They moved in when I was 5 or 6 and lived there until about 10 years ago once all the kids were out of the house and the parents had retired. They seemed like nice enough people, always caring for our immortal souls. There were three kids two older boys who were in Jr High School I believe at the time, and a daughter who was a year younger than me. When she was allowed out we would play together. This was very rare. One such time we were climbing the tree in our back yard when her oldest brother climbed up behind us. He then proceeded to tell us all about sex. I was 8 and completely mortified. Around this time, my grandfather passed away, the mother pounced and got my mom involved with the PTL and Jim Baker. That lasted a while with her buying all the stuff the sold, bible on tape and donating here there and everywhere. They tried to get her to join them at the Corps and offered to have ‘The Capitan’ come over to talk with her. She politely refused. This went on for some time.

I went over her house from time to time as well. One time that springs to mind was while a cousin was living with them. He had done something… sinned in some way. While this girl and I were in her room, we could hear him being spanked in the next room. They were very much into the spare the rod and spoil the child…. from the sound she was hitting bare skin… and it sounded like she was clapping, the hits were coming so rapidly.. Like slapslapslap instead of slap..windup..slap..windup..slap. He screamed the whole time. I was terrified! Another time I think I had slept over, the next morning it was time for the “Daily Devotions” where she read from the bible. I don’t remember what she read, but I remember it was aimed at the older two brothers because of their behavior. I asked my friend later if they did that everyday. She said they did. I felt a little bad that I didn’t do anything like that. I thought maybe this meant I would go to hell or something. My mother explained how different religions did different things… didn’t change my fear.

They weren’t allowed to trick or treat most years. They did occasionally. And occasionally they would give out treats which would include a little scripture lesson with it.

In Jr High, my friend bragged about boys from summer camp (it was a church camp) even said she went into a tent with a boy and made the insinuations that something had gone on. (It was the 80’s though, none of us had a sexual status. Virgins were prudes non virgins were sluts.) A couple girls from the neighborhood caught wind of this and started prank calling her house. I was blamed. Her mother called my mother and accused me of making the calls and then getting the girls to make the calls. My mom told her off.

She also used to babysit for another neighbor. My sister would fill in there as well. Actually I think they used all the teen girls at one point or another. The was a time that she was babysitting and a bunch of us went over there. She went after my “boyfriend” at the time and they disappeared into the parents bedroom. While they were gone I was watching the kids.. Some time later my sister is babysitting over there and the two younger kids say that my friend and the boyfriend tried to get them to have sex (only they used the words they new to describe it) My sister told them to tell their parents. They went nuts confronted my friend… there was a big meeting with her mother and the mother of these kids. She turned it on me. Said it was me not her daughter. I was destroyed by this. But my friend said that it didn’t happen, and no one blamed me.

We were still sort of friendly through high school not really best friends or anything. We lost touch after we graduated. No idea where she is now. The older two brothers? Well let’s see. The oldest dropped out of high school and joined the Marines, where he got his GED and became a dealer. He dealt whatever he could get his hands on, drugs girls whatever. He was kicked out with a general discharge. Can’t remember if it was the drugs or the women that got him. He had odd jobs here and then then moved away. The only time we hear about him after that was when he plead no contest to charges or molestation of his girlfriends kids and also drug possession. The girl friend went way too.

The other brother was the only normal one. He did knock up his girlfriend, but he married her. Got a job at Se@rs and one day at work when the wife took the kid in to see him he locked the kid in one of the freezer displays.

hmm yeah I am the one going to hell.

Just another reason for my current beliefs