CHAPTER 1

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE POND

IT ALL STARTED OUT innocent enough,-3 young girls and one second marriage. Three babies in four years is tough on any parents. Mix in a child from each prior marriage gone wrong, two beautiful, young parents with baggage of lives lived wild till now, family dysfunction and a struggling economy that decimated the middle class and you've got a pretty easy recipe for disaster. Throw in some laughter, lots of love and the occasional unexpected surprise and you've got the life most of us lived back when things were real; when emotions were expressed through smiles or tears, not emoji symbols and it was ok if life wasn't always perfect. That was the only life we knew and a fairly common setting back then. It was built on good intentions, strong love, and a new solid faith which added a dusting of hope to less than perfect circumstances. We had our share of hard times, but through it all we had each other, all together, under one roof in our new little home by the pond. We were close. We laughed together, cried together, prayed together, and dreamed together. A bond of sisterhood was built that would be the tracks of the up and downs of life's rollercoaster ride. Yes, it all started out innocent enough in the crazy life of 3 little girls. Little girls who grew up when there was still a shred of innocence left for the children to stake claim to; when My Little Pony was on every birthday wish list, and Brownie patches sparked inspiration.

I remember the first time I saw the tiny house thinking it was a little piece of heaven, put here just for us. After years in small apartments in less than desirable neighborhoods, the small cottage on a pond was like a vacation that never ended. We had a large yard and a tire swing and a driveway to ride our bikes and roller skate. The home itself was small and crowded, but we all managed to fit in the three small bedrooms. There was only one bathroom and it was terribly ugly. The blue tiles were old as the house and the toilet matched the sky blue walls as well. The kitchen was equally unimpressive. The counters were mustard yellow and the room was dark and dreary, but it had a dishwasher and that was enough to excite Mom. We also had our own washer and dryer which we never had before. The best part of the house though was by far the pond. There were 2 ponds actually, a frogging and fishing pond was the edge of our back yard and the big beautiful swimming pond was just under 100 yards from the front door and through a short pathway. The dining room, which was attached to the kitchen, received the first fixer upper project. As soon as we moved in, Dad put in a large picture window so we could see the daily happenings of the pond. That was our morning excitement; who was fishing or who had their boat out, who was swimming and who was skating or playing ice hockey. 'Nature's entertainment' Mom called it. In the back of the house was a smaller pond. The mucky, murky waters were full of frogs and fish. The sound of the crickets in the fall was the backdrop for many nights spent together doing our hair and our homework inside the walls of the little house. Our older brother Daniel, Danny as we called him, would visit frequently and lived there for a short time. Jamie, Mom's daughter from her first marriage, lived with us full time and we looked up to her as the coolest person in the world. When the house was purchased Beth hadn't been born yet. When she came home shortly after we moved in, the seams of the little house were bursting.

Mom and Dad would spend the next 20 years trying to make the house big enough for the ever growing demands of the family. Eventually the process became stressful and a source of fighting. The house sucked any extra energy out of my parents especially Mom, who worked tirelessly to beautify the house. It became an expensive frustration as the family grew and we stumbled over each other daily. Time that could've been spent playing and teaching us kids was spent on projects regarding the home and working to pay for the projects, all with the intentions of providing a better life. My sisters and I fought constantly, especially in the colder months when our high energy spirits were confined to staying indoors instead of running wild outside. There was nowhere to go for quiet time or time outs without one or the other of us there to poke fun. It was hard to manage, even for the greatest of parents. Mom and Dad did their best, but often times, tempers were lost. Despite the frustrations that came with the lack of space and privacy, the size of the little house was actually the best part about it. It forced us to be close. It took away the option of privacy. Sometimes we don't understand our circumstances while we are lost in the midst of them, but looking back it makes sense. If we had more wide open space in that little house, the tornado that ripped through there years later would have only picked up speed and caused more destruction. Instead, we all stood in the way, crowded together like a mountain range in the middle of a huge plain, trying to stop a deadly storm, and we didn't even know it.

'And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose' Romans 8:28 (NIV)

For many years, we kids believed the house itself was evil. Doors would open on their own, and floor boards would creak where no one was walking. As kids we spent hours searching for a "body" in the large pile of dirt that remained in our basement where the foundation was dug. Every creak of a floor board or rustling of leaves outside was proof to us that there were spirits coming to claim stake to the house that they still held as their own. We were scared and dramatic little creatures. We were terrified of that house in the dark hours. We were completely convinced it was haunted. Never-the-less, it was OUR haunted house and it boasted the most beautiful sunsets you'd ever see every night as the sun went to sleep over the pond. It was a symbol that another day was done and it was time to make new dreams for tomorrow.

I was the older of the 'second batch', the first child of my parent's marriage together. I was easy by most accounts except for one crying fit which caused my parents to cut their bowling date early when I was about a year old. Molly came next. Moms pregnancy was tough and she was sick with stomach aches most of the time. I adored my new sister. She came home from the hospital one Christmas Eve. Mom said she was our Christmas angel. My Grammy put her under the tree in a wicker basket.

Grammy came over to me and said "Jenny, want to see your new sister?"

She picked me up and I wrapped my arms around her neck, nestling my head against her shoulder and breathing in her freshly set, sweet smelling silver hair. She placed me down by the glistening tree and I peered cautiously over the edge of the basket.

"She's in a basket just like baby Jesus," Grammy said.

That's when I saw my sister Molly for the first time. She had a full head of dark hair and chubby perfect cheeks. I wanted her for my own;one of my earliest memories. In the middle of everyone strumming on their guitars and singing Christmas music and eating Chinese food and laughing, our eyes somehow met each other's and our souls connected. It was as if for a moment in time we were all alone. Our bond was formed right there. From then on, I wasn't the little one in the family anymore. I had a little sister, and I was so proud. That was the most magical Christmas ever.

A few years later when Beth was born, Mom was already tired and her post-delivery illness put the stress level of the family over the top. She was in the hospital for months battling infection and blood clots after Beth was born. It's ironic that Mom fought the same things when Beth was born, that Beth herself fought during later years. While Mom was sick though, we were all separated in different homes of my parent's friends and church members who signed up to help with us. Dad tried to work and pay as many bills as possible. It was a difficult time, but with the support of family and friends, especially my Aunty Rose and Uncle Rob, we got through it.

Grammy, my Dad's mother, took us as much as she could and helped Dad with the house work and bringing us to the hospital to visit mom. She was a bright light of warmth and comfort during this confusing time. She would always be there to put our clean clothes on and help us with baths. She helped me to get on to toilet when I couldn't get up alone and tried desperately to get Molly sleep through the night. She would let us eat cocoa puffs for dinner on a tray in front of the TV. Her apartment was fun. We forgot about being away from Mom while we were there. We focused on the stories Gram would tell us of when our dad was little. I would try to help with Molly as she was still a baby herself. We went to church on Sundays and prayed for mom. We went to Aunty Rose's to visit Beth so we got to see her time to time. We stayed busy.

One Sunday Gram took extra time to get us ready. Molly and I had on new purple dresses and I remember feeling proud. Gram was getting Molly out of the back seat behind me and I started toward the church door. I was hoping Dad would be there this morning. I missed him. Then, I remembered that I left my little Bible in the car and ran back to get it. Gram saw me out of the corner of her eye.

"Jenny don't dilly dally. We are late already," Gram said.

She went to close the car door thinking I was already out. Only, I wasn't all the way out. My leg was still inside and she accidentally closed the door on it. I let out a scream. Gram frantically fought with her keys to unlock the door and free my leg from the car. I remember sobbing inconsolably. I wanted my mom. I wanted her now! Out of nowhere my dad appeared and engulfed me in his arms.

"Sshhh, its ok Jenny, don't cry, it's ok," he said rubbing my hair.

Gram was so upset she was crying too.

"I'm so sorry," she kept repeating.

My pain was relieved by the comfort of Dad. I was so happy to see him that for a moment I forgot about the injury my leg had just sustained. I learned to move past physical pain. Physical pain would eventually pass. Emotional connections were what was the most important. In just a few short moments, I was sitting inside church on Grammy's lap. Dad was beside me holding Molly. We were singing Amazing Grace and the sound of the choir music gave comfort to my burdened heart. My cousin turned around from the front pew and smiled at me. All was well again.

Eventually, Mom got better. Dad said it was a miracle. We returned home and awaited Mom to join us. Beth shortly followed and soon there were 3 kids under the age of 4 in the little house. But times weren't as they should've been. We celebrated Mom and Beth coming home, but the atmosphere was tense. There hadn't been an immediate family connection with Beth. No family bonding. We had all been apart for so long that it was awkward in the beginning. Mom had to learn all of Beth's routines and particular habits; a frustrating scenario for any mother to encounter. But, eventually, life picked up and went on with all the new routines a baby brings. Sleepless nights of diaper changing and feedings led Mom and Dad to be exhausted and grouchy. Money was tight with paying for a new house and new babies and tensions ran high. Molly and I tried to be good, but Molly was still so little and I was fresh out of diapers myself. Still, I remember these days. I remember sharing a tub with my sisters, all 3 of us crammed in together, pretending to be mermaids. I remember sharing a toilet seat with Molly when we both suddenly had to go at the very same time. I remember Bethy sitting in her high chair at the kitchen table and Mom saying 'before you know it Beth will be at the table just like you girls'. I remember dancing in the summer rain together and splashing in the mud. I remember the cherry blossom tree in the front yard. It was in the spring time when the silky flower petals floated to the grass below to make a blanket of pink over the ground, that's when we would picnic there. I remember the smell of Dad's grill with the huge deli dogs he loved to make us in the summer to eat while we watched the Red Sox. I remember so many things that made our life rich in every way, with things that money can't buy. I remember the love and the dedication through the good times and the bad. My sisters and I clung to each other and wove a net between us of trust, loyalty and hope.

Fireflies gather above the sweet cool grass
The moon glows a bright yellow brass
Dew on my feet
Oh what a treat
To experience one spring night
And hold forever this delight
In my heart
Never to part
The girlish giggles
And banana curl squiggles
Light cotton dresses
Make believe messes
Beauty of youth
And innocent truth
Sisters are blessings
Of ribbons and tressings — Katie Morini

Before we all were school age, the days ran into each other in seamless afternoons of Barbie dolls and roller skating in the driveway. One afternoon Molly and I were playing with some rocks we found by the shore of the pond.

"Molly, I bet if we open this there are gems inside," I said.

"Really?" Molly said eyes wide.

"Yeah," I said, "and if we get enough we can give them all to Mom and Dad and they can buy a new car."

"Ok" Molly said. "I'll collect more."

We gathered up some stones and arranged them in a row.

"How are we going to open them?" Molly asked.

"With a hammer" I said matter-of-factly.

I ran inside and got a hammer.

"What are you doing?" Mom asked as I ran by her in the garden.

"Nothing," I said hurrying past her with the hammer toward the pond.

Beth caught wind that we were up to something and ran along behind me.

"Watch your sister," Mom instructed me as she worked on her flower pot.

"K," I answered back as I ran through the path heading to the pond.

Beth's little feet tried to keep up, but she was slow. I bent over and carried her with one arm, her body half the length of mine. I set her down beside the rock line.

"Put one on top of the other and I'll hit it with the hammer," I told Molly.

She did and I lifted the hammer up the strike the rock. As I did Beth pointed to the rock with her finger just as I was about to hit it. I tried to stop but the momentum was just too much. I hit her pointer finger. She screamed. I threw the hammer into the woods behind me and picked up my wailing sister. Mom came running over and took Beth in her arms.

"What happened?" she turned to me.

"I don't know," I lied.

"I think she hit it on a rock," Molly covered.

Mom kissed Beth's booboo and examined the injury.

"Looks like just a little cut," Mom said.

"Band aid." Beth said.

Mom carried her home and set her in the garden.

"Girls come home now. I want you where I can see you," Mom hollered over to us.

"I feel so bad," I said as I turned to Molly.

"It was an accident, let's go play with her," Molly suggested.

We got back to see that Beth was better but still repeating "band aid" over and over.

We started playing a new game but each time we got to Beth's turn, she would just look at us and say "band aid!" She never did get the band aid and our secret disappeared as the cut on her finger scarred over. It was one of the many battle scars we accrued during our time spent playing as the golden sun rays danced off the shimmering pond. Our only witness to the secrets and bonds we formed.