Remembering

Mom's history with men.

I don't remember exactly what was being discussed that night when Melissa, my eldest sister, was home from college during a holiday break, but I believe it to be something about Mom. I remember that when I was younger and kids my age would ask about my family, I would explain it like this: Mom met Phil when she was 18, and got pregnant with Melissa. She didn't marry Phil, nor did he know about Melissa until she was a teenager. Then there was Gary's father, inevitably named Gary as well. My mom didn't marry Gary, either. A few years following the birth of Gary, she met Jim. Jim was the first man she married. I'm not certain if they married because Mom got pregnant with my other sister, but I know Tasha was conceived out of wedlock. Fast forward fifteen months after Tasha was born, and you have my arrival. Shortly after, my parents divorced, though Jim still plays an active role in our lives. So active even, that when he comes home for a visit, (he's a truck driver), my parents end up having sex. Anyways, after Jim, she married Frank. I think everyone in our family hates Frank. After Frank, she married Alan, a man in his early twenties and much younger than she. Melissa got tired of not knowing her father, and after constantly berating my mother to find Phil, she finally did. She also ended up leaving Alan for Phil.

However, the moment I'm discussing right now was after we moved into our current house. It was after Mom kicked Phil out. Yet, it was before Phil committed suicide.