The Story of Niece: Chapter 3

So this brings us up to age 2 or so.

Things seemed to be spiralling downward faster and faster.

I came over one summer 2002 day during my lunch hour. Everyone was asleep.

Everyone except Niece.

She was standing in her crib, crying, with a diaper full of urine and feces. The feces had liquified and was running down her leg. The smell was horrible.

"Oh my God, are you ok?", I said, more to myself than to the child. I went over to her and gave her a hug, "Hold on baby, we're gonna take care of you. Everything's gonna be ok. Shhh, shhhh.." I tried to calm her. I was starting to cry. I can't describe to you the pain I felt for that child.

I barked at my sister and her boytoy to wake the f*ck up. And what the f*ck were they thinking? Didn't they hear her crying? What was wrong with them?

I couldn't pick Niece up. I was in my work clothes, and she was covered in filth. So they got up and I watched as they cleaned her up. I saw my sister's lower lip trembling. She didn't want this life for her child, but I could tell that she felt it was out of her control.

Niece was cleaned up and fed before I left in utter disgust. I still remember that day vividly.

Things really were getting out of control. My mom was getting angrier and angrier as Niece became more and more independent. Sister felt more and more helpless and hopeless. My Dad just upped his liquor intake, even though he was left with childcare duties in the evening, because Sister couldn't get out of bed due to her back problems.

I did what I could to help…getting the authorities involved was out of the question. We don't air the family's dirty laundry, right? I wish I had done something sooner.

It was in this state that 2003 arrived. Life was changing very fast. I got married at 19 for all the wrong reasons, and I had fallen out of any love I had for my husband the day he rejected Niece. I'd already mourned the end of that marriage, and in spring 2003, I was ready for the end to finally arrive.

I moved out of our house and into my first apartment. Meanwhile, things were still deteriorating at my parents' house.

Dad was drinking more, Mom was even more frustrated with the baby, who was now an active three year old. An active three year old who was almost never being dressed, wasn't allowed outside to play very often, and whose playpen had only recently been deserted because of the fact that she could now climb out of it quite easily.

Time passed and I kept watching Niece and my family deteriorate. My bond with Niece grew ever stronger.

But in fall of 2003, something happened that I couldn't just stand by and watch anymore.

I came over one day in October and Niece was in her crib, as usual. She asked me to 'tie' her.

"What?"

She pointed at her feet. Something was tied around her ankles.

"Oh my God. Sister, what the hell is going on here?" She promptly explained that Niece wouldn't stay in her crib at night and they'd had to do something to keep her there. It was about 1pm.

I untied Niece and we went in the living room. We needed to have a family discussion about this one. Nothing of real note was said there, except for something my dad said, which was something akin to: we do things our way and you do them your way. It was just the same old, same old. They weren't willing to change.

I was so ashamed. I felt paralyzed as to what I should do.

I thought everything was going to be ok. I thought they had taken my words to heart.

But that thought evaporated when I saw Niece two weeks from that day with reddened areas of skin and a sticky residue that went from the arches of her feet up to her lower calves. It looked like it was just some kind of dirt, but then I took a closer look. I was puzzled over what it was...until I saw a length of duct tape on the kitchen table.

I took Niece overnight that day, and, that night, she learned how to sleep in a bed. I also took pictures of the residue on her legs and feet. From then on, she slept in a bed, not a crib. In fact, they acquired a toddler bed for her. It wasn't long before she was sleeping in a 'family bed' with Mom and SD.

I talked to my therapist and also Mr. Wrong, my 'boyfriend' at the time. Both were up in arms and encouraged me to do something. Mr. Wrong thought I should just go and get her. Therapist thought I should do something, but left it to me to figure out what. I had just moved to a 2 bedroom apartment in my building.

So, on October 23, 2003, I took Niece and my sister out to dinner to celebrate the finalization of my divorce. And while we were at dinner that night, I spoke to my sister about me taking care of Niece so she could get her life together. She consented a few days later. My Mom and Dad were absolutely opposed. I ended up telling Sister that Niece could live with me the easy way or the hard way. She chose the easy way, and Niece started living with me on November 1st of that year. I was an instant mom.

Stay tuned for Chapter 4.