I've been thinking of writing an autobiography or memoir but it just never comes together for me but I figured if I write one story at a time and post it on my blog maybe once a month, I can do that. Maybe one day I'll pull all the stories together and put them in a book but for now I'll just share some stories with you about my childhood. Some of the stories will be happy, some sad and some horrific because that was my childhood. But they will all be real, things that actually happened. If it seems like something that people enjoy reading maybe I'll keep it going. These stories will not be in any kind of order, I'll just write them as they come to me.
Thanksgiving 1985
In 1985 my uncle Jack's ex wife, Geishla, her husband moved to California from Germany. With them they brought their 2 sons and my uncle Jack's daughter, Vicki. They moved near where I lived at the time. My uncle Jack and his wife Wanda also lived near us so they were able to see his daughter Vicki too. I was excited because I got to meet my cousin Vicki and her family for the first time. She was 12 years old so just a couple of years younger than me at 15 years old.
That year at Thanksgiving we were all invited over to Geishla and her husband Joe's house. So me, my mom, her boyfriend, Jose, uncle Jack, his wife Wanda were all over at Geishla and Joe's house visiting with the whole family. Geishla and Joe's other two sons were older than me and Joe Jr had a car so after Thanksgiving dinner, all the kids piled in the car and we went for a ride. When we got back a little while later we saw the police, ambulance and fire department at Vicki's house.
We were not allowed to go in for a while but we found out that all the adults were drinking and there was a fight between my uncle Jack and my mom's boyfriend, Jose. Jose took a knife and stabbed my uncle Jack in the abdomen. He was a big guy and had a big belly which is what saved him from any real damage. He just needed to go to the ER and get stitches. Jose was arrested and when we went back inside after all the police, ambulance and fire department left, my mom and Wanda got into a fight and my mom ended up with a black eye.
My little brother got really mad at Wanda and tried to punch her in the face but Vicki's step dad, Joe stopped him. That Thanksgiving was a complete shit show. I don't think my uncle Jack ended up pressing charges because Jose was out of jail soon after and nothing ever came of it. Everything was back to normal soon after and we were all hanging out again like it never happened.
At that time I lived in Hawthorne, California. Which is really close to Compton, California. Geishla and Joe bought a house in Compton, California and they still live there today. If you know anything about that area then you know it was a hugely bad place to live even back then. Which is probably why the boyfriends my mom found there were so bad, the wife my uncle Jack found there was always ready to fight and there was always something bad happening near where Vicki lived. I went to Leuzinger High School which in in Lawndale, California. You think I live in a bad neighborhood now? This is nothing compared to where I used to live. Maybe that's why none of the things that happen here really bother me now.
Links to past stories
2023
A Thanksgiving to remember - for all the wrong reasons.
ReplyDeleteI do appreciate your life stories. Thank you.
You're welcome. I appreciate that.
DeleteI'm glad your Uncle Joe was not seriously injured. Sometimes that extra fat benefits us. I know of an extremely thin model who was injured in a car accident that would not have harmed a person with regular body fat. Her internal organs were damaged because she did not have fat as a cushion.
ReplyDeleteThat was a Thanksgiving to remember. I want to write something in support of you but the words do not come. This is a well written piece. You've got a poignant memoir in the works.
Thank you so much, I appreciate that.
DeleteAnother bad holiday memory😢 You’ve seen it all, Mary.
ReplyDeleteIt sure seems that way after the fact. But while it was happening I just thought that was how life was.
Delete"Everything was back to normal soon after and we were all hanging out again like it never happened."
ReplyDelete😶 (I have no words).
At least you and your cousins weren't there for the actual fight...you got spared this time.
Yes thankfully.
Deletewow Mary you are one strong woman from all you went through <3
ReplyDeleteThank you. At the time it just felt like life and I thought everyone went though stuff like this.
DeleteA Thanksgiving to remember and not in a good way. I've heard stories about Compton. Raising our kids in a good neighborhood and school district was why my husband and I spent all our money on housing. We were house poor due to wanting to get a large enough home for our big family in a good area.
ReplyDeleteThat was a good idea though.
DeleteUnfortunate to live there.
ReplyDeleteIt was.
DeleteNothing like a good old fashioned family brawl after Thanksgiving dinner 😬. Doctors say belly fat is a bad for one's health, but in this case belly fat saved a life. My mom moved us from LA to Compton when I was 10 years old. At that time, it was a nice community, mixed races, family oriented, our house was just built. It was fine in the area we lived, but a few blocks behind us was a different universe. When a district realignment lumped us into those bad blocks and I had to go to school in that area, where the kids were rough while I was little miss goody two shoes, which made me a target, Mom became frightened for me (with good reason) and moved us out of the district. I graduated from Compton High School which, at that time was mostly White and a nice school with students as goody two shoes as I. So living in Compton in the 60's for me was okay. I think it depends which area of Compton one lives as there are still pockets of nice areas there.
ReplyDeleteThat's the damn truth. I lived in Hawthorne and Vicki lived in Compton but neither neighborhood we lived in was a good one.
DeleteWow. What a story, Mary. You have been through a lot.
ReplyDeleteToo much.
DeleteWhat a sad story. I've never experienced anything like that. It would have been traumatic for me.
ReplyDeleteSeems like it was all traumatic but life goes on as they say.
DeleteYour past experience helps you deal with the present in a realistic way.So, you've won after all.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteGood night! That was a turkey day for the books, but glad your Uncle Jack survived.
ReplyDeleteI used to dread when my whole family would get together for the holidays and lots of them started drinking as soon as they arrived. Let the fireworks commence!
I think that's why I never got into booze or drugs - my own family scared me straight and not all those films they showed us in high school health class. Haha!
You have a gift for storytelling, Mary.
I feel the same way about alcohol and drugs. I saw enough of it that I don't want to do it myself. Thank you so much.
DeleteI would say we are reading your memoir one wonderful and interesting chapter by another.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteWOW, what a festive holiday that was, but at least you did get to meet your cousin!
ReplyDeleteYes, we did get to meet Vicki.
DeleteWow, so glad Uncle Jack survived. I can't imagine having Jose back at your house. I would have been so scared.
ReplyDeleteJose and my mom were smoking pcp and cocaine back then so that's why he was so crazy. They mostly spent all their time in her bedroom smoking dope so I didn't have to spend a lot of time around him for the most part.
DeleteAnd I thought my family was effed up. Thankfully, holidays were never a triggering point for our family, but any other day of the year was fair game for messed up memories. It's amazing to think that you've survived and thrived in spite of your upbringing.
ReplyDeleteAnd I know I'm not he only one either. I hope that anyone else who had a bad childhood will read these and know they are not alone.
DeleteYou sure have been through a lot. I am glad your uncle survived, but that does sound pretty scary how he was stabbed.
ReplyDeleteIt was and crazy that things just went back to normal afterwards.
DeleteWhat a way to ruin what could've been a nice Thanksgiving! The parents behaved worse that the kids. Yes, Compton is not a good area at all. My husband worked in the area for years.
ReplyDeleteIt was nice up until that point but alcohol and drugs don't make for a good family get together.
DeleteI can't believe your mom's boyfriend just stabbed him like that! And then he didn't press charges? That's one crazy Thanksgiving story.
ReplyDeleteNope, things just went back to the same old same old afterwards.
DeleteYou really went through hell. And you really managed to overcome all that you went through to have a good life. I completely understand what you have written cause I come from my own show. I don't feel like the only one.
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone. Too much stuff happened to too many of us.
Delete