My mother grew up in Arkansas. On a farm with my grandfather and grandmother and two uncles. My grandfather was hard working man and a proper man. So when my mom became pregnant with me when she was 14 he was furious. He let her stay of course but things were never the same. 2 years later my mom became pregnant again. This time with my twin baby sisters. My sisters and I never did know who our father was, my mother didn’t like to talk about it and it made her very depressed so I didn’t press the issue too much. Unfortunately when my mother became pregnant her father had enough and kicked her out of the house. My mother as she later told me expected this. She said she never expected to have my sisters or me but was never mad that she did. She told me that she only had sex twice and consequently paid the price for it.
When we were thrown out my grandfather was kind enough to give her some money. As I was only 2 at the time I was unable to help when mom built a small shack in the forest for us to live. She would make bags and other small items, as she did not want to leave us alone being so young. She could not afford babysitters or any luxuries. Using whatever money we had for food, clothes and survival.
By the time I was 7 I was able to help out more. I did not go to school but did get an education. Albeit not to the standards of other kids. My mom bought my sisters and I books and notepads and taught us from what she had learned. Every morning and night my sisters and I would practice math and English. During the day I would look after my sisters while my mom left us for work in town.
When I was 10 our family finally came into some good luck. My mom met a man who she served while working at the diner she had found employment. A romance started and he took us all in with open arms. His name was Ted and he was by all means a nice guy. He treated me as if I was his son. He was rich by “normal” people’s standards and incredibly wealthy by ours.