Naleighna Kai's Literary Cafe Magazine January 2018 New Year, New You | Page 48

Mending
Fences
The characters in my latest book, One Good
Thing, pushed me into this topic and have also
caused me to be a bit transparent in the process.
These three sisters were in a situation where
forgiveness was needed, but their differences have
caused dissension between them.
Madelyn, the youngest felt unsupported and
unloved by these women, who were supposed to
be her family. They left to pursue careers in music,
leaving her as the sole caretaker of their mother
and grandmother, effectively putting a halt on her
life. They left her to sink or swim, not bothering
to call regularly or send monetary help her way.
When the two return home because their music
aspirations didn’t pan out as hoped, the emotions
and issues surface which will force them to have to
face the funk and work through all of it together.
Unfortunately, it won’t be easy.
I wasn’t raised by my biological mother. I was
raised by her youngest sister, my aunt and her
husband who were childless. Actually, my aunt
raised four out of the twelve of us and had legal
guardianship. Years went by, and my life was as
normal as any child growing up in a middle-class,
two-parent household with siblings. That would
all change in a blink of an eye.
When I was around seven or eight, the woman
48 | NKLC Magazine
Christine Pauls
who I called, “Mom,” sat me down and said,
“Christine, we’re not your real parents. We’re your
aunt and uncle. Your mama is my sister.”
You can probably imagine the confusion on my
little face. After that announcement, she packed a
bag and sent me to my biological mother, a stranger,
for a visit. At least I thought it was a visit. I had no
idea she was actually giving me back to the woman
who gave birth to me. All of a sudden, I was thrust
into an environment that I couldn’t comprehend.
In this new world, I met my oldest brother, a
heroin addict, thanks to the war. A brother who was
a juvenile delinquent. I also became acquainted
with a teenage sister who drank alcohol, smoked
cigarettes, partied and stayed out all night. She
would take me with her sometimes to one of her
best friend’s apartment. He was a gay male who
dressed in drag. She protected me no matter what
was going on, and kept me close to her. Her friends
took a liking to me and helped care for me too when
I was around. In her own way, I believe she was
showing love for me.
My mother was very lenient, plus she had a lot
of health issues which is probably why she wasn’t
strict like my aunt was. I was amazed to see kids
do whatever they wanted with no repercussions.
My brother didn’t like that I had been inserted in