Is he my uncle or what? Recently, my husband died of a drug overdose, and now my mom, Jena, shared a family secret .
"The truth sets us free, but it first makes us miserable." - Sandra Wilson.
Part One: The Hard Truth
My father is my mom's brother. Is he my uncle or what?
Things are not always as they appear or sound. The dark blue color is not black - -pay attention and look closely.
My name is Zita. I'm a twenty-five-year-old single mother of three young children, and I live in Tarrytown, NY.
My husband, Freedom, died of a drug overdose last year, and he left behind his grandparents, parents, and young family. It is awful, I have been a single mother for a few months now, and it seems like a hell-fire description in the Holy Bible.
A few days ago, my mom shared a family secret, and it has yet to sink in. For the first time, I recently disclosed the cause of my husband's death. Freedom died of a drug overdose, not a natural cause, as I told our family members, friends, and Pastor.
I had previously lied and covered up the cause of his death because he was a Wall Street drug user, and until he died, his drug use was not a significant problem. But the heroin addiction killed him, and he left me with three children under four.
Bad luck for my three young children and me.
For you, readers: Addiction is a treatable disease, and treatment works. Seek treatment if your drug use negatively affects your relationship, career, and health.
Here is my background:
My biological father, John, is seventy-one, and my mom, Jena, is forty.
John is my mother's eldest brother. My mother is the last child of her parents' nine children.
My father has three sons from his first wife, Gigi. They are forty-four and forty-one-year-old twins.
My mother was my father's second wife. As I grew older, I questioned why my mother looked so young, and I did not know her actual age until I turned eighteen.
My stepfather, Kris, and mom, Jena, raised me from age nine.
Recently, my mother sat me down to tell me a story:
"The truth sets us free, but it first makes us miserable." - Sandra Wilson.
She told me that John Greens was an oilman in Tarrytown, NY. He moved away from his extended family in OKC, OK.
John made waves with money and power in the 1980s, and his relatives and friends wanted to be part of his money and fame.
John and his wife, Gigi, were a celebrity couple with social engagements that crisscrossed four cities - NYC, Washington DC, Paris, and London.
Everyone envied the Greens and their relatives in OKC, OK, including my grandparents, who looked for ways to be closer to them or be in their home.
One weekend, Gigi visited my grandparents' home and saw my mother, Jena. The woman fell in love with my mom.
During this visit, my grandparents noticed how their daughter-in-law admired their last born, and they schooled Jena to ask Gigi if she could join her to be one of her maids in NY.
Jena asked, and Gigs said, "No." Before she added, "You are a family; you can't be our maid. After high school, you could come and attend college in NY."
My grandparents happily jumped in, "It is okay for Jena to join you and attend high school in NY."
My mother, Jena, continued to narrate her story.
"I packed my clothing in my backpack and headed with Mrs. Greens to Tarrytown, NY. It was like I was going to heaven. The heaven our Pastor preaches on Sundays.
It was my first time on an airplane and riding in a limousine. We arrived at the Greens' home -- a mansion I had never been to in my life. Everything was big, pleasant, and exceptional."
To be continued next Sunday.
This story is the work of fiction and was first published on another website.
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