Birth to Sixth Grade

I was born June 2nd on a stormy day in Toledo, Ohio. Nothing like the thunder and rain to celebrate the day I escaped from the womb, where I was imprisoned for about 9 months. I got out a little too early and was considered born premature, about three weeks if I remember correctly. But I was let out into this world, fill of life and mysteries to explore and take part in.
Soon I was released from the hospital and went to my new home. At the time I was born it was just me, mom, and dad. I was the first grandchild on my mom’s side, so of course there was some spoiling and a lot of baby photos. I learned to walk at a very early age, and was running around causing all sorts of trouble. If there was trouble to be found, you bet I was there.
My mom soon found something that keep me quiet and entertained, and this would soon become a great passion and part of my life. What is that you would ask that would clam and entertain the devil child, the answer is simple, MTV. This of course was when MTV was new and they played music all the time, not like it is today where they have TV shows and all sorts of stuff going on. My mom would set me in the middle of the floor and turn on the TV; I would sit or lay there and stare at the TV. I was careful not to take my eyes off it, for I might miss something. Sometimes, I would lay there and roll around or try to dance to the music playing, I am not sure if I tried to sing along, but something tells me that I probably did. I still “try” to sing along to music, but trust me I don’t think you would want to hear me. The only problem is if someone walked in front of the TV, changed the channel, or interfered with my MTV, there was hell to pay. I would cry, and cry, and cry, I wanted my MTV.
Another thing that was done a lot was late night drives. I did not like to fall asleep I guess and would be all over and crying, so my mom found out if she took me for a ride in the car, I would fall asleep quickly. Maybe this is why I don’t mind driving and long road trips are no problem for me. Who knows, they say your childhood experiences lead to future likes and dislikes. So I think this could be why I like Music and Driving ;)
I was very smart as a kid and caught on to things quickly; it was easy for me to learn things by watching other people, even as a child I was very creative and wild. I remember my mom telling me stories about me as a kid. Some were interesting and some were like embarrassing. I remember my mom telling me that I used to sneak out of my crib; it was the one where the sides pulled up and locked you in like a jail. Well I guess I was getting out and my mom could not figure out how I was getting out. Then she was changing my sheets and blankets one day and found a screwdriver in my crib. I think it was a plastic one from a toy set. But I was using it to get the side to drop down and I was free. I must say, I was pretty clever as a baby to figure that out.
About 18 months later, on September 21st, my sister was born, Destani. Now I had a sister and life was about to change as I knew it. I now had to share my toys and everything with her, this new person in my life. But soon it got to be fun and I accepted my sister. But there were a lot of fights, crying, and battles going on all the time, but there was good times and memories as well.
I remember a story my mom told my sister and I once. I knew how to walk and my sister was still learning. By the time she was learning, I was running, jumping and all over. Well I guess I used to grab my sisters hand and be like “Come on Destani, let’s go!” I would take off walking and my sister, who could hardly walk and barely stand, would go falling to the ground. I would not let go of her hand and be dragging her behind me, telling her “Come on get up, let’s go!” This had to have been a sight to see.
I also remember going to Sunday school and some church school. I remember being there and learning to play musical instruments. I think the nuns found out music was the only way to keep me from driving them insane. I think they even called me a devil child a few times.
I remember clearly one time my mom was picking me up, and I got in the car. I did not put my seatbelt on, but back then no one really cared if you wore it or not, unlike today. We started driving away and the door opened and I fell out. I quickly grabbed hold on the door and was holding on to the door, the handle on the inside where you pull it shit when you get in. I was yelling at my mom and she looked over and was like OH MY GOD. Here I was hanging out of the car, holding on the door handle. She finally slowed down to stop the car, but you know where she stopped? In the middle of a huge puddle and I was covered in mud and water. But it was not her fault, she had no choice. She had to slowly come to a stop, because if she slammed on the breaks and stopped, my head would have gone crashing into the door. I think this is why I always put on my seat belt now; I don’t want to be falling out of any more cars.
We went on a family trip to see Niagara Falls, we were in Canada. I remember this because when we got to the hotel, my dad came in and was like look at the funny money they gave me. It was a great experience and a lot of fun, that I remember.
I was even taken to jail once; I guess I was up to no good and out causing trouble in the neighborhood. And from what I was told, this was like all the time. I was always getting into something. I guess this time; I was out messing around and got into someone’s car that had two bowling balls in the back seat. I took them, and got my sister and we started rolling them down the street. We were rolling them everywhere and all over. The person came out to their car to see their bowling balls were gone, they called the cops. After the called the cops, they came back outside and was looking around and see my sister and I playing with what seemed to be there bowling balls. He came over to us and my sister and I ran. He chased us to our house, where we ran inside and hid. The guy talked to my dad and then the cops came and talked to my dad as well. My dad took me to the police station where they put me in an empty cell and told me that this is what life would be like if I do anything like that again. It scared the shit out of me. My dad had to pay for the bowling balls and everything was taken care of.
I was about two or three I think when my parents finally got divorced. It was weird being that young seeing your parents separate, I did not really understand what was going on. But then again, they only got married in the first place because she was pregnant with me. I was an unplanned and unexpected gift to this world. But this would be a change that I think would be for the best at the time, I just did not know it, I was too young. I still remember them fighting at times and grabbing my sister and running and hiding, careful not to get hit by anything that might be flying though the air.
So now I was living with my mom and we moved to Toledo, Ohio. The funny thing is the street name we lived on. I lived on Gay Street, how gay is that? I went to a preschool in Rossford, Ohio where my great Grandma lived. She used to watch us; we had pizza parties, played games. I loved hanging out there and was always over there it seemed. I knew a lot of German words from her; she was born in Germany and came here during World War 2. It seemed both sides of my family came from Germany during World War 2. Well my dad’s dad grandparents did, my dad’s mom was born here in the United States I think and she is part Indian. So I am like pure German so to say, but I love my heritage and culture I came from.
Sometime during this time I remember going on a road trip with my dad. My sister did not go, I don’t remember why, but she stayed. We went to California to visit my family in Garden Grove, CA. We drove out there and stopped at many different places along the way. It was a lot of fun, and I remember going to the beach and playing in the ocean. It was a lot of fun to say the least.
I think this is also about the time I was exploring my sexuality, I say this because when my mom and I talked about it a few times, she would always tell me she knew since I was like three or four. I would go in her closet and put on her clothes, high heels, and jewelry and run around the house in it and show my mom how good I looked. Yes, I guess I used to be a cross dresser. I also always played Barbies with my sister and all the grille stuff.
Then when I was five, I moved to Liberty Center to live with my father. I was enrolled at Liberty Center Elementary; this is where I attended kindergarten. I remember this to a point and some things, I remember nap time and going outside to play. I remember eating paste, ok come on who has not done that when they were a kid? I remember always getting in trouble, nothing new there. I ended up repeating kindergarten, I don’t remember why or the reasons, but I was told it was because the teacher felt that I should stay or something, my parents told me that is was because they wanted me to be ahead later on. I just know I repeated this grade. But I guess I was not always the devil child, a Girl later on when we were in high school together asked me if I remembered giving her a dandling telling her it matched her hair. I guess I was nice and romantic, in some ways.
But then it was on to 1st grade, where halfway through the year my sister and I moved back in with my mom, where I attended a school in Toledo, Ohio. I was soon placed in speech classes because they felt I had a speech impediment. I was more speaking with an accent, from growing up with my great grandma babysitting me and always being there. I seemed to have had a German accent, mostly with “r” sounds. So I started speech classes while I was going to school. I was always being chased and bullied by other kids, so I was a loser and a dork. I would spend most my days hanging out with my mom and playing video games. I had some friends I hung out with, but always seemed to be the bad influence.
I started a fire in an apartment building one time; we had like a little fort or hideout in the storage place under the stairs. We did not have light in there so we had matches and found out shoe polish burns and made a great source of light. Well it got hot and was all melted, we knocked it over and it was like liquid fire spreading across the floor. We ran out of there and it was put out. I then had an intervention with the fire department, telling me what happens when you burn. There was no damage done but I was grounded for awhile.
Then it was not long until I was brought home by the cops, I was hanging out with some friends and we were walking around. There was this shipping company that had trucks and a building. We went on to the property. We were playing around with the trucks and a couple of my friends started throwing rocks at the huge windows trying to break them. They did not break, but the cops showed up after someone seen us and called it in. They took each one of us home to our parents and explained to them what we were doing and what was going on. I got in a lot of trouble over this, and I guess there was damage done to the trucks that my parents had to pay for.
This was also the time I started really exploring my sexuality. I had a few friends; they were all brothers that I was always hanging out with. I stayed the night with them a few times and they stayed the night with me. There was some exploring and playing that would take place. I even remember playing around with my babysitter’s son; he was my age as well. So this was the time frame I was really exploring and playing around.
I think it was the fourth grade I was in my first school play, frosty the snowman. I still remember trying out and getting a part. I was so excited and nervous at the same time. I still remember one of my lines, “Didn’t you know kids were made for fun?” It was a lot of fun, and I think in many ways what made me start to love and enjoy performing.
Somewhere between first and second grade, my teachers recommended I see a doctor about my hyperactivity. So my mom took me to one and I was put on Ritalin. I remember my teacher giving it to me every day before lunch. I never did like it; it put me in a mellow translucent state of mind. But it calmed me down and made me less hyper. I know I did not like it.
About halfway through fourth grade I moved back to Liberty Center, Ohio and lived with my dad. I guess this was better for me, because Liberty Center was a small village out in the middle of nowhere. Class sizes were about ¼ the size of Toledo schools. It was a town where everyone knew everyone. Figured I would get in less trouble and learn to be good.
I reconnected with a lot of people in my class; some of them remembered me from kindergarten. So I made new friends, but unlike living in the city, my friends were miles away, I lived about 7 miles from the school. I was surrounded by cornfields. So there was not much to do, and really no way to get into or cause trouble.
I was no longer taking Ritalin, my dad said it was not right and did not like the idea of my taking a drug that changes the way I act and behave. So I quit taking it and have not taken it since.
I was pretty much staying out of trouble and getting A’s and B’s in school. But in fifth grade they felt I would be tested for LD. I was tested and soon was told I have LD. So I was in my normal class room, but I would go to a different classroom for a period or two, where they went over everything, it sucked. Kind of made me feel different from the other kids and I did not like it, and of course some kids would make jokes about it, but since we were a small school and everything that happened, was said, or went on the teachers knew about, they were quickly yelled at for their actions.
It was the fifth grade as well where I got into computers and spent time in the library playing on them and learning everything I could about them and their functions. I was making all sorts of stuff and playing games. It became an interest I would follow for the rest of my life.
Sixth grade was interesting; they start to prepare you for high school. Junior High and High School were the same building. We had classes and had periods; we went to a different classroom for a different subject with a 5 minute break in-between. So we could use the restroom, go to our lockers, and just get used to going from one class to the next and being ready.
Sixth grade was a hard year, not the classes or school. But we all found out my best friend had cancer, my one teacher died of cancer. It was not a good year; it was rather sad and unsetting. But we all learned a lot about cancer.
This is also when I started getting involved in sports; I played basketball, football, and track. It was fun and gave me something to do, besides sitting at home.
I was no longer in speech therapy after sixth grade, they felt I was talking properly now and no longer needed it. But time to time you can still hear my German accent come out.
My sister and I got along great and we both played sports. A lot of people always thought we twins. We were the same height, hair color, eye color, and just looked a lot alike. It was funny time to time people thinking that. But it was mostly when we went to track meets are where out together.