting there time telling a 15-year-old girl where a street was. One kind old woman knew exactly where it was. Lauren followed her directions and finally she reached Elm Street.

She got on Elm Street and she saw her mother’s house it was a brown old-fashioned house with green shutters. It was much nicer than the house her father was living in. Her father! Lauren forgot all about her father. She was wondering if he was somewhere out there looking for her. Most likely he wasn’t he didn’t care about her. Lauren didn’t care if he was looking for her right now all she cared about was getting to see her mother again.

As Lauren walked slowly down the street to her mother’s house she became more and more nervous. She was two houses away from seeing her mother again. She walked slower and slower looking down and up as she was walking many thought running through her head. Finally she reached her mother’s house. She walked slowly up the stairs hoping somebody was home. She finally reaches the door and slowly knocks.

The door begins to slowly open a young boy who looked about 11 answered. “ Yes ” he said almost making her feel like she turned deaf. “ Is Rosa Hampton available?” she said in a shaky voice. “ Yah 1 sec” Lauren waited inside the door for about 5 min. then a short blonde hair lady came to the door. “Yes my son said u wanted to see me,” the short blonde lady said. “ Yes I did I wanted to see you because well…um…I’m your um…daughter” Lauren said in a quivering voice you could almost tell she was going to cry. “ Lauren? “ Lauren sees the tears coming down her mother’s eyes. Lauren knew the second her eyes met her mothers she would be much happier here than she was back with her dad.