9. Chatham

Sisterhood

Healing doesn’t mean the damage never existed. It means the damage no longer controls our lives. — Unknown

* * * * *

For the next five years, my mother retained custody and I lived with her. For the first time, my home life began to stabilize. I started to feel more secure. About a month after I got out of the hospital, we moved from the trailer park to Chatham, a town nearby. The three sisters, my mother, Alice, and Chrissy, rented a house with two other women for the winter. Miraculously, the five women, all in their early twenties, got along, making for a lively yet, stable home. A social worker was assigned to my case; she visited unannounced every couple of weeks, but never had any issues to report. 

My time in Chatham was the closest I felt to having a happy childhood. I loved living with so many people after spending so much time alone in the hospital. While more surgeries and hospitalization were to come, for a little while I had a reprieve. In the fall of 1971, I started Head Start. I loved school and looked forward to going everyday.