Hidden Girl: The True Story of a Modern-Day Child Slave (25 page)
Read Hidden Girl: The True Story of a Modern-Day Child Slave Online
Authors: Shyima Hall
Many women with rheumatoid arthritis find that their symptoms lessen when they are expecting, and that was true for me. Most of my symptoms were still there, but not to the same extent as before I was pregnant and after our baby arrived. I didn’t want to do anything that might harm Athena before she was born, so I stopped taking all of my RA medication. I had a single steroid shot during my pregnancy, because the pain and stiffness had gotten bad enough that I couldn’t stand it, but other than that, until I stopped breast-feeding, my medication consisted of hot baths and walking.
Athena was due on July 23, 2012, but I was scheduled to be induced on July 19 because Athena was becoming too heavy for my arthritic legs to handle. Daniel and I decided in the beginning that we wanted to raise our daughter to be a strong woman who felt free to express her own thoughts and ideas. We didn’t have to worry about that, because Athena was already taking charge. On the way to the hospital to be induced, my water broke. Our baby was going to be born on her terms.
Several hours later I held our six pound, fifteen-ounce bundle of joy. The look of pure love on Daniel’s face was indescribable, and I was so overcome with emotion that I could barely breathe. We had been excited to see what our baby would look like, and I was thrilled to see Daniel’s cheeks and my nose. Athena is the perfect combination of us both.
My early misgivings aside, I have found that I love being a mom. If I have a fault here, it is that I snuggle with Athena too much. I never want to put her down. I am totally attached to her, but she is attached to her daddy, too. Daniel has turned out to be such a great dad. He changes more than his share of diapers and loves caring for her as much as I do. Daniel and I want the best for Athena, so we have begun putting money away for her college education.
Because of Athena, my priorities in life have both changed and become more solid. Everything I do in life now will be to make her feel safe, secure, and happy. But because of Athena I want to become a police officer or ICE agent more than ever. I want to show my daughter that women can make a difference in areas where change is most needed. I want to impress upon her that in addition to making a wonderful home she can be an active, productive, successful woman outside of the house. The best way I can show her how to do that is to lead by example. Plus, the last thing I want Athena to be is the cowed, subservient, naïve, uneducated young girl that I was. Athena may have put my law enforcement goals on hold for a year or so, but I
will
get there.
I want Athena to have the sense of family that I missed out on. She has a wonderful set of grandparents on her dad’s side, as well as many loving aunts, uncles, and cousins. While there is no biological family in my life right now, my friends Amber, Teresa, PaNou, Karla, and many others have become my family here in the United States. My definition of “family” is those people who will love and support you no matter what, and these people do that for me.
I don’t know why my early life was as hard and unfair as it was, but our experiences—good and bad—shape us into who we become. Today I am completely happy and look forward to many wonderful years with my family and friends. I also look forward to putting a few captors behind bars. If you are a trafficker, watch out. I am getting ready to come after you. I know that eventually we will put an end to the terrible custom of slavery. I hope that it is sooner rather than later. With everyone’s help and support, maybe my wish will come true.
1 lb. fresh tender grape leaves
1½ cups uncooked rice
2 cups ground or chopped meat, preferably lamb
1 medium-size tomato, chopped (optional)
1½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. cinnamon
2 cups cold water
2 medium-size tomatoes, sliced
2 whole garlic bulbs (a bulb is the whole head of garlic)
Several meat bones
8 garlic cloves crushed with salt
½ cup lemon juice
1 tsp. dried mint
Soften and blanch grape leaves by dipping a few at a time in boiling, salted water. Set aside.
Wash rice, and mix with ground meat, chopped tomato, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and ½ cup cold water.
Stuff one leaf at a time: Place a teaspoon of stuffing in the center of the leaf. Then fold the bottom of the leaf up over the stuffing, fold from each side to the middle, and roll tightly to form a cylinder about three inches long and somewhat thicker than a cigar.
Place layer of tomato slices with whole garlic, meat bones, and crushed garlic with salt in bottom of pressure cooker pan.
Cover with the stuffed leaves arranged side by side in layers.
Sprinkle with lemon juice and add salt to taste.
Add remaining water. Cook under pressure for 12 minutes.
Open cooker and simmer uncovered until sauce is thickened.
Taste sauce. Add more lemon and salt if necessary, then allow leaves to cool in sauce.
Drain sauce into a bowl.
Lift rolls out one by one and arrange on serving platter. Cover with sauce. Serve cold. Prepare a day ahead, if possible, for best flavor.
© Lisa Wysocky
Born in 1989 in Egypt,
SHYIMA HALL
was the seventh child of desperately poor parents. When she was eight, her parents sold her into domestic slavery. Shyima worked for a wealthy family and served them eighteen hours a day, seven days a week. When she was ten, her captors brought Shyima to the United States on an illegally obtained temporary visa. It took two years after landing in Orange County, California, for Shyima to be rescued by Child Protective Services. In 2011 Shyima realized her dream of becoming an American citizen. Shyima hopes to one day join the police department, and to eventually become a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Shyima lives in Riverside County, California.
SIMON & SCHUSTER • NEW YORK
authors.simonandschuster.com/Shyima-Hall
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An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
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This book is a memoir. It reflects the author’s present recollections of her experiences over a period of years. Some names and identifying details have been changed and some dialogue has been recreated from memory.
Text copyright © 2014 by Shyima Hall
Jacket photograph copyright © 2014 by Sandy Honig
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Book design by Lucy Ruth Cummins
Jacket Design by Lucy Ruth Cummins
Jacket Photograph Copyright © 2014 by Sandy Honig
The text for this book is set in Adobe Caslon Pro.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hall, Shyima.
Hidden girl : the true story of a modern-day child slave / Shyima Hall
with Lisa Wysocky.—First Edition.
pages cm
Audience: Grade 9 to 12
ISBN 978-1-4424-8168-8 (hardcover) — ISBN 978-1-4424-8170-1 (eBook)
1. Child slaves—Juvenile literature. 2. Child slaves—United States—Juvenile literature. 3. Child abuse—United States—Juvenile literature. 4. Foster parents—United States—Juvenile literature.
I. Wysocky, Lisa, 1957—II. Title.
HD6231.H35 2014
362.7’7—dc23
[B]
2013011860