The first person to notice was my mom.

Of course it was her. She was the only one who ever truly paid close attention to me.

As much as I resented her for the kind of life I lived while growing up, I knew she was as much a victim as I was. The only difference was I chose to fight for a different life for myself. A life where I called the shots.

"Mariam, you’ve been quiet," she said on the phone one Sunday morning. Church was over. She always called after service. The first question she always asked was “Did you go to church?”

And I'd lie each...