I witnessed a reunion yesterday ...

[Rotifer]

After hounding him for years, I drove a close friend of mine to a neighboring city to see his 7 year old daughter. I'm not particularly fond of her mother and family (the sister - for instance - is pregnant, out of jail on bond, covered with cheap tattoos and sat on the couch the entire time smoking cigarettes), but, the reunion was a nice thing to see. A little background; my friend is a good guy from a wealthy family (we got the address from his parents who periodically "lend" her money). While together, this young lady cheated on him incessantly and became pregnant twice. The first time, he was out of town for an extended period and, though he continues to pay child-support, the child was later proven not to be his. The second child is his. Of course, neither of us differentiated between the two girls while visiting - they received equal amounts of attention. The immediate connection between the 7 year old and my friend astounded me. Whether from overwhelming need, or biological recognition, the two were inseparable within moments of meeting. I can only compare it to finding two pearls in a garbage dump. The older girl (13) was interested and bright, she pulled out some sheet music and told me she wanted to learn the oboe in addition to playing the flue. Her mom laughed loudly, took a drag from her cigarette, and said that if she planned to play another instrument she better practice the f**** thing at school, she was sick of listening to the flute. The young gal and I went on to discuss her pending application to the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, as I said - a bright kid. It was an interesting time, nice to meet wonderful children, painful to see their desperate need for attention (due in part, no doubt, to my friends neglect). I hope his becoming involved in their lives will keep them from falling in to the bottomless pit their mother, aunt and grandmother swirl in.

[Pigpen]

I feel for those girls. What took your friend so long to see them? Did you say you hounded him for years? Do they see their grandparents, other than the occassional loan for mom? Will he be going back? It's nice that he has been regular with child support, even for a child that is not his own... I keep thinking about the life they lead, the older one being shot down by her mother who "can't stand to hear the flute"! Come on woman! I look so forward to the day when one of my sons plays any instrument (dad's a musician so it's not unlikely). I don't care how they sound, it's a part of them that they are sharing with you, you don't say something like that. She has no problem smoking while pregnant, that say's it all. I hope your friend becomes a permanent fixture in their lives. They need it.

edited to say, I just re-read and it's the aunt who smokes. I'm sure she goes outside so the girls don't have to breathe it in : Oh wait, she's pregnant and doesn't give a damn!

[oatmeal]

Wow - the smoking cursing women sound like my old family who I haven't spoken to in 15 years.

I hope your friend will go around there. Not sure why he didn't see his girl for so long but I hope he doens't quite now.

She needs that light at the end of the tunnel...