I strongly believe that kids need structure. My time with Sandy and Larry was the first
structure I ever had. Every day when we
came home from school, we had to sit at the kitchen table and do homework for
one hour whether we had it or not. Then,
we had to practice our instruments for 30 minutes. I had taken up the clarinet. Let’s just say I became a much better singer
than clarinet player, but the 30 minutes of practice each day helped! My new brother, Brad, played the drums and
was in the marching band at Davenport Central High School. Thank goodness we practiced at different
times! Each weekend, we all had
different chores that had to be done before we could do anything, including
enjoy our awesome pool. I had to clean
the kitchen from top to bottom. Sandy
and Larry had given me a great gift that I would take with me when I left them
~ the gift of structure. And, of course,
the importance of a clean kitchen. I
also believe kids need an exorbitant amount of love. Sandy and Larry lacked quite a bit in this
department, but this was something I was used to. When I moved in, Sandy and Larry set up my
bedroom in the basement just off the family room where we would spend many
nights together. I was their first and
only foster child. The only downside was
my bedroom had no door ~ no real privacy.
I wanted my older foster sister Karen’s room. I wanted to be Karen. She was tall, slim and always tan. She was so cool. And we got along great right from the
start. She let me go with her
everywhere. I adored her. And she adored me. Until she didn’t. This occurred abruptly on my 13th
birthday. Like any young girl, I was
ecstatic my 13th birthday had finally arrived. I was a teenager! I awoke that morning with such
excitement. I had dressed up for school
and came upstairs early for my birthday breakfast with my family. Not everyone was as prompt as I, but I could
be patient. But Brad hadn’t even gotten
out of bed yet! I went in to his room
and heard his alarm going off, but he wasn’t in bed. Maybe he was in the bathroom, I thought. I leaned over to turn off his alarm and
that’s when I saw him. He wasn’t in the
bathroom. He was slumped on the floor
between his bed and the wall. I saw
immediately that his fingernails were blue.
My scream finally brought everyone to breakfast.
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