I should preface with my Dad's marital history. He married my step-mother, Barbara in high school because she was pregnant with my oldest brother, Scott. They loved each other, so it was not an obligatory thing. They were married for years, though I'm not sure how many. I know he married my mom in the late 60s, so I'll guess he was married to Barb about 10 yrs (this time). During the first marriage, my brother, Allan, was also born.

Dad and Barb divorced, and he married my mother, Randy. Before I was born in 1974, Dad was stationed in Germany in the Army. My mom was with him. She had a bad accident on the autobahn, and was in a coma briefly. Later in life, she took lithium and other drugs and was "not all there," including being bipolar and/or manic-depressive. I'm not sure if the accident is the cause or not.

Side note - I vividly remember, when I must have been 4 or so, going on a trip to see my uncle in Florida with my mother. She had apparently been drinking, and had an accident. She ran off the interstate and rolled all the way down an embankment. I was thrown out the back window of her Toyota Corolla. She was also thrown out, and was pinned underneath the upside down car. I must've been knocked out, because I remember waking up in the grass. I ran to her and tried to pull her out. Of course, I couldn't. I had to climb the hill with a chunk of glass sticking out of my leg to flag down someone. After a couple of cars stopped, I got a guy in a van with a CB to call an ambulance. My mother had broken both her legs and several ribs. My guess is that this was used in court for my Dad to get custody.

Well, skip to 1979. I was 4 when they divorced, I think. There was lots of drama, but I stayed with my mother. My Dad petitioned for custody on the grounds that Randy was not a fit mother, and won. (The fact that in 1979 a man won custody of his female child says a lot.) I vaguely remember being outside the courtroom, since I wasn't allowed in. By this time, Dad and Barbara were back together (remarried), and I was with them. They re-divorced in the early 80s.

Dad was married to a woman named Linda for about 7 years, before he went back to (but did not remarry) Barbara. This woman is another story altogether.

OK. Preface over. When I was with Dad and Barbara during their second marriage, I was told to run if I ever saw my mother in public. How do you think that affected me? I did see her one day at Rich's. She walked up behind me in the girls department and said, "Hi, Christy." I turned around and saw her, and ran to find Barbara. I think they may have been afraid that she would kidnap me. I think I was 7 or 8 at the time. I was terrified of my own mother. (Page my therapist, would you?)

She actually showed up with the police at our house one night. Me and my brother, Allan, were there alone. Allan was in high school, I was maybe 8 or 9. Again, I was frightened. I actually answered the door, but didn't recognize her. Allan did, and said, "What do you want?" He came to the door, told her to leave, closed the door, then went to grab a baseball bat. A little while later, she came back with the police "to get her daughter." By this time, Dad and Barb were home. I don't know what all happened from here, but I've heard there was an altercation between my mother and Barbara. Barbara has quite a temper.

OK, let me pause there. This is way too long of an entry already.