Mother, Reggie and I visited my sister Diane in Rochester. I had not been to that city or that state since my mother evacuated Reggie and me to flee my father Herman nicknamed Jack. My nephew, Tyquan had just been born to Diane, and Mother wanted to visit them. I went armed with my paperback copy of The Book of Mormon and a King James Version of the Bible grateful to finally meet my father Jack! Neither Reggie nor I remembered him nor spoke to him prior to that visit. My mother had said nothing but positive things about him, which confused me as to why she ever left him in the first place! She had good reason we found out later.
When I saw my father for the first time, I saw him in his green work uniform. It seemed as though he worked all …show more content…
We pled with her to let him go, which he did speedily when she agreed. He left the house to be with the woman with which he cheated.
Mom was hurt. With all the things she suffered at her husband’s hands—abuse to her and her children—she would not suffer adultery. We left for New York.
Rochester, New York, my birthplace, did not have much meaning to me until I met my other siblings. The siblings that I know of all together, including my mother’s children are Diane, Johnny Lee, Reginald, Terrence, Jeffery and Cantrell (Dad had four other children whom I have not had the pleasure to meet at the publishing of this book—Ebony, Michelle and twins of unknown name). The time that I spent in New York was short, though filled with a rich experience that I cannot begin to communicate, but of course, I will attempt! First, I met Terrence, the youngest of the brothers. He was this talkative little thing with dark skin. His mother was deceased and he lived with Dad, Jack, and his mistress Mrs. Christine. Mrs. Christine helped to raise Terrence and for all intents and purpose was his mother.
Terrence lived in a house with many children adopted, not officially, by Mrs. Christine who became his siblings. Dad accepted this arrangement because it made Christine happy and kept her from stressing about his other clandestine …show more content…
If I had, I would think the things that I read would have turned me against the church. The issue was, what I read drew me closer to the church. I depended heavily on my testimony and found myself in many religious debates with Jeff. I felt that I always won them too!
I remember reading a book that purported to unveil Mormonism to me. The biggest thing that impressed me from that book was its information about plural marriage. It shocked me that polygamy returned with the gospel! I accepted it. It came from the church so it must be true I reasoned. In fact, I was so accepting of it that I fully supported its practice and faulted the government for not allowing it to continue. With no one around to inform me that polygamy was no longer an active LDS practice I had successfully catapulted myself into the nineteenth century!
Sometime during my research periods at the library, Jehovah Witnesses started to visit Diane’s house. We lived at Diane’s home while we stayed in New York. I invited those missionaries in just as I did with the Mormon missionaries intending to listen to them just as intently as they taught. I wanted to find the truth no matter from whence it
When I saw my father for the first time, I saw him in his green work uniform. It seemed as though he worked all …show more content…
We pled with her to let him go, which he did speedily when she agreed. He left the house to be with the woman with which he cheated.
Mom was hurt. With all the things she suffered at her husband’s hands—abuse to her and her children—she would not suffer adultery. We left for New York.
Rochester, New York, my birthplace, did not have much meaning to me until I met my other siblings. The siblings that I know of all together, including my mother’s children are Diane, Johnny Lee, Reginald, Terrence, Jeffery and Cantrell (Dad had four other children whom I have not had the pleasure to meet at the publishing of this book—Ebony, Michelle and twins of unknown name). The time that I spent in New York was short, though filled with a rich experience that I cannot begin to communicate, but of course, I will attempt! First, I met Terrence, the youngest of the brothers. He was this talkative little thing with dark skin. His mother was deceased and he lived with Dad, Jack, and his mistress Mrs. Christine. Mrs. Christine helped to raise Terrence and for all intents and purpose was his mother.
Terrence lived in a house with many children adopted, not officially, by Mrs. Christine who became his siblings. Dad accepted this arrangement because it made Christine happy and kept her from stressing about his other clandestine …show more content…
If I had, I would think the things that I read would have turned me against the church. The issue was, what I read drew me closer to the church. I depended heavily on my testimony and found myself in many religious debates with Jeff. I felt that I always won them too!
I remember reading a book that purported to unveil Mormonism to me. The biggest thing that impressed me from that book was its information about plural marriage. It shocked me that polygamy returned with the gospel! I accepted it. It came from the church so it must be true I reasoned. In fact, I was so accepting of it that I fully supported its practice and faulted the government for not allowing it to continue. With no one around to inform me that polygamy was no longer an active LDS practice I had successfully catapulted myself into the nineteenth century!
Sometime during my research periods at the library, Jehovah Witnesses started to visit Diane’s house. We lived at Diane’s home while we stayed in New York. I invited those missionaries in just as I did with the Mormon missionaries intending to listen to them just as intently as they taught. I wanted to find the truth no matter from whence it