Summer 1970

It was summer, 1970, and she wanted her sister gone. Throughout her life Deborah had been the fall guy for dealing with her problem sister, Sandra. Roaming the streets in back of the 1968 Cadillac, in her pink robe, she served as the sounding board for her mother to express her pain concerning the middle sister, Sandra. Sandra was the gift that would not stop giving.  She stole furniture, stole pills, and stole time from Deborah.  Deborah was an A student that graduated from Miller Junior High school that summer.  She was the salutatorian of the class.  She was very proud of this, and so were her parents.  Unfortunately, because of the trouble that her sister was involved in, they were not at the graduation.  At the time that Deborah was delivering her speech, her parents were sitting in a court room trying to keep Sandra out of jail.



This is why Deborah was tired.  It was understandable.  To be fifteen and fat was one thing. To be fifteen, fat, and burdened with a criminal sister, was something else.  Enough is enough. Yes, Deborah was very, very tired.



When the doorbell rang at 2:00am on August 28 1970, her mother was already awake. Sandra had gone out that night, against her advice. What else was new?  Sandra had lived the past five years of her life against her mother’s advice. This night was nothing different. So when the doorbell rang, she was not surprised.



The trashy looking, part-time hooker spoke, “Mama! Sandra was shot!”  Mama slammed the door, woke her husband, and Deborah.  Deborah sat on the side of the bed, stunned.  She knew she had wished her sister away, but she didn’t expect it to happen this way.  Things never turn out quite like you plan them.