Life Unscripted

Tragedy Strikes That Changes Everything

Adjusting to life now as a young child was manageable but the transition into a new house wasn't. I mostly stayed with my adopted grandparents but now my adopted mother was with someone else and I didn't really like him much. Both parties would try and take me around like I was theirs and the new man tried to change her view of what her responsibilities were as my parent.

I remembered that while I was still in my grandparents home, that I would see a lot of people come in and out of the home, men that my adopted mothers new boyfriend would bring around. I was probably about six or seven when I recall one man who was always intoxicated he would always be at my grandparents home when my mother's boyfriend was around. He would always say he was my uncle but I'd only met him two or three times. He would tell me to come and sit in his lap. What I can remember is he would bribe me with candy or ice cream. He would always tell me to come to the back patio as no one would be in there. I didn't think anything about it, I'm young and innocent. One day, he got really comfortable and bribed me again with cookies and ice cream. He told me to come and sit on his lap, but this time he unzipped his pants and told me to touch his private part. He would grab my hand to touch him. I didn't know what the heck was happening so I jumped off his lap and ran to the living room where my older brother was. He never did that again, I think I startled him by running away. I also think he was afraid of me mentioning it to anyone. I barely saw him around anymore. Then there was an incident were I was walking to my bus stop to catch the school bus and I saw another man who was always coming around to my adopted grandparents home and he was always intoxicated also. He would be walking home from wherever he was coming from and see me waiting by myself at the bus stop and just try and kiss me. Incidents like these I suppressed in my little young mind until I was a teenager then one specific incident occurred and it brought all those memories back.

My life at this point started getting more challenging. My adopted Mother was always real demanding of me. I believe with the new man around he probably said to her that I was old enough now to do daily chores. I remember her and her boyfriend dropping me off each Saturday morning to the laundry mat to wash the whole households clothing. The twist is they would only leave me enough money for all the loads of laundry but not anything so that I could eat with. Can you imagine a now 8 or 9 year old child being left at a public laundromat responsible for such a huge task. Left there all day at that. I remember dreading Saturday's. Any normal young child would be enjoying the day off from school, playing with their friends. I believe this is when resentment entered my heart and I just became really hard cautious and a tough skinned little girl.

My adopted mother would make it a point to come and take me on the weekends to her new place she just got with her new boyfriend. It was awkward because now she had his whole family there who moved from Samoa. I felt out of place with her and always wanted to be at my grandparents home. For this is where I felt more comfortable at when my Nana and Papa were home.

The relationship I had with my Nana and Papa  was the most beautiful, precious and purest blessing from the Lord. I was always with my Nana because she was ill and had heart issues. I remember everyone always being busy out and about but I was left to care for her. Sometimes I would miss school to make sure she had her meals cooked, her medication taken on time each day. What I cherished the most at that time was the genuine love she and Papa had for me. I would say it was the best time in my childhood I could remember.

One chilly night, Oct 10, 1985, I remembered this like it was yesterday. Something happened that would change my whole trajectory on life. I am ten years old now and this incident would be etched in my heart forever.

Suddenly, I hear my Nana calling my name. I always slept on the floor next to her bed. I looked over at the digital clock on the dresser and I saw the clock turn 1:29 AM. I asked her what she wanted, she says to throw her a cool pajama top as she's really hot. I reached into the dresser and just threw it up to her on the bed. I wasn't too worried as I saw my Papa sitting next to her. Then I tried to go back to sleep. Just a minute later, I hear her yell my name JERUSHA! I jump up off the floor to see what she wanted and at this time I looked at the clock and it's now just turned 1:30 AM but now I'm startled because I see my Papa panicking . He was trying to wake her up! I looked at my Nana and she was closing her eyes, slowly slipping away, laying there lifeless. I said to my Papa what's happening? He answers, go call 911! I do as he instructs and not understanding the severity of it all, I run next door to ask my best friends mother to come over to help my Nana. I run back to the house no one's home that lives with us. Just me and my Nana and Papa and my older brother is knocked out in the back patio of the house. I didn't know what else to do but to wait for the ambulance.

What happens next is what makes this night more crazy. Stay tuned!