How Did it All Begin?

The day that I first learned that I had two sisters that were given up for adoption was one of anger and hostility. I was only fourteen years old when I overheard the loud and agitated voices of accusation--prying my mother for the truth.


What I overheard was that my mother apparently had two children, both of whom were given up for adoption at birth. I didn't know how to process that information. "How?" and "Why?" were popular questions during that time.


I was the youngest of eight children, right?


My mother was married before she met my father. She married in a wedding that was fit for Princess Grace. There was photo album that covered her wedding in photographs. My mother, indeed, looked like a princess.   This man seemed like Prince Charming to my mother. She had two children with this man: My brother, Terry Pierce and my sister, Lori Pierce.


The fairy tale wasn't to last though. It wasn't long before my mother's prince began to hit and abuse her. After just a few short years of marriage and a husband who cheated on her, my mother ran away to her parent's house in Florida.


My mother's life wasn't one to be envied while living at her parent's house. I am not an authority to give details of her life at her parent's house--all I know is that after living on her own for several years as an adult, it must not have been easy for her. 


The first child, a daughter, was born in August or September of 1964 in Tarpon Springs, Florida.


The second child, another daughter, was born in Tampa, Florida, in August of 1965.


While my mother was pregnant, she was working at her father's business. A handsome and charming man kept pursuing her. He was not going to take no for an answer. He kept asking her out.  Finally, she gave in, they dated and he was amazing! He was even willing to adopt her child, even though he didn't know anything about the natural father. However, my mother was ashamed at what had happened. She didn't know how he could ever get past it all. Sadly, she did what she felt she had to do.


Years passed, not many people knew of my mother's daughters. No one spoke of them. It was all hush-hush. That is until one of my sister's, Kelly, went for her driver's license in 1984. It was then, she was told that she had two extra siblings on her birth records. Understandably shocked and perplexed, my sister ran home to my mother for questioning....that is when it all began.