Old Me, New View Ch. 7
By then we all knew it wouldn’t be much longer before little brother would come into this already chaotic world. January 1994, Welcome home little brother. I was able to go to the hospital and have some Taco Bell with momma while waiting on the arrival of little brother. Daddy bought a chocolate cake for momma’s delivery team. A while later, Daddy brought me home to Old Mawmaw’s and Pain’s and I was able to spend the night with them. The next day my momma and dad and little brother came home. I was MAD! I did not by all means want a brother. I tried to kick his car seat over, but I missed, he was in it. I wanted a sister more than anything.
Not long after little brother was here, the “wicked” aunt adopted a little cousin of mine. I was so happy cause then I’d have a friend since my momma and nanny was friends again. I used to go ride with them to Popeye’s get some fries and ride around and sing. I had so much fun with them. All the sleep overs I had at nanny’s house with little cousin. Little cousin then became my best friend, my only friend.
One day I woke up and my momma was screaming on the phone at my nanny. I don’t remember why or for what, but some people came to see me at my school later on that week. I got called into the principal’s office out of class like I was in some big trouble. I remember walking out of class and slowly walking up the stairs to the principal’s office. When I got up the stairs, the principle was there to meet me. He took my hand and lead me into his office. He told me I wasn’t in any trouble but these two ladies that were there were there to help me and ask me a couple questions. He said I needed to be honest and tell them the truth and not to be afraid they weren’t going to hurt me. I remember telling him “Ok, yes sir.” Then he said he was going to leave the room and it would only be me and the two ladies that were there.
The door slammed shut as he walked out of it. I didn’t know who they were or why they were there yet. They asked me questions like, who do you live with, is your family nice to you, does your parents feed you and my favorite, does your family hit you. They asked me questions about little brother and who takes care of him. They asked me if he cries a lot. I answered all of their questions truthfully. The next thing they wanted from me was to take all of my clothes off so they could get “a good look” as they called it to make sure I was telling the truth that I wasn’t getting beat on by my family. One lady would help me get in one position and the other took pics. She took pictures of me and my naked five-year-old body.
When I got home from school that day my momma and Mawmaw told me who those people were. I told them I was scared, and I had to get naked for them to take pictures of me. They both told me they had already went by there that morning and they wanted me to tell them everything they asked me and said since they had no knowledge of them coming to me at my school. They told me the ladies checked the refrigerator and cabinets and all making sure there was food in the house for me. My momma would scream at me wanting to know what I said so I wouldn’t get her in trouble. I’m not sure what trouble she’d had gotten into cause Mawmaw and old Mawmaw was the ones I was always with. I was definitely well taken care of by them. Sadly, but it’s almost like a blur of my momma being around in my young life. It was finally told to me that my nanny, the “wicked” aunt called Child protective Services on them to take me away from them.
About two months later, everything was squashed between them, and we were all friends again. I was finally able to go back and have sleep overs with little cousin. I was happy again. A few months later I got called out of class and into the principal’s office again for a second time. The same ladies that came to see me the first time was back. This time they asked me the same questions as the first time. And when they took their pictures of me, I didn’t have to get naked. I had a white knitted sweater on, school was always cold. I had to take it off. They would just lift my shirt and roll up my short sleeves.
Later on in life I discovered they were doing that just to hurt the other. It’s pathetic to put kids through that, not only wasting valuable resources that other people actually do need and could use. I can’t ask the question of why any harder on this situation. My momma and Mawmaw showed up to every school function my whole kindergarten year. I was an A-B honor roll student. Pawpaw always told me, “Keep ya head in ya books”, “It’s the only way you will get somewhere”. I went on to first grade.