Oh, brother.

Day 01 – Introduce yourself
Day 02 – Your first love
Day 03 – Your parents
Day 04 – What you ate today
Day 05 – Your definition of love
Day 06 – Your day
Day 07 – Your best friend
Day 08 – A moment
Day 09 – Your beliefs
Day 10 – What you wore today
Day 11 – Your siblings
( The Rest )

My siblings. This is tricky.

I have heard tell of a half brother I have who is a couple years older than me. I don't know if this is confirmed.

I was under the impression that I had a half sister, Tiffany, and always treated her as such. Her mother was named Darian. My mom didn't believe that Tiffany was my father's since he would have had to knock Darian up RIGHTAWAY. I don't know why she didn't believe this. Maybe it's because he is so dark in coloring and Tiffany came out with blond hair and blue eyes? I don't know. Her mother was very pale. I haven't seen either of them since I was about 12. She was about 7, I think. My dad has her named tattooed near mine on his arm.

I mentioned this in the parent entry, but I don't think my dad ever got over my mother. When she announced her engagement in 1991 (she was due to get married September 11, 1992), my dad announced his engagement to his girlfriend, Ellen.

He had met Ellen at an NA or AA meeting. I don't recall which one. She had a daughter already, Melissa. Melissa was 10 when they got married. I was 15.

On December 21, 1995, Lorenzo Dante was born. I wanted to name him Christian Dante, but eh. Later in life, Lorenzo wanted to change his name to Christian. Funnie.

Here's the lil' man at a month old.



Around 3 months old, he had to have surgery since his esophagus and his stomach didn't *quite* connect. They spun his belly 270 degrees and now he just has to be careful how fast and what he eats, but with no major dietary restrictions. But. He was all better, but he would take these HORRIBLE shits. Used to make our dad throw up. Heh. I changed him a few times because of it. Funnie stories, really. Well, as long as you weren't my dad.

Ellen... Hated me. Which was fine. My dad was clearly hung up on my mom, I looked just like her, whatever. I was used to my parents' significant others not being very fond of me. I wasn't a difficult child, but... My mom picked interesting men, and my dad. Well. Yeah. I am my mother's clone. And I've always been. Hm. Outspoken.

Eventually he had Melissa's name tattooed on his arm with mine, Lorenzo's and Tiffany's.

Lorenzo, age 3.5. This picture is fitting because my dad painted houses.



Things went, well to say sour would be an understatement, with Ellen somewhere when Lorenzo was about 2.5. Some bad shit went down with Melissa and Ellen, and Ellen high tailed it out to Florida, disowning both her children and was committed. My father, due to the blow up, went to jail for reasons I don't feel like discussing in a public forum. For about 8 years, but he ended up getting out in five and a half.

Melissa went into foster care, then to a friend's house, then to her dad's... It was a mess. She was about 14. Her life went to shit. She couldn't stay with my dad due to the shit that went down.

Lorenzo stayed with my dad, and my dad had found another girlfriend (of course) named Jackie, who had two kids, Christopher (who was 18, and kicked out of military school) and Cody (who was 7?) and they were all around when Lorenzo was 3. Jackie took "care" of Lorenzo the first couple years my dad was "gone".

Lorenzo at my dad's "going away dinner".



Jackie is a filthy fucking cunt whore bitch, and if she died by having a million slices cut into her flesh with a rusty blade, and then those wounds pissed in, I think it would be a merciful death for what she allowed to happen to my brother.

After she got tired of taking care of her "fiance's" kid (They got engaged when he was in jail. Fucking seriously? Also, SO MANY QUOTES.), so she dumped him off on my grandmother.

Before this, my Aunt Kathie (Trish's mom, my mother's sister) would take Lorenzo a lot on the weekends, cause Jackie was CLEARLY seeing someone else. And we provided some stability. My aunt gave him a great home, but couldn't invest herself (mostly my uncle too) in raising a small child when their kids were grown. We would take him every other Wednesday to Pioneer Club, a church run kid's program where I taught as well. Did that for 3 years. It was fun.

So. Anyrate. My grandmother, my father's mother, died when Lorenzo was 8. She died on my 25th birthday. He had nowhere to go, so he stayed with their Peruvian neighbors. For about a year. There he worked in their Chinese restaurant, and he still hates wontons because he used to make them.

After a year or two, he moved in with my mother. He stayed with her for a couple years. Eventually, my dad got out of jail, and my mom, my stepfather Charlie & I went to get him. It was an interesting day.

For a while my dad, my mom, her husband and my brother lived in my mom's 2 bedroom apartment with a slew of cats and even more drama. Eventually my dad moved out, and in with his new girlfriend (Cookie) and her weird little dogs.

After a while (and some talking to with me) he moved out of her house and on his own with Lorenzo. He eventually found Sue (after quite possibly his longest out-of-jail time singleness ever) and they now live together. I approve of her.

This is Lorenzo at the age of 14. I was 30.



Somewhere in the mix of all this, Melissa found me on Facebook. She's well adjusted, living in New York City, and working for Red Bull. She had a crazy fucking life, and well, I really like talking to her now.

Due to the crazy past, my dad has a complete shitfit thinking about reintroducing her to Lorenzo. All she wants is to be part of his life, but I don't know how to do this. I don't legally know how to proceed (also, pleased don't offer advice on this one, seeing as I have not given the legal nature of the situation). I figure in a few years when he is 18, all bets are off and they can be reintroduced.

They look so much alike.

This is Melissa, age 25.



We used to call each other sisters because we were both excited not to be only children anymore. But then life changed.

WHOOOO doggie. That was a long one.