Amber: Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
The transition period from one home to the next did not take them long. Clean slate! They had new neighbors and many more things to do. There was a swimming pool and a park within walking or bike riding distance. Once again, the children had their mother all to themselves when she was not working.
Money, however, became very tight and the kids had to adjust to a new lifestyle. Morgan had to come up with creative ways to support and nurture three children on her own. She reintroduced the children to her old friend Lisa. They also met her new friend, Nicole. “Aunt” Nicole was amazing; she took the kids places and spent lots of time with them.
The stigmatism of living in a trailer park rather than a house did not rear its ugly head until Amber had turned a few years older. To her, it was an embarrassment to live in a trailer park and having to wear her older sister’s hand-me-downs.
Horrible rumors that their mother was a prostitute had run rampant in the neighborhood. Morgan tried to hide these tales from her children. She told them, “I understand people are saying bad things about me that are not true. I want you to know I am borrowing money from my girlfriends and working extra hours to make ends meet. I do have some male friends who like to come over for a visit, and you have met a few of them.” The prostitution rumors ended as quickly as they had started.
One late afternoon, the children had come home early from spending the day with Nicole when they discovered their mother had a friend over and was “getting busy” in the bedroom. Amber and Brian, aware of what was going on, decided to play a trick on their mother. They used a yardstick to nab her undergarments. Once in their possession, they stuck her panties in the freezer and her new bra on the flag pole in the yard.
Knowing they were going to be in big trouble, Amber took off as soon as Morgan started yelling. She could hear her brother laughing in the distance, as he told their mother she needed to cool off and go find her unmentionables. Morgan was very embarrassed to find her new bra on the flag-pole. She later laughed about the panties in the freezer.
Morgan sent Brian to find his sister. He knew she would be at the babysitter’s house because that is where she always went when no one could find her. Upon returning home, these two children were punished with a week of no television. Their mother had also learned a lesson that day: her kids were thicker than thieves. They had one another’s back and took care of each other. This made her very proud.
Amber had become close friends with the children who lived in the trailer next to them. She spent most of her summer involved in their lives. She played family night games, attended sleepovers, birthday parties, and went to Sunday school with them. It was very hard for her and surprising when the boy, Barry turned on her and bullied her every day after school for a year. He would verbally pick on her, pull her hair, and push her down until she cried. Amber quickly learned to avoid his bullying by pretending to cry and running all the way home. Finally, she got tired of the bullying and told her brother about Barry’s actions. Brian took care of things and the bullying stopped. Brian told his sister, “I think Barry is both frightened and attracted to me. I also believe he is very confused about the possibility of being gay.” Amber felt bewildered, why was Barry lashing out at her? She was, after all, his best friend, he should have felt safe talking about any subject with her. Their friendship was never the same from that day forward.
Living in this older trailer sometimes frightened Amber and her siblings. The trailer had a very long, dark, hallway that connected one end of the trailer to the other. The light switch for this hallway was located at the halfway point. To illuminate this hall, the kitchen light would need to be turned on or one of the lights left on in the bedrooms before it got dark. Many times, Amber would run down the hall to turn the light on before continuing to the bathroom or her bedroom. Frequently, the light bulb would burn out, leaving them with no light. This older trailer had some history. Amber heard speculations that someone may have previously died in the trailer or on the lot they rented.
In the spring, Amber developed a seasonal infection. Morgan took her to the doctors and got her some antibiotics. During the evening hours, Amber felt so poorly she went to sleep with her mother. During the night, Amber suddenly awoke with a very high fever. Looking out the bedroom door into the long hallway, she saw something. After sitting up and wiping her eyes, she saw a woman in a white cap and two gentlemen dressed in old-fashioned clothing standing at the door. She knew this could not be possible. Was she seeing things because of the fever? She did not feel scared. Instead, she felt protected and went back to sleep. The next morning, she told her mother what she had seen. Maybe they were spirits watching over her.
By this point in their lives, Morgan had three ex-husbands and was starting to date again. She had recently met a man named William. He came around the house often, as the weeks quickly turned into months. The children knew their mother was getting serious about this man who would soon become her fiancé.
William moved into the trailer right after he proposed. They really liked William. His disposition was that of an older child. He was carefree in nature and liked the outdoors. One day, Amber stayed home from school because she was sick. Her mother had to go to work and figured it was safe to leave her with William.
He had been taking a shower and left the bathroom door wide open. Amber went down the hall, not realizing he was in the shower. The shower had a frosted glass sliding door, giving her a very good look at this naked man. Feeling uncomfortable, she returned to the living room and lay down on the sofa. William came out all dressed. Amber had the feeling he had known she had seen him. Amber got a weird, uneasy feeling about him.
Morgan came home shortly after to check in on her daughter. They decided to take Amber to his parents’ house since William had to go to work.
It took a few days for Amber to recover from her sickness. That odd feeling she experienced with William never came back again. The children were starting to get comfortable with William living in the trailer. They were looking forward to him becoming their stepdad. Without any kind of warning, Morgan decided to end the relationship. Once again, Nicole stepped in to help pick up the pieces.
One afternoon, the children came home from school to find a man taking measurements in the kitchen. Their mother had decided the trailer required a makeover. She found a handyman named Edward for the remodeling. It took him a few months to complete the job. Amber felt there was something more to this bizarre relationship than her mother let on. He was in and out of their lives in a flash.
The transition period from one home to the next did not take them long. Clean slate! They had new neighbors and many more things to do. There was a swimming pool and a park within walking or bike riding distance. Once again, the children had their mother all to themselves when she was not working.
Money, however, became very tight and the kids had to adjust to a new lifestyle. Morgan had to come up with creative ways to support and nurture three children on her own. She reintroduced the children to her old friend Lisa. They also met her new friend, Nicole. “Aunt” Nicole was amazing; she took the kids places and spent lots of time with them.
The stigmatism of living in a trailer park rather than a house did not rear its ugly head until Amber had turned a few years older. To her, it was an embarrassment to live in a trailer park and having to wear her older sister’s hand-me-downs.
Horrible rumors that their mother was a prostitute had run rampant in the neighborhood. Morgan tried to hide these tales from her children. She told them, “I understand people are saying bad things about me that are not true. I want you to know I am borrowing money from my girlfriends and working extra hours to make ends meet. I do have some male friends who like to come over for a visit, and you have met a few of them.” The prostitution rumors ended as quickly as they had started.
One late afternoon, the children had come home early from spending the day with Nicole when they discovered their mother had a friend over and was “getting busy” in the bedroom. Amber and Brian, aware of what was going on, decided to play a trick on their mother. They used a yardstick to nab her undergarments. Once in their possession, they stuck her panties in the freezer and her new bra on the flag pole in the yard.
Knowing they were going to be in big trouble, Amber took off as soon as Morgan started yelling. She could hear her brother laughing in the distance, as he told their mother she needed to cool off and go find her unmentionables. Morgan was very embarrassed to find her new bra on the flag-pole. She later laughed about the panties in the freezer.
Morgan sent Brian to find his sister. He knew she would be at the babysitter’s house because that is where she always went when no one could find her. Upon returning home, these two children were punished with a week of no television. Their mother had also learned a lesson that day: her kids were thicker than thieves. They had one another’s back and took care of each other. This made her very proud.
Amber had become close friends with the children who lived in the trailer next to them. She spent most of her summer involved in their lives. She played family night games, attended sleepovers, birthday parties, and went to Sunday school with them. It was very hard for her and surprising when the boy, Barry turned on her and bullied her every day after school for a year. He would verbally pick on her, pull her hair, and push her down until she cried. Amber quickly learned to avoid his bullying by pretending to cry and running all the way home. Finally, she got tired of the bullying and told her brother about Barry’s actions. Brian took care of things and the bullying stopped. Brian told his sister, “I think Barry is both frightened and attracted to me. I also believe he is very confused about the possibility of being gay.” Amber felt bewildered, why was Barry lashing out at her? She was, after all, his best friend, he should have felt safe talking about any subject with her. Their friendship was never the same from that day forward.
Living in this older trailer sometimes frightened Amber and her siblings. The trailer had a very long, dark, hallway that connected one end of the trailer to the other. The light switch for this hallway was located at the halfway point. To illuminate this hall, the kitchen light would need to be turned on or one of the lights left on in the bedrooms before it got dark. Many times, Amber would run down the hall to turn the light on before continuing to the bathroom or her bedroom. Frequently, the light bulb would burn out, leaving them with no light. This older trailer had some history. Amber heard speculations that someone may have previously died in the trailer or on the lot they rented.
In the spring, Amber developed a seasonal infection. Morgan took her to the doctors and got her some antibiotics. During the evening hours, Amber felt so poorly she went to sleep with her mother. During the night, Amber suddenly awoke with a very high fever. Looking out the bedroom door into the long hallway, she saw something. After sitting up and wiping her eyes, she saw a woman in a white cap and two gentlemen dressed in old-fashioned clothing standing at the door. She knew this could not be possible. Was she seeing things because of the fever? She did not feel scared. Instead, she felt protected and went back to sleep. The next morning, she told her mother what she had seen. Maybe they were spirits watching over her.
By this point in their lives, Morgan had three ex-husbands and was starting to date again. She had recently met a man named William. He came around the house often, as the weeks quickly turned into months. The children knew their mother was getting serious about this man who would soon become her fiancé.
William moved into the trailer right after he proposed. They really liked William. His disposition was that of an older child. He was carefree in nature and liked the outdoors. One day, Amber stayed home from school because she was sick. Her mother had to go to work and figured it was safe to leave her with William.
He had been taking a shower and left the bathroom door wide open. Amber went down the hall, not realizing he was in the shower. The shower had a frosted glass sliding door, giving her a very good look at this naked man. Feeling uncomfortable, she returned to the living room and lay down on the sofa. William came out all dressed. Amber had the feeling he had known she had seen him. Amber got a weird, uneasy feeling about him.
Morgan came home shortly after to check in on her daughter. They decided to take Amber to his parents’ house since William had to go to work.
It took a few days for Amber to recover from her sickness. That odd feeling she experienced with William never came back again. The children were starting to get comfortable with William living in the trailer. They were looking forward to him becoming their stepdad. Without any kind of warning, Morgan decided to end the relationship. Once again, Nicole stepped in to help pick up the pieces.
One afternoon, the children came home from school to find a man taking measurements in the kitchen. Their mother had decided the trailer required a makeover. She found a handyman named Edward for the remodeling. It took him a few months to complete the job. Amber felt there was something more to this bizarre relationship than her mother let on. He was in and out of their lives in a flash.
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