Stories From My Life #6

Before we left Memphis and before the church wedding, My dad erased my mother and gave her children to his new wife who, "always wanted more children, but could never have them." Wah! Wah!

Once Maxine came into our father's life, he never looked back to think of how our mother might feel about his actions. It was as though Terry and I had been dropped on Earth magically, so that Maxine could have the family she always wanted.

They went to a lawyer who changed our birth certificates to erase our mother and slip Maxine's name into the birth mother line. We had to go to court where I'm sure my dad and Max thought we'd leave as the new Brady Bunch.

Kathy would take the role of Marsha - always with some sort of crisis of some kind. Terry would be Greg - steady as she goes big brother. And me, I'd look like Cindy, but I'd actually be invisible like Jan.

The judge asked us if we agreed to the adoption. I wish now that I had had the same hutzpah I'd had at first communion practice, but I just sat there and nodded my head. Looking back I think Terry and I both felt like we were being rushed down the river - everything out of our control and no one asking how we actually felt about it all. We could have used some counseling. I was angry and insolent, for which my father slapped me and so did Maxine. My father had never raised a hand to me before my mom died.