That’s one of my earliest memories. Over the next 6 and a half years, this continued. I’d mess up, I’d get beaten. My Aunt would sometimes try and step in but she had herself to think about.

Then everything changed. My Aunt suddenly developed a fever. I was expected to do all her chores, mine and take care of her because it wasn’t a mans place and they couldn’t afford a doctor. I became nurse and servant overnight. I was never stationary, always busy.

My Aunt stayed this way for about 3 weeks. Then she rapidly deteriorated, going between lucid dreams and delerium. Just under a week later, she passed away, leaving me the sole woman in the household, at only 11……

My life changed for the worse