After high school, they went to the same college. They even applied to the same medical schools, but it didn't work out. Dad ended up in New York, while Uncle John ended up in Boston. They settled in their respective cities, but still considered each other to be brothers. So he was always Uncle John to us.
I was three years old when Uncle John got married. Within the year, they had a baby girl, Raven. And my parents had Reid. In fact, Reid and Raven were born on the same day, one hour apart.
So naturally, they struck up a lifelong friendship. Growing up, they were inseparable. Every time Dad visited Uncle John in Boston, Reid tagged along.
When I was younger, I used to visit them too. But the last time I visited them was eight years ago. That's when Mom got "sick," and life went to shit.
Mia was born when I was eight. And mom started having mood swings, crazy highs, and lows. Initially, they chalked it up to postpartum depression. Later she was diagnosed with major depression. Finally, it was anxiety, depression, and now she is currently being investigated for bipolar disorder. The opinions have been many, with even more drugs and therapy treatments. Nowadays, she just hangs out in her room, coming out on select days when she is feeling well enough.
Our lives took a huge hit when mom's unsuspecting disorders crept up, disrupting life as we knew it. She became utterly oblivious of her surroundings, drowning in self-pity. Her bedroom and her bed became her solace. And we became strangers to her. It's not like she is abusive or anything. Deep neglect is the best way to describe it.
One time, when Mia was young, I came home and found her crying her little lungs out. She was alone in her crib. Her diaper hadn't been changed, and she possibly hadn't been fed for hours. I quickly realized it would be dangerous to leave Mia alone in mom's care. I convinced dad to hire a part-time nanny, and started helping with Mia after school.
Once Mia was old enough, I found a reputable daycare. Even then, mom forgot to pick her up a couple of times. Once more, I had dad hire a nanny to care for Mia after daycare. It was alright for a while.
However, when Mia turned four, she started rebelling against nannies with a vengeance. She became super attached to me and would throw a fit if any strangers tried to take care of her. When she started school, it was World War III with her, trying to part ways when I dropped her off in the mornings. As needed as I felt, it was a lot of pressure for a thirteen-year-old to be in charge of his five-year-old baby sister.
Dad tried his best to help, but he worked such long hours at the hospital that Mia simply never developed an attachment to him. He didn't have a choice. Mom lost her job after missing one too many days. Dad picked up extra moonlighting shifts so that we could carry on the lifestyle we grew accustomed to.
Initially, we tried to make it work without a second income. The previous owners had customized our house in almost a duplex style. The downstairs has its own entrance, kitchen, bedrooms, living rooms, a complete apartment. We felt comfortable enough to rent it out to make up for the loss of income. But after one freak tenant to the next bad tenant, we decided it's not sustainable for a family of five to rent out a portion of their living quarters. Our alternative was to cut back on the semi luxurious lifestyle we lived.
We are not rich, but we do have a brownstone on the Upper West Side, all three of us go to private school, and dad started trust funds for us when we were young. While we are not made of money, we are quite comfortable.
Financial stability is something dad never had when he was growing up. He didn't want us to be deprived of opportunities because of money. I get it. He wants us to have the best chances and opportunities in life. The New York City public school system will not provide that for you. Private schools and trust funds will.
Hence, dad started working extra moonlighting shifts on his off days. It was so hard to watch his tired eyes with dark circles from lack of sleep.
That's when I decided to step in. I couldn't let dad drown. I did whatever I could to help around the house. I never complained to him and never let him understand the effect of the burden of raising Mia and Reid had on me.
As far as he was concerned, they were taken care of at school all day, followed by various after school activities. It didn't cross his mind to figure out who picked up Mia after school, if their homework was done, if they were being disciplined for poor behavior, if their lunches were being packed, or what they ate for dinner. You know, the general upkeep of raising children.
He was always the main breadwinner in the household and had literally no clue how the children were being brought up. That was always my mom's job. He never questioned how those duties were still being filled, considering mom was absent and Mia shrieks anytime she sees a nanny walking into the household. It's a trigger. Mia assumes if the nanny is coming to stay over, then I am going to leave her.
Considering the drastic change of role in my childhood, it didn't leave a lot of time to travel. Hence, I haven't gone to Boston since I was eight, and that was the last time I saw Raven. I wonder if she still has that sweet tooth of hers. She used to steal candy and sweets from the kitchen and hide it all over her room. I am sure she has changed. After all, she was only four when I saw her last.
I did, however, frequently see Uncle John, whenever he visited New York.
Uncle John is my hero. He is my biggest cheerleader and he just gets me. I can talk to him about everything. He doesn't judge people for their shortcomings and never passes out unkind opinions. Being a man of faith, he always tells me that he has his own demons too. And hopes that if he ever falls, someone would be kind enough to help him without judgment.
Even in his professional life, he is an all-around hero. He worked for Doctors Without Borders for years before he got married. He is a gem of a human being and is big on giving back to the community.
While he did reserve any judgments about my mom, he understood the toll all of this took on me. During the last few summer vacations, he invited Reid and Mia to stay with them in Boston, giving me a much-needed break to be a typical teenager. Mia loves Raven and Uncle John, so she didn't throw a tantrum being away from me. I was finally able to have friends over, go to parties, have sex; all the normal teenage shit.
In the last eight years, Uncle John has been my constant salvation. And now I have to be his. His wife, Theressa, recently left him and his thirteen-year-old daughter. Uncle John is heartbroken.
When Uncle John married Theressa Beckett, she was a runway model and an aspiring fashion designer. Uncle John fell hard. He became obsessed with her and wanted to marry her. She didn't feel quite the same. But her fashion designing career never took off, and she was getting too old to be a model. At that point, she was just a glorified party girl and socialite. The prospect of settling down with a rich, semi-handsome doctor was not so horrendous.
She was still on the fence about marrying him, till she got pregnant with Raven. Our parents will never admit to this story, but I have heard it from enough family friends, to know it's true. Theressa only agreed to marry Uncle John because she was pregnant. Uncle John never wanted kids. But if it meant that he'd get to marry the woman of his dreams, he didn't mind.