The battle

I felt betrayed by my father, grandmother, and brother, who at the time was my best friend when he left me. But, unfortunately, I now understand the true selfishness behind their heinous actions. So, this story is about how my family betrayed me!

Information.

During the first nine years of my life, it was my three brothers and me. I had two older brothers, Tre and Tyler, and a younger brother, Cyril; Tyler, Cyril, and I have the same dad we used to visit on weekends. Tyler has a mental disorder and has all his life, but I never the exact problem is; this is essential information in this story. Also, the heinous event occurred after my mother gave birth to my younger sister, Mercedes.

Now that I've given some vital information pertaining to the story. Let's jump right in!

Before Mercedes

Growing up, Tyler, Cyril, and I were close while Tre was always off doing his own thing; I'd always been closest to Tyler, despite his disorder. I forgot to mention above that Tyler favored our grandma (Dad's mom). From what my parents told me and what I saw, Tyler had always been a grandma's boy; he'd never like to share her, not even with me. Tyler had to go to schools that had classes that could accommodate his needs. There were times when Tyler would have episodes in school, and we never knew what caused them.

Other than Tyler's disorder, he had a great childhood. Tre would treat Tyler like an outcast; actually, he treated all of us like outcasts, but Tyler was treated worse than us. However, my mother always treated us equally; the treatment we received from Tre never phased us. My brothers and I had a playroom where our imaginations ran wild; we were loud and annoying, but mom never cared. There isn't a time that I can remember where we annoyed her. Tyler was also quite the comedian. We had an old brick fireplace that Tyler would perform his comedy set on; even Tre enjoyed the show.

My mother received a check for Tyler every month because of his troubles. All that money went to Tyler; whether it was for clothes and shoes or school supplies, my mother always made sure my brothers and I were cared for. My father also provided us with things we needed, but only at the request of our mother. On the weekends, my father did have us; we were left alone for the day, but he was constantly checking in, and he'd stay in for the evenings.

After Mercedes

Shortly after my tenth birthday, my mother gave birth to Mercedes. My brothers and I were at our dads' during that time and went home a few days afterward. The three of us were excited to meet Mercedes, but Tre wasn't. Even after Mercedes was born, we were all still treated the same; naturally, my mother spent more time with the baby. During this time, we didn't have a car making it difficult to get to distant places. Not long after Mercedes was born, Tyler had an episode at school and was taken to the hospital. My grandmother had offered to go to the hospital with Tyler, which my mother had gladly accepted. At this time, both my grandmother and father appeared to understand that my mother had a baby with no vehicle. Nothing could've prepared us for what they had up their sleeves.

A few weeks after Tyler's incident, my brothers and I went to our father's house for the weekend. The weekend was great and went off without a hitch. I can't remember if it was before or after we got back from our father's house that our mother had received court papers for Tyler. My father wanted full custody. As a child, I didn't grasp the concept of a custody battle or why it was happening. The custody battle went on for what felt like forever; the morning of the judges' decision, Cyril and I went to school. I remember being anxious to get home, and the day felt like it was dragging. When our school bus arrived at the bus stop, we saw our mother just arriving; we ran off the bus, and that's when she simply shook her head at us. I was devastated; I couldn't believe that after all the time we spent together, playing games, riding our bikes, and cracking jokes, it was over.

Aftermath

We moved away in the summer and didn't see our father or Tyler for about a year. I was twelve, and Cyril was 10 when we started seeing our father again. Tyler had changed; he wasn't funny anymore, and his episodes worsened. When Tyler had his attacks, our father yelled at him. I was in disbelief; I wanted to tell him that yelling wouldn't help Tyler, but my father had a short fuse. I had no idea that a year could make such a drastic difference in people. Also, from what Tyler had told me, our father had made a habit of hitting him. It had become quite apparent to Cyril and me that Tylers' condition worsened; Tyler also wasn't well cared for, was left alone all day, and didn't have many outfits.

As Cyril and I became adults, my mother felt comfortable disclosing the details of how our father gained custody of Tyler. My grandmother had convinced Tyler to write a letter to the court stating how he felt mistreated after Mercedes was born. My father and grandmother even used the time they had offered to go to the hospital with Tyler against my mother; they made my mother look like an unfit parent. I always wondered if my mother was so unfit, why'd they only take the child with the check?

I've had conversations with Tyler about what happened; he said he wrote that letter because he wanted to live with our grandmother. I realized that had been the plan all along; my grandmother gets Tyler the way she's always wanted him, and my father gets the check. But, there was a flaw in the plan; Our grandmother was offered a job that required her to travel. They lied to get what they wanted and didn't care who they hurt to do it; it shows so much about people.

My father and grandmother have been lying to themselves for so long, they believe themselves. My mother was never unfit; she raised four intelligent children alone. Unfortunately, karma bit Tyler in the butt by making his mental state worse than it's ever been. As for my father and grandmother, I hope they realize that they're why Tyler is as messed up as he is. I don't spend much time with my fathers' side of the family; to this very day, my grandmother tries to tell me that my mother wouldn't be able to deal with Tyler. When I hear those words come out of her mouth, it frustrates me. My mother loves us and would've done everything she could to make sure Tyler was well.

Although it frustrates me when my grandmother says my mother wouldn't be able to care for her child, I find it comical, as if my father had done any better. My father physically and verbally abused Tyler and left him alone all of the time. However, my fathers' interactions with Tyler to this day are better. I thought I had moved past Tyler leaving, but I haven't; Tyler has been coming back around us like he didn't try to destroy my mothers' image. I've been having trouble forgiving what they've done; my mother has suggested I talk to them, but they believe that what happened was right. I have never met anyone more close-minded than my fathers' side of the family.

I hope one day I'll be able to express to my father and grandmother how I feel and that they'd listen and understand. I pray for any families that are going through anything similar.