Member-only story
A Man Called Ross
“Ross had two fathers’…loved them both and was loved twofold in return. His mom filed for divorce when he was five. His birthfather was his hero and always would be, despite his mother’s verbal swipes.”
At three…going on four years of age, I remember being awakened by my father. With an ear-to-ear smile, he bundled me up and said we were going to see my sister. Half asleep, I shrugged it off as some chicanery my dad was fond of indulging at my expense. In the car, we went and soon parked at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, Oakland, California. Dad said he would check on Mom, and I had to stay in the car…thank heavens, I got to go back to sleep! Dark, damp, and wet outside, I nestled into a Pendleton car blanket and… lights out. Several hours later, or so it seemed, we were driving back home, just Dad and me. Mom would be home in a day or so, I was assured…I didn’t even want to think about having a baby in the house. Besides, I got to spend time with my aunt and cousin Gordon, who lived in the same row of military housing we did.
Naval housing was a great place to hang out. There were plenty of kids coming and going, and one never had to worry about being the new kid on the block.
The baby arrives…I’m not ready to say the word sister, all I know is that things around the house will never be the same again. My worst memory is the confounding incessant crying in the…
