Rebel Yell
Without Prejudice
She was always a fidgety baby, failed to thrive and was as skiiny as all let out. She smiled and fussed just like any baby. I was 19 and exhausted. Probably had Post Natal Depression as I was forever tired and could not get enough sleep. I thought being a mum would come naturally as I had always wanted to be one since I could ever remember.
I went shopping the day she was born, leaving her with George and Karin my brother and his girlfriend. I would never have done that with Deb, the first who was just one year old. She turned one the day I brought Yvette home. I was detached and non caring and overwhelmed and lonely.
We lived in an old Half house in Oakleigh then, It was old and roomy and I liked it. It had once been one house and must have been massive originally. A California Bungalow right down to its Portico and high ceilings. A long hall that traversed the whole whouse from one end to the other. The floorboards old and in beautiful condition. They echoed hollowly as you walked down them. My ex found it and we installed my brother George in the dining/2nd bedroom. We ended up needing it fot the two babies and George moved out around then.
He had lived with us for years and he had recently turned 21 and had met his future wife, so he was off and that great big place was ours all to ourselves. The front yard was scrubby and had a low wall front fence in red and brown. Right next to us was the 2nd half house and a young couple moved in also with kids.
They were a great couple, English and I grew good friends with Nancy and Dave, My ex did too but then fell out with them, which I was to find out to my horror was normal for him. He must have reminded me of my Mother, as he was dark mooded and violent and quite quite mad. I didn't know it then but I was to know it later. His mad sick mind.
I was also a rebel even then and we clashed all the time. And about everything. I should have known as we already had a major fight and had busted up once before we were married. I was 17 when I married and he was 23. I saw him as stron and more worldly than me and obviously more powerful. From day one I was in trouble with him and that was the way it would saty our entire marriage. I look back now and can't believe I was ever married to him.
Thats the way of a lot of us and is certainly not something new so I won't go on about it. If I do, I will refer to him as Oscar, as that was his nickname at school. I was 19 and trapped in a bad marriage and it was our job as young wives in those days to look after our man. I worked as well but the roles were still traditional.
I had not wanted to marry, I was pregnant and in the 70
s it meant a "shotgun wedding", meaning a hasty one before bubs was born. We married in Sydney on 4/7/1970. Ironically American Independence day and hard to forget.
I was to be married to my feckless and disloyal husband for 20 years. And not one happy year, not one and I am not kidding. Why stay??. The kids of course and determination to see it through. But I soon found I didn't like him. I went back to work when Deb was 6 weeks old, part time at KFC, lugging trays of chicken and folding boxes and learning what piece was what. A wing, rib or thigh . I did the shifts the young teens wouldn't.
I worked for a vast florid American who smoked cigars eternally and hardly ever moved his butt off the cahir in the office. He would yell out orders to us from in there and we would dutifully respond. I made coleslaw and mashed potato and the delicious gravy, broke up chickens and floured them with the 11 secret herbs abd spices. I loved the work and had money of my own at last. I didn't drive till I was 21 so Oscar had to drive me to work and pick me up.
He didn't turn violent straight away but the first time he hit me he had crossed a line. I was shocked and mortified and ashamed of him. I walked all t
She was always a fidgety baby, failed to thrive and was as skiiny as all let out. She smiled and fussed just like any baby. I was 19 and exhausted. Probably had Post Natal Depression as I was forever tired and could not get enough sleep. I thought being a mum would come naturally as I had always wanted to be one since I could ever remember.
I went shopping the day she was born, leaving her with George and Karin my brother and his girlfriend. I would never have done that with Deb, the first who was just one year old. She turned one the day I brought Yvette home. I was detached and non caring and overwhelmed and lonely.
We lived in an old Half house in Oakleigh then, It was old and roomy and I liked it. It had once been one house and must have been massive originally. A California Bungalow right down to its Portico and high ceilings. A long hall that traversed the whole whouse from one end to the other. The floorboards old and in beautiful condition. They echoed hollowly as you walked down them. My ex found it and we installed my brother George in the dining/2nd bedroom. We ended up needing it fot the two babies and George moved out around then.
He had lived with us for years and he had recently turned 21 and had met his future wife, so he was off and that great big place was ours all to ourselves. The front yard was scrubby and had a low wall front fence in red and brown. Right next to us was the 2nd half house and a young couple moved in also with kids.
They were a great couple, English and I grew good friends with Nancy and Dave, My ex did too but then fell out with them, which I was to find out to my horror was normal for him. He must have reminded me of my Mother, as he was dark mooded and violent and quite quite mad. I didn't know it then but I was to know it later. His mad sick mind.
I was also a rebel even then and we clashed all the time. And about everything. I should have known as we already had a major fight and had busted up once before we were married. I was 17 when I married and he was 23. I saw him as stron and more worldly than me and obviously more powerful. From day one I was in trouble with him and that was the way it would saty our entire marriage. I look back now and can't believe I was ever married to him.
Thats the way of a lot of us and is certainly not something new so I won't go on about it. If I do, I will refer to him as Oscar, as that was his nickname at school. I was 19 and trapped in a bad marriage and it was our job as young wives in those days to look after our man. I worked as well but the roles were still traditional.
I had not wanted to marry, I was pregnant and in the 70
s it meant a "shotgun wedding", meaning a hasty one before bubs was born. We married in Sydney on 4/7/1970. Ironically American Independence day and hard to forget.
I was to be married to my feckless and disloyal husband for 20 years. And not one happy year, not one and I am not kidding. Why stay??. The kids of course and determination to see it through. But I soon found I didn't like him. I went back to work when Deb was 6 weeks old, part time at KFC, lugging trays of chicken and folding boxes and learning what piece was what. A wing, rib or thigh . I did the shifts the young teens wouldn't.
I worked for a vast florid American who smoked cigars eternally and hardly ever moved his butt off the cahir in the office. He would yell out orders to us from in there and we would dutifully respond. I made coleslaw and mashed potato and the delicious gravy, broke up chickens and floured them with the 11 secret herbs abd spices. I loved the work and had money of my own at last. I didn't drive till I was 21 so Oscar had to drive me to work and pick me up.
He didn't turn violent straight away but the first time he hit me he had crossed a line. I was shocked and mortified and ashamed of him. I walked all t
