My father was career military. He took it very serious and brought it home. He ran the house as if it were a boot camp and we were his recruits. I still remember his going through the house checking for dust and if he found any, that would start a war. The children were to be seen and not heard. If my brothers and I decided we were going to be normal children my father would line us up, make us hold out our hands, palms down, and he would proceed to smack our hands very hard. Hard enough to leave bruises on the back of my hand at times.

But even though he was so strict, he was still my daddy and I was still his little girl. He loved to take me to the Coast Guard cook outs every year and bet his fellow officers that I would eat at least 5 raw clams, or oysters, without even flinching. He won lots of money off those bets. No one ever believed that a child so young would eat raw seafood. I had no problem with it. I gobbled it up. That is one trait I got from my father, who grew up on seafood, since that was their main source of food.

I remember one night my father wasn't home. I thought it was kind of strange and asked mom where he was. She took me to the t.v., sat me down, and turned it on. Within a few minutes, I saw my father. He was on the Merv Griffin Show (remember that show?). A few of his buddies and him got front row tickets to the show, so they all went straight after work. Merv, appearing on stage and seeing military men in the front row, had to talk to them. He talked to my father, and I got all excited because my daddy was on t.v. Times like that are very rare in my life.

Life back then wasn't to bad, as long as I kept quiet and stayed away from my father unless he called upon me. I became a very withdrawn child. Hiding behind my mother at all times and never saying a word. A lot of people didn't think I knew how to talk. And I guess I didn't. Not really. I was never allowed to talk. I usually spent my time alone in my bedroom with my dolls.

Moving from place to place, state to state, was really hard on me since I was so shy and timid. I didn't make friends easily. I was to afraid to speak. So I really didn't have very many friends. 

I also remember going to the doctor a lot. I didn't understand why at the time, but as I grew older something dropped into my lap that made me start to wonder.....