Rescuing The Old Janette and The Old Yvette
Without Prejudice
Firstly let me say she no longer needs Rescuing, she manages her own life and I expect her too, I spent too many years trying to sort it all out, now I don't!!
Anxious Mum has finally gone and now My life is more inportant. xoxo
But In The Old Days, it was very different.........
When Yvette finally left Simon she rang me up and said
" Mum, would you come pick up me and the boys? "
Yvette was living at Simons parents place, and the place was a hovel. Pia Simon's Mum had decided to sell the place, she and her Hubby had broken up leaving the place empty with Yvette and Simon and the kids squatting in it. I had bought a house on my own in Noble Park North, Springfield Court and I worked at Springvalley Juice as a credit Officer.
I hadn't been in touch with Yvette for a while, letting Kyle's birthday go past, calling in to see her for Christmas Day, she was feeding the kids hot dogs, all the food in the house. The place was a mess, a riot, lights hung down from ceilings, clothes piled everywhere, dogs, cats strolling in and out, it smelled terrible and everything was filfthy. Yvette was bone thin, what the junkies call "Boned Out", meaning she was nothing but bones, hollow eyed. dead eyed. I gave her some small things for the little boys aged 9, almost 5, 3 and 2. I hadn't been impressed with the way Yvette was handling life, slavishly following Simon.
It had been going on all year, on and off and the rest of us were heartily sick of it. Yvette we heard had gone off to Qld then she was back, then she tried to hang herself, and we all ignored her, we knew it was just for attention, not from us, from Simon. By the time I saw her again, she was Simon, Simon, Simon and I used to look at my watch and think,
"Just let one minute go by without her mentioning the name Simon"
Simon was a mess, he was involved in the "stuff", speed, heroin, weed, pills, you name it , he was taking it and lots of it. Yvette too. They had been to Queensland with another couple, leaving the boys with Simon's Aunt, Shirley. Deb and I heard through the grapevine that the boys had been at Shirleys for ages, so we went to visit and the boys were fine, all 4 of them. Shirley ended up taking them up as a full time carer.
Jai the youngest was still in a cot and Zach and Brock were toddlers. We kept an eye on them from afar, giving Shirley phone numbers to contact us.
I had not long moved into my own little cottage, 3 bedroom, every thing about it was tiny, except for the back garden, which was huge.
It was my little gatekeepers cottage, with a small verandah at the front and big verandah at the back. (I love the idea of having a great big house on grounds with a gatekeepers cottage. I have seen so many in the UK. Mine would be all inclusive with a long driveway and I would have a studio for writing and the main house would have my Man in it with his children, his wife dying from some mystery ailment and leaving him bereft for a while and he could only come down when I was finished being me. Wouldn't that be wonderful??? He would be a farmer but a rich one, driving a custom made Range Rover, be able to shoot a deer and make it into Venison Pie---hahahahah, my very own Laird, no wonder my Sister says my imagination runs away with me )
I loved that little house, it was my first on my own. Deb was with Andrew, Alena with Dean and I felt like I couldn't settle until Yvette was stable and happy. I was "rescuing". people again. But I had to do it I had to help her, so we moved her in. And it was fantastic chaos, the boys ran riot and I just let Yvette sleep and sleep, days nights, never getting out of bed, then she was up and like mad woman, scratching at her face and one day came into the kitchen a bloodied tooth in one hand and a pair of pliers in the other and it was like looking at Jack Nicholas in The Shining except she wasn't carrying a knife! Yet!. I rang the Cat Team and they were there within minutes and came every day for 3 weeks until she snapped out of it.
It was touch and go for a while, she was psychotic and I still had to mind the boys in between times and work. At Springvalley I rang to get some Family Day Care, rushed from work, met the Family Day Care lady, met the 3 carers and one I really liked, Raylene, a shy Indian Woman, who had been a Teacher in India.
I never forget the first day I took them there, Raylene beckoning me in to the darkened house, and we put the 2 boys to bed for a while. I was leaving my babies with a stranger and I was a bit up tight. The oldest 2 boys got themselves up, and got dressed and hopped on the bus to St. Gerards, Kyle was 10 and Zach 5. She tried to assure me the boys would be fine and I was a bit teary, and then I spotted her collection of Snoopies,
"Do you collect them ?"
"Oh, Yes, but that collection I have one missing"
I looked at her,
"I have to two sets, which one are you missing? "
She told me and I took it to her the next morning and we were friends for life. She saved my life for a while and I will never forget her kindness. She would mind the boys for us all night, overnight on Fridays, giving us a break from then on. I arrived home every night, wondering what was broken that day.
And the boys ran around like little terrors, so having a break was fantastic. And when I had first told Yvette the boys were going to be minded, she said and I quote verbatim
"I.m not having any stupid B****, minding my kids, I'm not a bad Mother, tell family day care to go get f*****,
Raylene, Yvette and I laugh now 11 years down the track, Raylene was a life line for us, we were able to do so much more with her around. And we slowly, slowly started getting on our feet and then Simon was caught in his Mum's house by a drug dealer, Bill, who beat Simon so badly he was unrecognisable.
There were 2 guys and Simon knew they were coming, because he had ripped them off on a deal. He lay awake for 2 nights and they burst in and began beating him and Simon jumped out of a closed window, breaking it and ran for his life. he knew they would kill him if they caught him.
Alena went to the Hospital and dragged him to our place, crying, he was terrible, his face blown out like a balloon, he looked like The Elephant Man, worse. we all cried, even though he was a druggie, Simon underneath was a really nice kind caring person and wouldn't hurt a fly, not physically, anyway.
Yvette and Simon hadn't been together since Christmas Day. So Bill was still after Simon, so we packed him on a bus, and sent him off to Adelaide, out of harms way. Yvette joining him later, taking the kids, planning on a new start, a fresh life and with in days Simon had disappeared.
Kyle was an amazing child, old beyond his years, and responsible and protective of his brothers, very protective. He helped me so much, understanding Yvette's mood swings. She was is and will always be a nightmare to waken out of bed. ( Even these days I might have to go into the house and wake the boys, Yvette's just had the flu, Simons sister Mandy died suddenly, she'll be tired worn out, every day is different.
Usually I don't have to wake her for anything but if I do, the boys pull me backwards, begging me not to wake her, but I do, creeping up the hall and whispering Yvette. I either get one or two responses.
The usual one
"I can f*****g well hear you, I am not deaf, those f*****g B******'s can get themselves ok, I.m staying in bed for the rest of the day.........."
Or
"I've been awake since the alarm Mum it's fine, I am getting up"
Either way she gets up, having coke as her "coffee", always shivering with cold. In a former life she was anorexic going down to 37 kilos and on a 5' 3", frame, its not a good look. Now she's about 42 kilos but still too thin. But then she always has been, even as a baby, she threw her bottle out of the cot, and she's always been bad tempered and rebellious.
Only time eventually slowing her down. But she was "out in the wilderness" for years, the other girls complaining I spent too much time, helping her and not seeing them or their kids.
And they were right, I did.
But back to the rescue... Yvette rang, Simon gone and she had a horrible feeling he had been locked up. He had been checking out cars in front of her as soon as she had arrived, she was stranded at a Motel. Pia stumped up the money for Yvette and the kids to get back. And when she arrived back, Debbie and I decided to find Simon.
We sent Yvette to Deb's house with the boys and we got out a big pad and pen and started listing every Police Station in Adelaide. Yvette had said he was probably using an alias, Chris Maxwell and on the last number of 18 we hit pay dirt.
To be continued
Firstly let me say she no longer needs Rescuing, she manages her own life and I expect her too, I spent too many years trying to sort it all out, now I don't!!
Anxious Mum has finally gone and now My life is more inportant. xoxo
But In The Old Days, it was very different.........
When Yvette finally left Simon she rang me up and said
" Mum, would you come pick up me and the boys? "
Yvette was living at Simons parents place, and the place was a hovel. Pia Simon's Mum had decided to sell the place, she and her Hubby had broken up leaving the place empty with Yvette and Simon and the kids squatting in it. I had bought a house on my own in Noble Park North, Springfield Court and I worked at Springvalley Juice as a credit Officer.
I hadn't been in touch with Yvette for a while, letting Kyle's birthday go past, calling in to see her for Christmas Day, she was feeding the kids hot dogs, all the food in the house. The place was a mess, a riot, lights hung down from ceilings, clothes piled everywhere, dogs, cats strolling in and out, it smelled terrible and everything was filfthy. Yvette was bone thin, what the junkies call "Boned Out", meaning she was nothing but bones, hollow eyed. dead eyed. I gave her some small things for the little boys aged 9, almost 5, 3 and 2. I hadn't been impressed with the way Yvette was handling life, slavishly following Simon.
It had been going on all year, on and off and the rest of us were heartily sick of it. Yvette we heard had gone off to Qld then she was back, then she tried to hang herself, and we all ignored her, we knew it was just for attention, not from us, from Simon. By the time I saw her again, she was Simon, Simon, Simon and I used to look at my watch and think,
"Just let one minute go by without her mentioning the name Simon"
Simon was a mess, he was involved in the "stuff", speed, heroin, weed, pills, you name it , he was taking it and lots of it. Yvette too. They had been to Queensland with another couple, leaving the boys with Simon's Aunt, Shirley. Deb and I heard through the grapevine that the boys had been at Shirleys for ages, so we went to visit and the boys were fine, all 4 of them. Shirley ended up taking them up as a full time carer.
Jai the youngest was still in a cot and Zach and Brock were toddlers. We kept an eye on them from afar, giving Shirley phone numbers to contact us.
I had not long moved into my own little cottage, 3 bedroom, every thing about it was tiny, except for the back garden, which was huge.
It was my little gatekeepers cottage, with a small verandah at the front and big verandah at the back. (I love the idea of having a great big house on grounds with a gatekeepers cottage. I have seen so many in the UK. Mine would be all inclusive with a long driveway and I would have a studio for writing and the main house would have my Man in it with his children, his wife dying from some mystery ailment and leaving him bereft for a while and he could only come down when I was finished being me. Wouldn't that be wonderful??? He would be a farmer but a rich one, driving a custom made Range Rover, be able to shoot a deer and make it into Venison Pie---hahahahah, my very own Laird, no wonder my Sister says my imagination runs away with me )
I loved that little house, it was my first on my own. Deb was with Andrew, Alena with Dean and I felt like I couldn't settle until Yvette was stable and happy. I was "rescuing". people again. But I had to do it I had to help her, so we moved her in. And it was fantastic chaos, the boys ran riot and I just let Yvette sleep and sleep, days nights, never getting out of bed, then she was up and like mad woman, scratching at her face and one day came into the kitchen a bloodied tooth in one hand and a pair of pliers in the other and it was like looking at Jack Nicholas in The Shining except she wasn't carrying a knife! Yet!. I rang the Cat Team and they were there within minutes and came every day for 3 weeks until she snapped out of it.
It was touch and go for a while, she was psychotic and I still had to mind the boys in between times and work. At Springvalley I rang to get some Family Day Care, rushed from work, met the Family Day Care lady, met the 3 carers and one I really liked, Raylene, a shy Indian Woman, who had been a Teacher in India.
I never forget the first day I took them there, Raylene beckoning me in to the darkened house, and we put the 2 boys to bed for a while. I was leaving my babies with a stranger and I was a bit up tight. The oldest 2 boys got themselves up, and got dressed and hopped on the bus to St. Gerards, Kyle was 10 and Zach 5. She tried to assure me the boys would be fine and I was a bit teary, and then I spotted her collection of Snoopies,
"Do you collect them ?"
"Oh, Yes, but that collection I have one missing"
I looked at her,
"I have to two sets, which one are you missing? "
She told me and I took it to her the next morning and we were friends for life. She saved my life for a while and I will never forget her kindness. She would mind the boys for us all night, overnight on Fridays, giving us a break from then on. I arrived home every night, wondering what was broken that day.
And the boys ran around like little terrors, so having a break was fantastic. And when I had first told Yvette the boys were going to be minded, she said and I quote verbatim
"I.m not having any stupid B****, minding my kids, I'm not a bad Mother, tell family day care to go get f*****,
Raylene, Yvette and I laugh now 11 years down the track, Raylene was a life line for us, we were able to do so much more with her around. And we slowly, slowly started getting on our feet and then Simon was caught in his Mum's house by a drug dealer, Bill, who beat Simon so badly he was unrecognisable.
There were 2 guys and Simon knew they were coming, because he had ripped them off on a deal. He lay awake for 2 nights and they burst in and began beating him and Simon jumped out of a closed window, breaking it and ran for his life. he knew they would kill him if they caught him.
Alena went to the Hospital and dragged him to our place, crying, he was terrible, his face blown out like a balloon, he looked like The Elephant Man, worse. we all cried, even though he was a druggie, Simon underneath was a really nice kind caring person and wouldn't hurt a fly, not physically, anyway.
Yvette and Simon hadn't been together since Christmas Day. So Bill was still after Simon, so we packed him on a bus, and sent him off to Adelaide, out of harms way. Yvette joining him later, taking the kids, planning on a new start, a fresh life and with in days Simon had disappeared.
Kyle was an amazing child, old beyond his years, and responsible and protective of his brothers, very protective. He helped me so much, understanding Yvette's mood swings. She was is and will always be a nightmare to waken out of bed. ( Even these days I might have to go into the house and wake the boys, Yvette's just had the flu, Simons sister Mandy died suddenly, she'll be tired worn out, every day is different.
Usually I don't have to wake her for anything but if I do, the boys pull me backwards, begging me not to wake her, but I do, creeping up the hall and whispering Yvette. I either get one or two responses.
The usual one
"I can f*****g well hear you, I am not deaf, those f*****g B******'s can get themselves ok, I.m staying in bed for the rest of the day.........."
Or
"I've been awake since the alarm Mum it's fine, I am getting up"
Either way she gets up, having coke as her "coffee", always shivering with cold. In a former life she was anorexic going down to 37 kilos and on a 5' 3", frame, its not a good look. Now she's about 42 kilos but still too thin. But then she always has been, even as a baby, she threw her bottle out of the cot, and she's always been bad tempered and rebellious.
Only time eventually slowing her down. But she was "out in the wilderness" for years, the other girls complaining I spent too much time, helping her and not seeing them or their kids.
And they were right, I did.
But back to the rescue... Yvette rang, Simon gone and she had a horrible feeling he had been locked up. He had been checking out cars in front of her as soon as she had arrived, she was stranded at a Motel. Pia stumped up the money for Yvette and the kids to get back. And when she arrived back, Debbie and I decided to find Simon.
We sent Yvette to Deb's house with the boys and we got out a big pad and pen and started listing every Police Station in Adelaide. Yvette had said he was probably using an alias, Chris Maxwell and on the last number of 18 we hit pay dirt.
To be continued
