I was only 6 years old. We were at Dad’s house for another visit. My brother and I were enjoying our time outside with another young boy who lived in our Dad’s apartment building. The warmth of the sun was beating down on our exposed skin as we chased all of the wildlife around.
The boys and I would chase, catch and contain snakes inside an empty trash can only to release them a short time later. Our days were full of endless games and ordering out for dinner in the evenings. We had the best times there but we would have never let our mother know it.
I don’t know the date but I will never forget that day. That day when something new was introduced into our world. There was an old computer sitting in the living room with a web-cam attached to the top of it.
We barged through the front door after releasing our last batch of captured serpents searching for an icy treat. As we entered the living room, we noticed Dad sitting in the chair at the computer. He was talking to it and focused on the conversation.
There was a break in the conversation of which he asked us if we would be willing to say “hello” to his friend. “Her name is N,” he said. So we lined up next to each other and recited the statement we were asked to say. We were greeting her from far away.
You see, my Dad had been on the internet and met N in a chat room. They really connected and suddenly things were beginning to change. It was some time later that I entered the kitchen to a cloud of smoke. There was a woman sitting in a chair with a grey sweatshirt on just grinning at my shy head peaking around the corner. I don’t remember the conversation or if there was anything said but that was my first impression.
My memory is failing me as I look back on the time that passed and the transitions that began. Looking back, it feels like only days but I know it was longer. When we arrived for another visit to my Dad’s house, we were greeted at the door by a teenage girl with her hair in a towel. She introduced herself to me as another young girl came running from the back room.
Confused, I looked around and entered my Dad’s apartment. Little did I know that those 2 girls would become my step-sisters. They had moved in from across the country. There was some anger inside me for the thought of two girls having my Dad all the time when I didn’t but I remember excitement as well as I realized that I would have girls to hang out with.
How could I have known where it would have gone after that? Only one person knew how the story would continue….
Time Has Taught 