The Holes in My Heart | Teen Ink

The Holes in My Heart MAG

July 30, 2008
By Anonymous

As a child in Cambodia, life was difficult. It went from bad to worse when my mother got sick. As usual, my father left us and went someplace else. I hardly ever saw him. I loved my ­father and maybe I still do. He wasn’t a nice man, though. He used to hit us, especially my mom. I never knew what we did wrong. Maybe the alcohol took over his mind.

One time after he left, I overheard people talking about how he had fallen in love and gotten married all over again. I never saw him after that.

Meanwhile, my poor mother’s heart was slowly melting. She was paralyzed because my dad hit her so much. She couldn’t move half of her body. So, at the age of six, I took care of her and my two brothers and sister. We had no money and lived in a very rural area without electricity and water. I had to cook, clean, beg for rice, and be the mother of the family. I rarely went to school.

I think my mom had seen me suffer enough. I’d had enough too! So, to make things easier, my mom sent my sister and one of my brothers to live with relatives in another village. People in Cambodia often take care of relatives’ children. I missed them but knew they were being cared for. I was the oldest, so I stayed; my mother needed me to take care of her and my baby brother, Long.

For a while it was just Long, my mother, and I. But then my brother, who was less than a year old, was very sick and skinny. One day I came home and Long wasn’t there. My mom said she had given him away to someone who said they could take care of him. He wasn’t coming back.

I was sad and confused but didn’t ask too many questions. I knew it must have been difficult for her, and we had no money for food or doctors to help Long. We didn’t know where he had gone, but my mom trusted the stranger who took him away, and hoped – we both hoped – that he would be safe and healthy.

My mom and I went on with our lives. We loved each other very much, but we suffered silently day ­after day. We were still struggling with hardly any money or food, and we missed Long terribly but ­never talked about him.

One afternoon, about a year after Long left, we ­received some good news. A man from the city came to our village and told us that a family in the United States had adopted my baby brother. He showed us pictures. My brother, now named Shane, was smiling, wearing nice clothes, and looking very healthy. Even though we missed him and life was hard for us, my mom and I were so happy to know that my brother was okay.

My peace did not last long. One night I had a horrible dream that my mom left me. I was crying and I couldn’t stop. I cried for such a long time that I woke my mother. I told her what I had dreamt. She said that she would never leave me.

Weeks passed, and then my nightmare came true. My mother died of a stroke. I blame my dad because of the injuries he gave her. Thinking about it now, I hate him.

I wish I could have done something. But when I saw my mother collapse, time passed so quickly I didn’t know what to do. I was only eight! The day my mother died, I didn’t cry because I didn’t know what death was. I did cry when they buried her. I knew at that moment that I would never see her again.

After my mother died, one of my aunts took me in. She was very poor, just like my mother. She was mean, and I think she was mad that she had to take care of me, but I had nowhere else to go.

One day the man who had brought the pictures of my baby brother came to visit again. It had taken him a long time to find us because I had moved. He was sad to hear that my mother had died. Then he gave me new clothes, a doll, and more pictures of my brother. My aunt asked him if the family who adopted my brother would want to adopt me too. The man turned to me and asked if I wanted to go live with my brother in the United States. Even though I didn’t know what to expect, I said yes. He said he would find out if it was possible. I waited for what seemed like forever. I started to think that maybe the American family did not want me.

But that wasn’t the case.

About a year later, the Americans who had adopted my brother finally came for me. As I now know, there is a lot of paperwork involved with adoption. They had to get permission from my family, the Cambodian government, and the United States government before they could come to get me.

The first time I saw my new parents was in a hotel lobby. I told the translator that they had long noses. I didn’t know I was being rude; I just wasn’t used to seeing Caucasian people. I was really nervous around them. I think they were nervous too. I didn’t smile until we went to the hotel room and my new mom showed me the clothes she had brought me. My face lit up fast! We didn’t talk much because I didn’t know how to speak English, but she made flash cards with pictures to help us communicate.

The day we left Cambodia I was filled with emotions. I was eager, worried, upset, and confused because I didn’t know where we were going and I had never been on a plane before. All I remember about my trip was that I threw up for most of the 21-hour flight. It was like the plane was a gigantic sickening machine. It felt as though the trip would never end.

When we landed in the United States I was so ­happy. After we waited in a bunch of lines, we walked out of the airport. The air was a lot colder than in Cambodia. In the distance, I saw a strange man waving at us. He looked excited and happy. I ­also saw a little boy next to him. I knew immediately it was my brother. I didn’t act excited to see him ­because I was still feeling so sick from the plane, but I was really thrilled.

My new grandpa drove us to my new home. In the car I looked out the window and saw strange yet beautiful houses. I kept peeking at my brother. He was now three years old and looked so clean and healthy compared to the last time I had seen him. At that moment I knew that I was going to be happy again.

And that is where I am now. The nightmares have ended because of two wonderful people who adopted my brother Shane and me. Adjusting to life in the United States wasn’t easy, but getting adopted is the most beautiful feeling. Even though we are not related by blood, I knew from that first day that my dad and mom cared about me very much. They filled up all the holes in my heart.



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This article has 184 comments.


emusrock! said...
on Oct. 13 2010 at 11:16 am
very touching.

HelloLove said...
on Oct. 7 2010 at 8:20 pm
HelloLove, Dexter, Michigan
0 articles 0 photos 68 comments

Favorite Quote:
Twinkle, twinkle, little bat! How I wonder what you're at.
-Hatter
Tut, tut, child! Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it.
-Dutchess

That was deep :')

on Oct. 7 2010 at 5:38 pm
that about almost made me cry :') :(

Elisabeth GOLD said...
on Oct. 7 2010 at 3:58 pm
Elisabeth GOLD, Nottingham, New Hampshire
10 articles 0 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
"A true friend is hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget."

Very good, and sad story, but with a happy ending. I hope you love your family in the USA, and wish you a great life!

shaishai1123 said...
on Oct. 7 2010 at 10:21 am
OMG SOOOOOOO SAD BUT SWEET GOOD LUCK WITH LIFE!!!!!!!!

on Sep. 22 2010 at 9:02 pm
i really love this is my favorite.as i read this story i started to cry. i can only imagine wat u was goin threw i really felt your pain!!!!!! and i hope it really do not come back! luv shanice

esmeralda said...
on Sep. 15 2010 at 1:55 pm

Aww I really liked this story.

Good thing you found some great adoptive parents. Good luck with your new family. =}


cesar said...
on Sep. 15 2010 at 11:39 am
Happy that a family adopted you for a better live. You also get to be with your brother.

on Sep. 15 2010 at 9:47 am
SingleGal SILVER, Huntsville, Arkansas
5 articles 0 photos 38 comments

Favorite Quote:
PEACE LOVE DEATH

Awwww oh my god i feel so happy for you!my mom was near death about 4 times i would be in despair if she did.But wow that was great!!!!

on Aug. 26 2010 at 1:10 pm
Wow, this story was very touching. Tears formed in my eyes as i read this. I wish you and your family the best.

on Aug. 5 2010 at 11:02 am
she.inks.in.blud BRONZE, Aligarh, Other
4 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
INFINITE LOVE is a weapon of matchless potency...........it does not come within the coward ; an attribute of of the brave...infact their all---it is a life-giving force. <3

WOW!!!........i cried....amazing <3 

Jo Himes said...
on Aug. 2 2010 at 3:43 pm
Jo Himes, Raleigh, North Carolina
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
I am adopted too, but when I was one. Some of my friends were adopted at twelve.

CadyR BRONZE said...
on Aug. 2 2010 at 3:06 pm
CadyR BRONZE, Head Of St. Margarets Bay, Other
3 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
You must be the change you want to see in the world
-Mahatma Gandi

This was totally beautiful and moving. I hope you live a happy & healthy life now because you deserve it.

on Aug. 2 2010 at 2:29 pm
inksplatters21 SILVER, Mason, Ohio
6 articles 0 photos 84 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Character is how you live when no one is watching."

I'm so sorry about your mother and father, but it's wonderful that everything worked out.  Would people mind reading/commenting on my work?  thank you

br123 said...
on Aug. 2 2010 at 1:30 pm
I've learned a lot about Cambodia's Killing Fields and I have heard a few stories, but to hear about the aftermath and how Pol Pot has even affected the children of Cambodia today, really makes me want to do something to help. Great writing and I feel very moved by your story.

on Aug. 2 2010 at 12:51 pm
kielymarie SILVER, Sandy Hook, Connecticut
6 articles 0 photos 85 comments

Favorite Quote:
"When you do dance, I wish you a wave 'o the sea, that you might never do nothing but that." -William Shakespeare

Wow. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I'm so happy it all worked out for you and your brother!

. said...
on Aug. 2 2010 at 11:46 am
that is so beautiful.

on Jul. 20 2010 at 9:13 am
deus-ex-machina14 BRONZE, Stewartsville, New Jersey
1 article 0 photos 439 comments

Favorite Quote:
"There are two main tragedies in life. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it." -Oscar Wilde

I can't even imagine how courageous a person has to be to not only make it through something like that, but then share with a lot of people. You've done so many amazing things and your writing is beautiful!!

on Jul. 11 2010 at 4:56 pm
theEMOrequiem GOLD, Aurora, Colorado
17 articles 0 photos 12 comments

Favorite Quote:
Just because it's green doesn't mean it's edible!!!!

this is really good. I haven't really been able to write like this in a long time. I'm cambodian too but I was born in the us. I don't know much cambodian because im mixed. Mexican and cambodian. people call me asican. For asain and mexican. well anyway this was really good. i think a few tears slipped out at the end.

Shelly-T GOLD said...
on Jul. 11 2010 at 4:13 pm
Shelly-T GOLD, Romeoville, Illinois
13 articles 0 photos 71 comments
Wow.  It must have taken a lot to write that and share it with us.  Thanks for that.