Margaret Tammy..age oneToday, I'm going to backtrack a couple of years....back to my life in Battle Creek, Michigan and the first time I found myself on my knees, asking my Lords' help with a situation I could not handle by myself.
Without going into detail, I found myself a single...separated...mother of two babies. Tammy was two and Buddy was one. Mark was in Labrador and his family was in Grand Rapids, while mine was in Ypsilanti/Belleville. I was totally alone. When he left, we made the decision I would remain in Battle Creek because I had a good job with an insurance adjusting firm. But shortly after he left I began hearing tales of his infidelities and had to deal with that heartbreak. During that winter, from October to March, Tammy was in the hospital three times with pneumonia/bronchitis and Buddy once.
I had a live-in baby-sitter. A sixteen year old girl whom I took in after her parents kicked her out of their home for delinquency. In April, Alice got married and I had to find another baby-sitter. Answering an ad in the paper, I met a girl my age when we were both checking out the same baby-sitter...and both chose her. It was perfect for my kids...a small farm, a stay-at-home mom with two small kids of her own, just on the northern edge of Battle Creek.
Jane, the other gal I met and I became friendly. One thing led to another and we decided to move in together and share expenses. We rented a big three bedroom apartment. I had no furniture of my own except cribs for Tammy and Buddy. Jane was living with her parents...so they furnished the apartment for us. I paid the first month's rent and Jane paid the required one month's deposit.
For two months everything was great. Jane and I were very compatible. She had one child, a little boy about 9 months old. She worked at a local restaurant and had varying shifts....most days a split shift. When she worked evenings and weekends, I kept Robby for her. It was no hardship...he was a sweet baby whom I quickly came to love.
Then, one day a visit from her ex-husband made everything come crashing down. He showed up on a Saturday, while Jane was working. Now, she had warned me that he was not allowed to see the baby and to never let him in the house. But, this day I was in the bathroom when he knocked on the door and Tammy opened the door and let him in. I demanded he leave....when he told me I was a fool. He had legal papers with him...showing Jane had been served with child custody papers. His story was that he was trying to get custody of Robby because Jane was unfit. He said she was a prostitute and the nights and weekends she was supposedly working at a restaurant she was instead plying her other trade....a high-priced call girl. He further said I would be subpoenaed as witness....as to hours Jane actually spent with Robby.
When Jane came home, I confronted her. She admitted everything. I told her that I couldn't take a chance with my babies and would find another place to live the first of the month. She was very nice about it, very apologetic about misleading me.
The following week, I saw very little of Jane, a few minutes here and there. Then on Saturday, I went to work, for four hours, as usual, dropping Tammy and Buddy off at the baby-sitters. At ten a.m. I got a call from the child welfare office...telling me they wanted my children. Panic-stricken, I asked why...and the social worked told me she had visited my apartment that morning, and I could not keep two kids living in a vacant apartment. I explained it was not vacant when I left for work that morning...and she snottily said..well, it is now! I immediately told my boss I had an emergency and had to leave.
I went to the apartment...and the social worker was right. Jane had moved out...taking everything except my cribs and our clothes, which were thrown all over the floors of mine and their bedrooms. She even took the refrigerator for which I had paid half. I sat down in the middle of that vacant place and cried. Scared to death. I could not lose my babies. They were my life.
After I pulled myself together, I went out to the farm and picked up Tammy and Buddy. Because I had a good relationship with my mother-in-law, that was where I went. Grand Rapids was only an hour away and I was sure Margaret would help me.
When I got there and explained the problem, Margaret was very sympathetic as I knew she would be. But, Aaron, her husband, was a different. I asked them to keep the babies for two weeks...when I would have enough money saved to rent another apartment for us. At first, Margaret said ...great, she'd love having them. Then, Aaron, who Mark had always said was a mean drunk...had other ideas. He told me they'd be happy to keep the kids....forever! If I left them for two weeks, he'd go to court and get custody of them!
Completely devastated, I put Tammy and Buddy in the car. Margaret was crying. So was Susan, Mark's sister....and me and the kids. Margaret kept saying she was sorry but had to do what Aaron wanted. I hugged her and said I understood...but my kids would never again be in her house. That was the last time we ever saw her.
Leaving there, I had no choice but to go home...to my parents. So, I drove to Sumpter...and to my surprise, mom and dad had moved and I didn't know where. I went to Aunt Susies and she said they had moved to Indiana two weeks ago. The kids and I stayed with Aunt Susie that night...but it was obvious we couldn't stay there. They had a small three bedroom home with five kids. Saturday night, not being able to sleep, I got up and went outside. Sitting on the steps, I prayed.
Lord, I said, I know I haven't been a very good Christian, but I know you love me and my kids. Father, I have nobody else. I need a place for us to live and a job so I can support us. I'm asking for your help and trusting you.
There was more, because I spent a good hour there praying and crying. The next morning, Aunt Susie said Mom and Dad may have paid rent for the month and had not taken everything from the house. So, I decided to check it out and see if the kids and could live in their old house for a couple of weeks. Mom and Dad had left an old coal burning stove in the kitchen and a couple of old mattresses and bedsprings. The place was desolate...but I thought, it might do for a couple of weeks...at least we'd be warm and dry.
I left to go see the landlord. On the way, I stopped at my friends, Nick and Helen. Helen had been my best friend when I lived in Sumpter. After hearing my tale of woe, they invited me and the kids to live with them until I could get back on my feet! Talk about an answer to a prayer!
Nick even took his pick-up to Battle Creek and picked up my cribs and belongings.
During the two weeks we stayed with them, I found a job working for a real estate office in Ypsilanti. The first of the month, when I got my allotment check, I rented the same apartment Mark and I had started our married life in...where we lived when Tammy was born. I have always been eternally grateful to Nick and Helen. I think they, literally, saved our lives. Had we moved into that old house, who knows what would have happened to us.
to be continued.
Without going into detail, I found myself a single...separated...mother of two babies. Tammy was two and Buddy was one. Mark was in Labrador and his family was in Grand Rapids, while mine was in Ypsilanti/Belleville. I was totally alone. When he left, we made the decision I would remain in Battle Creek because I had a good job with an insurance adjusting firm. But shortly after he left I began hearing tales of his infidelities and had to deal with that heartbreak. During that winter, from October to March, Tammy was in the hospital three times with pneumonia/bronchitis and Buddy once.
I had a live-in baby-sitter. A sixteen year old girl whom I took in after her parents kicked her out of their home for delinquency. In April, Alice got married and I had to find another baby-sitter. Answering an ad in the paper, I met a girl my age when we were both checking out the same baby-sitter...and both chose her. It was perfect for my kids...a small farm, a stay-at-home mom with two small kids of her own, just on the northern edge of Battle Creek.
Jane, the other gal I met and I became friendly. One thing led to another and we decided to move in together and share expenses. We rented a big three bedroom apartment. I had no furniture of my own except cribs for Tammy and Buddy. Jane was living with her parents...so they furnished the apartment for us. I paid the first month's rent and Jane paid the required one month's deposit.
For two months everything was great. Jane and I were very compatible. She had one child, a little boy about 9 months old. She worked at a local restaurant and had varying shifts....most days a split shift. When she worked evenings and weekends, I kept Robby for her. It was no hardship...he was a sweet baby whom I quickly came to love.
Then, one day a visit from her ex-husband made everything come crashing down. He showed up on a Saturday, while Jane was working. Now, she had warned me that he was not allowed to see the baby and to never let him in the house. But, this day I was in the bathroom when he knocked on the door and Tammy opened the door and let him in. I demanded he leave....when he told me I was a fool. He had legal papers with him...showing Jane had been served with child custody papers. His story was that he was trying to get custody of Robby because Jane was unfit. He said she was a prostitute and the nights and weekends she was supposedly working at a restaurant she was instead plying her other trade....a high-priced call girl. He further said I would be subpoenaed as witness....as to hours Jane actually spent with Robby.
When Jane came home, I confronted her. She admitted everything. I told her that I couldn't take a chance with my babies and would find another place to live the first of the month. She was very nice about it, very apologetic about misleading me.
The following week, I saw very little of Jane, a few minutes here and there. Then on Saturday, I went to work, for four hours, as usual, dropping Tammy and Buddy off at the baby-sitters. At ten a.m. I got a call from the child welfare office...telling me they wanted my children. Panic-stricken, I asked why...and the social worked told me she had visited my apartment that morning, and I could not keep two kids living in a vacant apartment. I explained it was not vacant when I left for work that morning...and she snottily said..well, it is now! I immediately told my boss I had an emergency and had to leave.
I went to the apartment...and the social worker was right. Jane had moved out...taking everything except my cribs and our clothes, which were thrown all over the floors of mine and their bedrooms. She even took the refrigerator for which I had paid half. I sat down in the middle of that vacant place and cried. Scared to death. I could not lose my babies. They were my life.
After I pulled myself together, I went out to the farm and picked up Tammy and Buddy. Because I had a good relationship with my mother-in-law, that was where I went. Grand Rapids was only an hour away and I was sure Margaret would help me.
When I got there and explained the problem, Margaret was very sympathetic as I knew she would be. But, Aaron, her husband, was a different. I asked them to keep the babies for two weeks...when I would have enough money saved to rent another apartment for us. At first, Margaret said ...great, she'd love having them. Then, Aaron, who Mark had always said was a mean drunk...had other ideas. He told me they'd be happy to keep the kids....forever! If I left them for two weeks, he'd go to court and get custody of them!
Completely devastated, I put Tammy and Buddy in the car. Margaret was crying. So was Susan, Mark's sister....and me and the kids. Margaret kept saying she was sorry but had to do what Aaron wanted. I hugged her and said I understood...but my kids would never again be in her house. That was the last time we ever saw her.
Leaving there, I had no choice but to go home...to my parents. So, I drove to Sumpter...and to my surprise, mom and dad had moved and I didn't know where. I went to Aunt Susies and she said they had moved to Indiana two weeks ago. The kids and I stayed with Aunt Susie that night...but it was obvious we couldn't stay there. They had a small three bedroom home with five kids. Saturday night, not being able to sleep, I got up and went outside. Sitting on the steps, I prayed.
Lord, I said, I know I haven't been a very good Christian, but I know you love me and my kids. Father, I have nobody else. I need a place for us to live and a job so I can support us. I'm asking for your help and trusting you.
There was more, because I spent a good hour there praying and crying. The next morning, Aunt Susie said Mom and Dad may have paid rent for the month and had not taken everything from the house. So, I decided to check it out and see if the kids and could live in their old house for a couple of weeks. Mom and Dad had left an old coal burning stove in the kitchen and a couple of old mattresses and bedsprings. The place was desolate...but I thought, it might do for a couple of weeks...at least we'd be warm and dry.
I left to go see the landlord. On the way, I stopped at my friends, Nick and Helen. Helen had been my best friend when I lived in Sumpter. After hearing my tale of woe, they invited me and the kids to live with them until I could get back on my feet! Talk about an answer to a prayer!
Nick even took his pick-up to Battle Creek and picked up my cribs and belongings.
During the two weeks we stayed with them, I found a job working for a real estate office in Ypsilanti. The first of the month, when I got my allotment check, I rented the same apartment Mark and I had started our married life in...where we lived when Tammy was born. I have always been eternally grateful to Nick and Helen. I think they, literally, saved our lives. Had we moved into that old house, who knows what would have happened to us.
to be continued.
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