The other day, in the supermarket, I stopped to read the headlines of some of the magazines on display. There were so many to choose from. I couldn’t help thinking how expensive they were, especially the ones that I like. I grew up on the tiny island of St Helena, we didn’t have daily newspapers. instead we had a small leaflet on Saturdays called the news review. The small library in James town was stocked with a good selection of books . I love going to the library. I would spend ages talking to mrs Dillon, she was indeed a lovely, kind and witty lady with a dry sence of humour. At home we had a few bibles and hymn books, my muma had uncle Tom’s cabin which she absolutely treasured, she would always read to me. I love to hear about the runaway slaves especially Liza and her small son. At school we had Janet and John books, I loved reading them I would imagine that I was Janet. I wanted to buy Michelle Obama’s book “Becomming” but at twenty something pounds I found it far too expensive , I will hang around for it to appear in the charity shop. I find her very inspiring, I love watching her on you tube , the woman ozzes inspiration, most people can’t get enough of her. She was priviilage to have parents who gave her a good education, whereas I didn’t even have parents, let alone an education. I regret not having the chance to have a career I would have liked to have gone to collage or even university. My reading and writing was below average at school, I had difficulity learning. Psychiatrist now tell us that there is a direct link between unhappy children and not being able to learn. This was so true in my case I couldn’t tell the time nor could I do the simplest things. My youngest auntie is eight years older then me, we were raised in the same house by the same adults. My auntie was loved and praised by her father, while he physically and mentally abused me . My auntie is an intelligent woman she is a keen cook , photographer she also plays the guitar and give speaches at her church. I am not a shy person but I lack confindence I still bear the deep scares of childhood abuse. My auntie didn’t endured any of the beatings from her father like her sister’s and brother’s did , however she told me that she saw her father beat her mother and her siblings. My aunt left St Helena age just 17 years old to work in England in a huge house simalar to Dunton Abby. There were several woman from the island working in the house , one of then had left her children with her husband while she worked in England. It must have been so difficult to be so far away from your family , you couldn’t just phone home back then. With the help of the butler my auntie manage to get to London where she found work in one of the large stores. She returned to StHelena after 3 years , I was so please to see her. I thought that she would tell me about my mother, sister’s and brother’s . she was hostile to me, I looked on as she praised my cousins whilst constantly put me down. I knew that my abusive grandfather was behind it all, it was hellish watching her laughing and gigling with them while giving me the most dirty looks. she left without saying goodbye to me. I watched the ship taking her back to England until it became a tiny dot disapearing over the horizon. It broke my heart when she wrote back to her mum saying that I was bad and should be put into the childrens home. My grandfather resented the affection my grandmother so openly lavished on me. Later, by the time I was 12 to 14 I learn how to with stand the worse of my grandfather’s mentel abuse. By the time I was 15 years old my beloved grandmother had died. I was now about to take a new and different path in my life. During this difficult time my auntie changed and became was very supportive to me, writing and phoning me one a month. She was always full of remorse, she has been there for me when I needed her most. She keeps in touch by social media we try to meet up as aften as we can, I saw her in August and hopefully again soon. I have ask myself so many times how can two children be raised by the same adults under the same roof be so different.? The answer is simple, my auntie was loved and praised while I was brutally abused.
Feb 06
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Dorothy Maude My Life
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My name is Dorothy and I want to share with the world my trial and tribulations from St. Helena to where I now reside in England.My Photos
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