Tag Archives: memories

Chapter 2: I knew

20 Sep

Then…

1.

I’m driving on an unfamiliar road in the middle of the day.  The windows are rolled down, and I can feel the warm summer breeze blowing across my face.  Abruptly, something happens, and I can no longer see where I am going.  Darkness had obscured my vision, and I was suddenly plunged into a black abyss. Terrified, I cried out and tried to pull the car off the road and stop. I can’t see anything, and I panic. I know I will crash the car, but no matter how hard I try, I cannot make my eyes work.

 I am blind.

Suddenly, I’m ripped from sleep, wake up sweaty and breathing heavily.   A dream. Haha! It was a dream!  I wait for my sleepy eyes to adjust to the darkness and realize I can still see. I have not been suddenly struck by blindness.  It was only a dream. Vivid and unshakable, but only a dream.

 Strangely, I would continue to have that dream, off and on throughout the years, as it plagued me. For some reason, I was usually either driving or in some state of peril where I desperately needed my eyes to stay in control. I would always wake up at the last possible second, right before disaster struck before I crashed the car or unintentionally walked off a cliff.

Then, one hot, dry afternoon in May, in the gleaming desert brightness of Las Vegas, my dream merged with my reality.

A few major components separated my dream from my real life. I was not the one suddenly struck by blindness.

 And it was no longer a dream. It had become a nightmare because it happened to my daughter.

My beautiful baby girl Oliana had been born blind.

2.

“I just knew.”

I often heard mothers say, “I just knew he was sick. I just knew she was in trouble,” when talking about their children. I even heard it from my own mother. My mom seemed to know everything about me and what I was doing, sometimes before I even knew. I couldn’t get away with anything.

One story my mom loves to tell is from when I was in high school. My friend and I decided to skip school and go to the mall. This was the very first time I had ever thought about cutting class. It was a cold February morning in Iowa, and my friend had just gotten her driver’s license.

“We should skip school and go to the mall in O town today,” she told me as she lathered cream cheese onto her toasted bagel.

“Skip? Really? The mall?” I wasn’t a fan of the mall and preferred the local Goodwill. My friend, Maria, and I had been best friends for a few years. She had a rebellious streak, just like me. We wanted to fit in, yet tended to color just outside the lines. People often called us “weird” because we preferred 90’s grunge fashion and music. Our tiny Iowa country town was years behind in the latest clothing and music trends. We preferred grandpa’s cardigan-stripped sweaters and too-big, ripped corduroy from the local thrift store.

“I want to get my boyfriend a Valentine’s Day card and a gift from Spencer’s. They have the new Nirvana and Soundgarden posters. Besides, it’s not like we have any shopping options here. Where else would I go?” Maria said.

I couldn’t argue with her about that. In the tiny town we lived in, there wasn’t even a Walmart or Target, but O town was 40 minutes away.

“You don’t think we’ll run into someone we know, do you?” I hesitated. The thought of randomly running into my mother at the mall in the middle of a school day made my throat instantly dry. She would ground me for the rest of the school year, maybe for the rest of high school. My mom was lovely, but she had a zero-tolerance policy for rule breaking. If I was one minute past curfew, there were consequences. She didn’t mess around.

“No way,” Maria chirped back at me. “My mom’s at work at the hospital, and I don’t see your mom hitting up the mall in the middle of a Wednesday afternoon. Besides, isn’t she working at her new bank job now?”

“Yeah, she started last week.” Both of my parents were working. I had a better chance of winning the lottery while simultaneously getting struck by lightning than seeing my dad at the mall, but my mom… well, that woman seemed to know my every breath. Even though I knew she was working, she made me nervous.

“Ok. Let’s do it,” I replied. We were driving to a whole different city, and really, what were the chances of getting caught?

Famous. Last. Words.

It turns out, the chances were exactly 100%.

We walked into Spencer’s and were looking at silly gag gifts and laughing at some obscenely inappropriate cards when I looked up and saw… my mom.

My mom just happened to have an urge to go to the mall on a Wednesday afternoon during her workday because she “had a feeling” that I was skipping school. I will repeat that I had NEVER cut class. Never. And I never would again. I didn’t do much for the rest of my sophomore year. I was grounded.

Years later, my mom revealed that she had exaggerated her “Momtuition” just a little. It turns out that what had actually happened was that she had received a call from my school asking her to confirm that I was at a doctor appointment. My friend and I had the brilliant wherewithal to drive to school before first period and turn in “doctor notes” to the office excusing us from class. Why two girls, who were best friends, would have two different doctor appointments on the same day at the same time didn’t seem suspicious to us? Teenagers.

My mom swears that after getting that phone call, she just knew I would be at the mall. Not only that, but she also walked directly to Spencer’s store. I must admit, I’ve always felt that was weird. We could have gone anywhere, so how did she know exactly where I was?

Momtuition, it turns out, it’s a real thing. More than 10 years later, I would discover that for myself. I often heard mothers say, “I just knew he was sick. I just knew she was in trouble,” when talking about their children. I even heard it from my own mother. My mom seemed to know everything about me and what I was doing, sometimes before I even knew. I couldn’t get away with anything.

One story my mom loves to tell is from when I was in high school. My friend and I decided to skip school and go to the mall. This was the very first time I had ever thought about cutting class. It was a cold February morning in Iowa, and my friend had just gotten her driver’s license.

“We should skip school and go to the mall in O town today,” she told me as she lathered cream cheese onto her toasted bagel.

“Skip? Really? The mall?” I wasn’t a fan of the mall and preferred the local Goodwill. My friend, Maria, and I had been best friends for a few years. She had a rebellious streak, just like me. We wanted to fit in, yet tended to color just outside the lines. People often called us “weird” because we preferred 90’s grunge fashion and music. Our tiny Iowa country town was years behind in the latest clothing and music trends. We preferred grandpa’s cardigan-stripped sweaters and too-big, ripped corduroy from the local thrift store.

“I want to get my boyfriend a Valentine’s Day card and a gift from Spencer’s. They have the new Nirvana and Soundgarden posters. Besides, it’s not like we have any shopping options here. Where else would I go?” Maria said.

I couldn’t argue with her about that. In the tiny town we lived in, there wasn’t even a Walmart or Target, but O town was 40 minutes away.

“You don’t think we’ll run into someone we know, do you?” I hesitated. The thought of randomly running into my mother at the mall in the middle of a school day made my throat instantly dry. She would ground me for the rest of the school year, maybe for the rest of high school. My mom was lovely, but she had a zero-tolerance policy for following her rules. If I was one minute past curfew, there were consequences. She didn’t mess around.

“No way,” Maria chirped back at me. “My mom’s at work at the hospital, and I don’t see your mom hitting up the mall in the middle of a Wednesday afternoon. Besides, isn’t she working at her new bank job now?”

“Yeah, she started last week.” Both of my parents were working. I had a better chance of winning the lottery while simultaneously getting struck by lightning than seeing my dad at the mall, but my mom… well, that woman seemed to know my every breath. Even though I knew she was working, she made me nervous.

“Ok. Let’s do it,” I replied. We were driving to a whole different city, and really, what were the chances of getting caught?

Famous. Last. Words.

It turns out, the chances were exactly 100%.

We walked into Spencer’s and were looking at silly gag gifts and laughing at some obscenely inappropriate cards when I looked up and saw… my mom.

My mom just happened to have an urge to go to the mall on a Wednesday afternoon during her workday because she “had a feeling” that I was skipping school. I will repeat that I had NEVER cut class. Never. And I never would again. I didn’t do much for the rest of my sophomore year. I was grounded.

Years later, my mom revealed that she had exaggerated her “Momtuition” just a little. It turns out that what had actually happened was that she had received a call from my school asking her to confirm that I was at a doctor’s appointment. My friend and I had the brilliant idea to drive to school before first period and turn in “doctor notes” to the office excusing us from class. Why two girls, who were best friends, would have two different doctor appointments on the same day at the same time didn’t seem suspicious to us? Teenagers.

My mom swears that after getting that phone call, she just knew I would be at the mall. Not only that, but she also walked directly to Spencer’s store. I must admit, I’ve always felt that was weird. We could have gone anywhere, so how did she know exactly where I was?

Momtuition, it turns out, it’s a real thing. More than 10 years later, I would discover that for myself.

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I know I’m okay as long as I don’t make pancakes for dinner.

21 Oct

“Close the door Michael. I can still hear them.”

Michael obediently pauses Zelda and walks over to the lightweight door, closing it on the sounds of my parent’s argument.

“Now turn up the sound on the TV and just ignore them.”

Michael again complies without protest, spinning the volume control on the old 32” TV. He picks up the remote control of the Nintendo and scrunches up his little face in concentration.

He is probably about 7 years old.

I am probably about 10.

This is not the first time we have performed this ritual.

It will not be the last time either.

About an hour later my mother knocks softly on our bedroom door.

I get up, reluctantly pausing Link mid stride across his never ending quest through the green maze, and open the door.

Michael looks at me worriedly.

I look up and into my mother’s red rimmed, glassy eyes.

I see the tears still pooling in the corners of them just about ready to spill over. Just about, but not quite.

My mother will rein them in, sparing me from having to wipe them from her cheeks.

My mom will pretend to be strong for me.

Even though I know she’s not.

Even though I know that she has once again been defeated.

“Are you okay?” I ask although I already know what her response will be.

“Yes. I’m fine.” She answers in a voice that is too high, too cheery, to be anything but fake.

It is only now that I notice that she is carrying two plates in her hands. She lifts them up towards my face.

“I’ve made pancakes for dinner!” She says this like someone would announce that they are going to Disneyland.

She says it like she’s just given me exceptional news.

I’VE MADE PANCAKES FOR DINNER!!

“Thanks mom.” I respond quietly. I try to pretend that this is good news. Pancakes. I love pancakes and so does my brother Michael.

I know what those pancakes mean though.

My eyes cast around her to the doorway and towards the silence that sits awkwardly beyond it.

My mother is confused at first by my sad expression. Then she meets my gaze with eyes pooling with tears once again.

She knows that I know.

She knows that even though I am only 10 years old, I now understand that pancakes for dinner is never a good thing.

Pancakes for dinner means that my mother is not okay.

I’ve kept that memory since childhood. I still associate pancakes and dinner as a very bad thing. I’ve had my own children now. Three of them. And guess what?

I’ve made them pancakes for dinner a few times.

Very few times, but I have and I cringe at that memory too.

I told the young child me that I would never do it.

I would never turn those light, fluffy, syrupy plates of deliciousness into a dripping plate of sorrow…but I have.

I have fought against instinct and upbringing and tried to swim against the tide that tries to push me in the direction of my mother’s life.

To no avail.

Points in my life have begun to mirror my mother’s despite my every attempt to fight it.

Of course it doesn’t all look the same. But a lot of it does.

More than I’d probably like to admit.

And so when my life falls apart and the tears stream down my face and my sobs threaten to choke me… I do what feels right. What feels comfortable.

I make pancakes for dinner.

That’s how I’ve come to measure my sadness and my coping skills.

Am I making pancakes for dinner?

If I am?

It’s bad.

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Would Things Have Been Different?

24 Apr

Driving down to California that hot day in July, gave me a lot of time to reflect on what had happened during the previous 3 years. I started thinking about the year that I turned 27, 10 months before Oli was born.

Kekoa was only 7 months old. I have a picture of him and me on my birthday that year. He was sitting on my lap helping me to eat a piece of cake. What strikes me most in that photo is how young I look. How peaceful. The worry of doctor appointments, evaluation deadlines, and missed milestones had not yet been etched on my face. That deep penetrating sadness cannot yet be seen reflecting in my eyes. Grief cannot yet be seen shadowed over my shoulder. I had no idea what my life would look like just 3 short years later.

I can’t help but think about what my life would have looked like if I hadn’t had Oli.

Would I still be ignorant to things such as early intervention services, occupational and speech therapists, VI teachers and O & M specialists? Would I miss the looks that strangers give to those who are different than them? Those looks that say, “What is wrong with her? Oh! What is wrong with her?!” Those looks that break my heart. Would I be oblivious to the passing remarks containing the word “retard” or the jokes made about blind people? Would I miss spotting the looks of exhaustion and overwhelming sadness that I see painted all over the faces of other special needs moms? Would I appreciate every single day with my children as much as I do now because I fear that I don’t know what the future will hold? Would I cherish their kisses as sweetly or hold on as tightly when they wrap their arms around me? Would I have learned to walk through the grief and come out on the other side stronger and more secure than ever before?

These are all things that I thought about, but did not have the answers to yet, in July of 2009. That year my sole focus was still on changing it. I wanted to change my life however I could so that I would begin to feel better. I needed to feel like I was DOING something for Oli. Being her mother just wasn’t enough.

As I was lying on the beach or trying to sleep in a strange bed that weekend, I became consumed with what I could do for her.

What I was doing wasn’t enough.
It wasn’t enough.
I should be doing more.
Other mothers were doing more for their kids.
I needed more.
I needed to do more.
I have to get out.
I have to get out of Nevada.
They can’t help her.
They can’t give her the help that she needs.
There has to be more.
There has to be a place that can do more.

My mind was trapped on a hamster wheel, spinning, spinning, and spinning. Chasing an unseen assailant that was ruining my life. Chasing a dream that I would be able to change it all. A dream where I was able to fix this somehow.

Still…a dream that I would wake up to a daughter who was “normal”. A daughter who was not blind and developmentally delayed. That dream that I secretly lived in while the world moved on without me. The world moved on and left me alone with my self-doubt, self-pity, and self-hatred.

Because I didn’t want to feel this way.

I wanted to just love her and believe in her.

I DID love her and I DID believe in her.

I didn’t JUST do it though.

I thought that all of those feeling were abnormal. I thought that they were wrong. And I thought that they made me a bad person. A bad mother. Even though those thoughts were my truth. They were my reality and no matter how much I tried to ignore them, forget them, and deny them…they were always there.

They were there taunting me, shaming me, and making it difficult for me to breath.

They told me lies like, you are alone. You are a failure. No other mother in the world feels like you do. You don’t deserve to have these beautiful children. You are not good enough. You will never be able to do enough. You can’t help her. You will ALWAYS feel this way. You will always be terrified, sad, and miserable.

And I was. For a very long time I was.

I didn’t know what was making me feel that way though.

All I knew? I was unhappy and I needed more support. I needed more support for my daughter.

I waited until we began our drive back to Pahrump to broach the subject with my husband.

As the sun dipped silently beneath soft orange clouds I built up the courage to say, “I was thinking…maybe we need to look into moving to another state. Somewhere that has more vision services and can help us better.”

A million butterflies danced and turned somersaults in my stomach as I looked at my husband, waiting for his response. You could have cut the tension in the air with a knife, once those words were out of my mouth.

A few minutes past and then my husband spoke…

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