At two my real mom, Ellen moved out. At seven my dad passed away.
You'd think it would have had a negative impact on my life, but quite the contrary.
Ellen moved to the west coast and now we talk every month or two. She's a sweet, smart and capable women. One who knows her strengths and weaknesses. She thought before I was born that being a mother was a role she'd grow into. Ellen figured out very quickly before it became an issue, that she had little patience for tears, tantrums and children in general. Also, she needed more attention from a man then my father could give. My father Greg on the other hand was a workaholic. I'm sure he was a wonderful guy, but I hardly knew him.
At three Nancy became my step-mom and moved in, taking over raising me. Nancy has very natural mothering skills; compassion, empathy, caring, honesty and direct speaking traits. I simply thought all mom's were like her. She knew when to delve into a tough subject and when to back away from one. When I was ready to talk to her Nancy was ready to listen.
School work came relatively natural to me, as did my friendships.
Greg died suddenly from a defective ticker, which never presented itself until he bought the farm. A lot of this history and information has been recently been coming to light. Ellen fills in a piece here and there, as does Nancy.
"Adam," Nancy called out, "Matt is here."
Matt, my closest friend is a certified genius. He was always tinkering and figuring out how chemistry and biology connected. He is over my pay grade on the life sciences. I was ahead of him on almost all computer skills. So we never competed with each other, enjoying regular activities together such as biking and swimming for more play.
All the guys in school were cool with Matt, as he never let on just how smart he was. Although Matt and I are the same age he graduated a year ahead of me. He finished undergraduate studies in three years and got a into a combined MD/PHD program that he finished in four years. Now he works at a biopharmaceutical company creating useful drugs. Two years into the job he had already been the key scientist on a drug that controls juvenile arthritis.
As I said Matt was always tinkering on something.
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In tenth grade, early in the school year I got home way before normal and Nancy's car was in the drive way, also extremely early for her. When I walked in the door, she was very surprised to see me. Nancy had tears streaming down her face and shaking like a leaf, which I'd never seen before.
"Mom, what's going on."
"Well...I...uh...uh...(more tears)...I kicked Kevin in the nuts."
I waited a bit. "OK, why."
Oh, I skipped some stuff here.
Nancy is twenty years older then me. Which means she was thirty five when this incident with Kevin took place. Also, she went back into the work force the year before this. Nancy got an art and english degree in school. When she graduated, an advertising firm hired her a week after finishing. Nancy worked for them about a year and a half before moving in with Greg. Taking care of me was close to a full time job and both felt that was in my best interest to do that. It was in everybody's best interest.
Before ninth grade Nancy and I talked about when she'd start working again. Our relationship was a very mature one, she repeatedly said.
Nancy didn't need to go back to work, as Greg left us very well off. However she wanted to and I thought that was great. Nancy went with a different advertising firm then the one she worked with after college. What the heck did I know about extra curricular social and cultural norms in the advertising world then?
"Kevin (the firm's president) started...gro...gro...groping me." More tears now.
"And I told...told...him to stop."
"Did he stop," I asked?
"No. So I kicked him in the nuts."
