Grown up before a grown up

I absolutely was an adult before my time. As a child and teenager for some reason I liked to be around adults, I worked in my aunt's pet store starting at 9. I have loved working since then. I can't remember much before I was 10 because of certain things which occurred around that age. I am told that my father loved me when I was young and loved having daddy's little girl. It is quite sad that I can't remember any of that. My father was thrown out of my life at the age of 12 or so. I'm not even sure how old I was. A lot of things happened when i was a teenager and my solution was to throw myself into work. I worked at checkers fast food restaurant, did lighting design for dance studios and worked in a kitchen when I was 16. I did all three the summer before my senior year in high school. I'd ride my bike from one to the next to the next. I worked at AMF bowling alley as a waitress, in a kitchen as a garde manger (pronounced gard mahn-zhey according to dictionary.com). I worked at Toys R' Us, Rite Aid, a local greek restaurant, a deli and now Target. I am a lighting designer for 2 high schools on long island and pick up various gigs in manhattan from time to time. I have worked my ass off for years and have only recently learned how to just sit back and relax. Mostly because of my boyfriend I have been able to participate in the last year in things I've never done, such as going out on a regular basis to enjoy myself with friends. He's shown me how to experience life and have more fun than I've ever had before. I was with a man for a few years who forced me to be an adult and treat him like a child. It's weird considering that he turns 41 in october and I turn 23 tomorrow. September 27th, happy birthday to Rita.