My Parents Kicked Me Out for Being a Teen Mom — But an Eccentric Old Woman Took Me In and Changed My Life Forever The night my world collapsed, the air smelled faintly of lavender detergent and burnt toast. My mom had made herself a late-night snack, and the bread had stayed in the toaster too long, turning black at the edges. That smell mixed with the sharpness of her words—words that will never leave me: “If you’re really going to keep this baby, you can’t stay here. I won’t accept it.” I was