My life changed the day my dad died. It was a Tuesday afternoon when we got the call. My brother and I were playing outside when we heard her sobbing loudly. We were scared and ran back inside.

“Boys, your dad has left us,” she told us.

I was confused. I didn’t know what she meant. I asked her: “Where has he gone to live?” “Your dad has died,” she said. But I wasn’t worried because I knew that when someone dies, they go to another place to live.

We started washing and packing our clothes that night because we had to leave for the funeral the next day. When we arrived, I saw people mourning. After the burial, my mother left us there. Our relatives took us to their home to live with them. But they did not treat us the way my dad did.

They insulted my parents, calling them fools. And whenever I asked for money, they would say that they didn’t have any. But I used to see them give money to their own children. That’s when I learned that even your own relatives can treat you badly. Eventually I was too scared to ask for anything.

As soon I was old enough I left to live by myself. Now I am thinking of starting my own business.

This Tune Me reader had to live with relatives who treated him badly. But even a hard start doesn’t have to hold you back in life. If you have dreams, a plan, and are willing to work hard, you can have a good future.

This story was written by a Tune Me community member.