A Tale of Hope amidst Suffering

 

In former times, there was a young girl named Kimora Brown who lives with her mother. They were destitute and could barely complete three square meals a day.

Her mother would sit besides her and look on while she eats. She would immediately refuse when Kimora offers her a spoonful and says, “Eat up, my daughter. I'm not really hungry.”

Kimora was 7 years old when her father left and abandoned them. At 41 years old, her mother was left with no money, no permanent job and no belongings.
 
He Was Cruel To His Wife
 
The end of an abusive relationship was in the offing earlier on as Kimora's irresponsible father never really cared for her and her mom. Mr. Leo Brown expresses a lack of concern for his wife's feelings when he speaks. He was oblivious to things that affect his wife and cares so little about her well being. He is more concerned about himself rather than the welfare of his own family.

At first, it was emotional and financial abuse. He would make Rebekah feel inferior in front of other people.  Rebekah's biggest fear is to get married to a wrong person and end up regretting. Unfortunately, this road is exactly what was to unfold as it what  has life thrown her way.   

Red flags were manifesting one by one. It seemed like Rebekkah was always the one dealing with all the responsibilities of the family.Leo started becoming irritated with small things and Rebekkah was getting targeted every time. He acts as if his angry outbursts are normal and it became increasingly abusive.

The violence then progressed. The swearing and name-calling increased. It went from verbal to physical real fast. For years, Rebekah fought hard to keep her family together. She gave not just one, but multiple chances. She didn’t give up trying, no matter how painful it gets.

Rebekah: "His behaviour changed rapidly. I know I should have recognized the red flags, but it’s hard to get perspective when you’re inside a situation."

The first time he put his hands on Rebekah was when she was 3 months pregnant. He grabbed her by the neck in anger. She went limp with difficulty in breathing. Only then did he released her.

Mr. Brown: “‘Look what you made me do Rebekah”, ‘You made me hurt you.’

In another argument, he pushed her body down onto the floor which was already bursting with an eight-month baby and mounted her, pressing her tummy on the floor, almost nearly murdering their unborn daughter! Rebekah was bent on leaving Leo, but decided to stay for she wanted her child to grow up with a father,  hoping things will improve after she gives birth to Kimora.

A Baby Girl Was Finally Born

But verbal, sexual, physical and emotional abuse persisted. In March 2006, when Kimora was almost two years old, her father tied a blanket around Rebekkah's neck to strangle her. This time, she went to the police to let people know that the way she was being treated by her husband was not okay.

No one knew what went on behind closed doors. He treated Rebekah like she was his property. Rebekah experienced the pains of a dysfunctional marriage. This would drag on for years.


It reached a point when Rebekkah's father would pick up a fight with her mother whenever he gets drunk. At times, he would be out drinking with friends for days and then just go home when he needs more money to buy liquor. Whilst Rebekkah was happy to stay at home, her husband was only interested in gallivanting, and spending most of his nights out socializing with his biker friends.

On the other hand, Rebekah Brown works round the clock without any complaints to keep her husband and daughter happy. She  does multiple jobs  to put food on the table.
Rebekah is a woman-slave that would do everything to secure the future of her husband and child.
 

During their marriage, Rebekkah did her best to solve the problems and keep things afloat, but unfortunately, her attempts were futile. She was tapped out, unhappy with the relationship she was in, but have tried to hold on to the marriage  for the sake of Kimora. The constant abuse in relationship made Rebekkah's life absolute hell.

His Family Life Was Tough

Truth be told, and something very few people know about her mom, she comes from a wealthy clan. Kimora's mom used to live an affluent life before tying the knot. She comes from a well-educated family background where both parents are have worked in reputed companies. She had everything a person could have, and came from the “right” family, focused on career.

On the other hand, Mr. Brown comes from a family of farmers in a small town living a life less than ideal. He had a difficult relationship with his father and was a redneck from the wrong side of the highway. He struggled a lot in his younger years to make both ends meet due to lack of a professional degree.

It was a classic case of a rich girl marrying a poor boy. She had options from eligible bachelors and yet she chose Mr. Brown. While her parents had doubts in the union, they left the choice of groom on their daughter, keeping an open mind. They warned her that there could be more downsides to this marriage than upsides but Mrs. Brown was bent on marrying the love of her life.

And as she was making some life changes, her friends fell to the wayside. No one could believe how much an achiever would put in the relationship to take it forward to marriage.

Three years into the married life, Kimora's dad doesn’t make her mom happy anymore. The marriage was filled with excuses and frequent lies. Mr. Brown will not take responsibility for his own actions and often tosses the blame on her mom's inadequacies. Rebekkah always finds herself apologizing to something which is far from the truth.  Mr. Brown never admits to doing anything wrong.

Physical, verbal abuse and abandonment are the most disrespectful acts that a women can endure as all three reek of rejection. Instead of growing and evolving and making some awesome life changes as husband and wife, they grew further apart.

A Journey To Healing   

Rebekah came to realize that though she is treating people right, they’re doing her wrong and continues on leaving her out.

She just grew plain tired of the person she used to be and desires to be someone she always wanted to be in her midlife---live like a free person! It had been a struggle understanding when it's time to cut out toxic individuals out of her life for a long while. The constant humiliation and emotional beat ups had to end.

Mrs. Brown doesn't want to go through life with too many regrets so she started making some changes. And these life-changing tasks were not easy.

Rebekkah thrived on predictability and routine, and this COVID-19 Pandemic abandonment had completely blown her away.

This was a major turning point in her family life and Kimora's future. She needed a fresh start to get away from a bad relationship.

Instead of wallowing in misery and self-pity, she reinvented her entire existence from job, who she is as a person, all the way to the place she now lives with her daughter. She changed into a completely different person, "Now, I can face all obstacles without fear."

It took some time. Their life transition was scary all the time, but they both made it through.

Rebekah Brown was a hardworking  parent. She held multiple jobs to provide for all the things that Kimora needs. She stayed up late nights for extra income. She did everything for her daughter, whom she loved so dearly.

Life hasn't been smooth sailing for Kimora Brown and her mom. It was painful to see how easily Mr. Brown turns his back and deserts his wife and daughter each time. But Kimora was able to pave a way to achieve her dreams. Her dedication and ‘never-give-up’ attitude coupled with her mom's selfless love, catapulted her to success. Academic performance had given her the boost to pursue higher education despite financial struggles.

Looking towards the Future

Now at 22, Kimora Brown is a graduating student at the Harvard University, where she is a scholar. All the sacrifices of her beloved mother had eventually paved off. Mom and daughter are resilient than ever after a ton of drama that they never asked for but managed to survive.

Kimona: "Thanks mom, for standing by me all these years. I am what I am because of you."

Rebekah: "You my child, you are the very reason for my existence. I'm so proud of you. I love you to the moon and back."

Seldom does life work out the way we plan it. However, there are moments when the detours bring us exactly where we need to be. It took Rebekkah years to heal from trauma and abuse. With God's grace, mom and child were able to pull it through. Trusting God in those difficult times really stretched her faith. In the end, she realized that great things do take time indeed!

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