The Camelot Equation was Never a Factor

Circa 1950's - 1960's. Think you had it bad? My childhood was horrible. My poor retarded Mom had 3 of us by her eighteenth birthday while living in Ohio. And, other than life being generally weird and mysterious for kids, the Kennedy and King assassinations happened, Vietnam kicked off and everyone suddenly seemed stoned or stupid. It was just too much for her I guess. One afternoon she took us to visit our psycho Grandmother, kissed us on the cheek and said she'd "be right back" and left. Whoosh! (Didn't see her again for another 20 years).

I didn't know it then, but that day would have a profound effect on my later Marine Corps life, Private Investigating career and some "other" career choices. I learned hate, rage, planning and sneakiness and a psychotic form of controlled anger so easily it became second nature. (My other identity.) But no one knew it. I guess I should tell you at this point the message my little brain was hearing from the world was "Your all alone buster. No one is here to help you. If you want it, better find a way to get it and take no prisoners in the process." That's a normal thinking process, right? Anyway, after walking home from grade school one day with our little pack of bouncy "normal' friends and our little yellow "Porky Pig & Friends" lunch pails (remember those?), we walked in to find our newly acquired (Psycho Grandma) house naked and empty. Suitcases were packed and Grandpa was sitting in the car honking. Psycho Grandma then ordered us into the '65 Chevy Impala and we left. We actually moved all the way from Ohio to Oregon with no advance notice. Whoosh! Couldn't even say goodbye to our friends! Yet another log on the fire... Turns out, she had a sister out there that promised to find Grandpa a "good" job. It all went to hell eventually, but by then it was too late.