Your Stories - KC's Story - the beginning...

KC Erin Streep

The story of KC Erin Streep is a very sad and dangerous one. It’s the story of a girl on her way to womanhood. She is Afro-American and the streets of New York City are her home. As a child she used to live in a ghetto, in a very dangerous part of NYC.

KC is a really pretty girl. Always has been. She’s got great big Afro curls, her hair is brown, fading to a cute blond in the tips. Her skin is brown, too, but not really dark, almost like she was of a mixed racial background. She isn’t. She is a very skinny girl, but she is sporty, too, and she likes to eat. She loves playing basketball and she’s very good at it, but she’s never been on a team. When she was younger, she couldn’t because of the money. Her family has always been very poor. They used to live in a ramshackle townhouse with very mean people all around.

This is the story of her life.

KC was born as the first child of the Streep Family. It was just her, her little brother Sam, her mom and her dad. No grandma or grandpa. No aunt either. Her daddy was working late every day, till midnight or the early hours of morning. When KC was seven, her mom was spending most of her time with her little baby-brother. So, KC was on her own. She went outside and there – right there in their neighborhood – was a big basket. And right next to it a basketball. That was the first time she was playing, and she would play every day for the following years.

KC never really knew what her dad’s job was. They never talked about things like this. She never really talked about anything with her dad, but the connection between them was really strong. They were close.

One day, it was her thirteenth birthday, her dad came home early. When he arrived, they all were very excited. But her dad didn’t seem so cool or relaxed. Two hours he kept playing with KC in the upper-floor room of their tiny house - like it was the last time they could hang out together. But the tension only got worse. The shit hit the fan only moments later.

One minute her dad was sitting on the couch, laughing and pretending to have fun with her, and the next there was this blue light and awful wailing noise from outside. Her dad jumped up and looked out of the window. A police officer was walking up to their door by that time. KC knew her dad was scared; she could see it in his eyes. In barely a whisper she asked if she could help him or if he could explain what was going on. He just said, “NO”.

Walking in circles like a caged animal, he took a small black box out of his jeans’ pocket. He looked her in the eyes and said, “Keep that till you and I meet again!”

He left the room with tears in his eyes. KC didn’t know what was going on, but she started crying too. Her dad was slowly walking down the stairs with his hands folded behind his head. KC was frozen but tried to shake off her own fear and followed him as fast as she could…

When she arrived in the living room, her mom took her hand hugged her real tight. The police officers put handcuffs on her dad. She watched him getting arrested. By then everybody in her little family was crying. Then the police officers and her dad left their house.

This was only the beginning. 

Worse things were to come.

(To be continued tomorrow)