Freedom can be frightening thing when you are not used to it, when you are used to having other people make all your decisions for you, when you have no choices to make.
We were being made to work harder than ever, and had become even more like slaves. It was as if Mum had never been out to see us: we were still trapped and helpless.
For the first time I realised that I wasn’t frightened of him now. I didn’t care about any of them any more. There was nothing further I felt they could do to hurt me. All I could think about now was my freedom...
(...) she was married off for the first time at ten.
(...) the family forced her to marry a second time to someone she didn’t like.
Leilah must have been a fighter like me, perhaps it’s Mum’s blood in us.