The Wedding
It was a day like every other day busy with work, my daughter and school. I was in the process of driving to pick my daughter up from school when my cell phone rings and it is a girl I was raised with named Sheila. She tells me that her son, Butch, is going to get married and wants my daughter to be a bride’s maid, they are very close and it is his only wish. I say ok and told Sheila we would be there. I didn’t know it at the time but that would be the last day I felt what little my family gave me in terms of love. It would be a long time before I would be barely able to say I was “ok” again.
It started a few days before we were meant to leave for the wedding. I was flying in the day before to help with the set up and any last minute details. As my gift to the bride and groom I said I would record the whole thing. I also had plans to do a tribute of my own to Butch without him knowing. I spoke with Sheila and told her that with school and finals that I didn’t wanted to go. My classes and education were important to me and I didn’t want to fall behind. I had a really bad feeling about going and the whole trip. In the usual fashion I did not have any support and I would never be forgiven if I didn’t come. I would be responsible for ruining Butch’s wedding because he had his heart on having Marie be there next him when he got married. Forgetting what I want or felt was the normal thing to do so of course I said fine we would be there.
We arrived on time into Phoenix airport and were met by Sheila. She seemed distracted and irritated at me but happy to see Marie. I didn’t think much of it and thought it might just be last minute wedding stuff. We were taken to the grandfather’s house; this was where the wedding would be taking place. Marie and I helped most of the afternoon with setting up tables and anything else that was needed. Sheila barely spoke to me the whole day, even to the point that other people noticed. I couldn’t shake the feeling that being there would be a mistake. Marie and I went back to the hotel to relax the wedding would be the next day. I had gotten an extra large hotel room because the plan was other people would be arriving and they would need a place close by the wedding to change and get ready. However, no one ever came and I was completely out of touch with everyone, virtually unseen and no one acted like they wanted me to be there. I told Marie we would be leaving the wedding as early as possible, she agreed and wanted to go swimming instead.
The next morning we arrived for the wedding and everything was beautiful. I videoed all the activity before the wedding and the wedding as Butch took his vows. My special gift to the bride and groom was to have the people at the wedding record a personal message to them. I would record the messages and then put them together at the end of the wedding video. I recorded the reception at the house and was getting ready to leave. Butch said there was an after party he wanted me and Marie to go to. Marie and I didn’t want to go, we wanted to go swimming at the hotel, but it was his wedding day and I didn’t want to disappoint him.
We showed up at the Butch’s house and there was definitely a party going on. It was loud and everyone was very excited to celebrate the married couple. As I did more private videos with his friends at the party, Marie seemed to disappear into the crowd of people. After I had everyone’s video and I was more than ready to go, I started to look around for Marie. I went from room to room and then I went outside to look around. Just then Butch’s aunt, Betty, showed up and started yelling at me and said I was ruining his wedding reception; that she was taking Marie and I would be arrested. I said like hell and went back into the house to find Marie, just then she comes running out of the back bedroom stating we have to leave. Marie said they held her against her will in a back bedroom and forced her to speak to my mother’s husband, Ray, over the phone and listen to him tell her how bad I am and that she needed to leave with them and not me. Just as we were gathering our things one of Butch’s friends came to me and said that they had planned on kidnapping Marie all along. He said he told them he would not participate in this and he needed to tell me to get away. I told him thank you and I would keep his secret.
Marie and I made it to the car before Butch and Betty got to us and we drove away from the house. It was very dark by then and I got turned around in the darkness. We pulled into a 7–11 so that I can get my phone to give me directions back to the hotel. It took about 10 minutes before the phone was able to give me the correct directions. When we arrived at the hotel Betty was waiting with her girlfriend, she attempted to try to grab Marie. I pushed her away and started screaming very loudly not to take my child. I wanted to attract the attention of people in the rooms around us. Betty said she was calling the police. I said good and I would have her arrested for kidnapping and I welcomed the police coming. We went into the hotel room and before I could shut them out of the room the girlfriend stood in the way of the hotel room door. She said the only thing my family wanted was for me to call my mother. I said fine and pulled my phone out and called my mother. That would be the single most devastating phone call of my life. The phone call started with how bad of a mother I am and how I didn’t deserve to raise my daughter. The only way she would become anything would be if I turned her over to them. I proceed to try to reason with her until I was done listening to all the hurtful things she was saying. Ray came on the phone and said that I was the biggest waste of time and a disappointment. I hung up the phone and said there I called my mom now get out of the way. Betty’s girlfriend said she was sorry but could not let me shut them out. Betty then appeared and said that the police said they had to leave the room. The girlfriend and Betty left and I shut them out of the room. Not more than 5 minutes later the police showed up with child protective services. I told Marie that we had nothing to worry about and it would be ok. At that same time I called a friend and asked him to call my lawyer and let her know what was happening. I let the police and the child services worker in the hotel room. The police searched the hotel room and said that they needed to take Marie to question her. I said they had no legal right to remove her and the social work agreed. She asked if they could separate her from me and ask her questions. I said yes but I needed it to be within line of sight. Everyone agreed and the social work and two of the policeman took her to the other end of the hotel room. They talked for about 5 minutes before the social worker got very angry. She approached me and said that she was extremely sorry for having this happen to me and it was apparent that I was a great mother. I told her it was because of Sheila, she was a probation officer and most of the police were her friends. She said that this was something that would definitely be taken care of on an internal level. She left the hotel room and not more than 10 minutes later a supervisor showed up and told the remaining officers that there was no need for them to remain there; no crimes had been committed and I was free to go. Everyone started to leave, one of the officers took me aside and said that I would be arrested if I so much as spit on the sidewalk. I knew that these friends of Betty’s were going to watch my every move and make it impossible for us to leave.
My plane ride home was in the morning and I told Marie that we would be leaving early. We needed to get there early and get through security so that we would be safe. Marie was very upset and I was still in complete shock. The entire family that I was raised in had just conspired against me to take my child from me. What was worse was that they thought this was the way to go about it. Planning a kidnapping around a wedding and bringing other law enforcement officers in on the whole thing. I felt like I was in a very bad nightmare. I made a phone call to my friend at home and made sure he was filled in on all the events. I told him that I needed to get away from the airport quickly and as quietly as possible. He said his friends would cover me and protect Marie at the airport in Los Angeles. I asked him if he knew anyone in Phoenix, I knew I would have trouble at the airport. He said only a few and that they would be watching and would help when possible but could not be exposed because they worked with the Sheila and her law enforcement friends. The next morning felt like a movie, we were watched as soon as we left the hotel, and were followed to the airport and the car rental return. I returned the car we had rented and made a bee line for the gate. We had to go completely across the airport and our gate is upstairs.
The Phoenix airport has a mall on the inside of it and we weaved and dodged people that were there because of Sheila. They were there to keep Marie and me from getting to security gate so that my family could intervene. Marie was upset but she was still in shock and didn’t notice the danger we were in. We had help along the way from the guys on our side. They would step in between Marie and I and the guys that were trying to stop us. We finally made it to the last security gate and once we make it through we would be safe and clear. We were standing in line waiting to get closer to the gate when we were finally next. The officer searched my purse and told me that I would not be allowed through the gate, my heart sank. The office said that there was a knife in my purse and I would not be allowed through with it. I had completely forgot about the knife, I told the officer to keep the knife, throw it away or whatever he wanted to do with it but I had to make it through the gate. I stepped away from the officer and then turned to Marie. I handed her the plane ticket and told her to cross over the security gate. She started to cry and said she didn’t want to leave without me. I told her to go across the security gate and that if I could not go to get on the plane anyway and someone safe would be there for her when she got off the plane in Los Angeles. She gave me a hug and crossed over the security gate. I turned back to the officer and asked if I could join my daughter. Marie started to ask the officer to let me come, the officer said he had young kids and he would not keep me from her. He said it was a good thing good people look out for each other. Just then my phone started to ring I picked it up and said hang on. I reached across the gate and handed it to Marie and told her to hold it while I was searched. I was allowed across the security gate and we were safe for the moment. I took the phone from Marie and said hello. A voice on the phone told me that we would never survive long enough to make it to the airport. I just laughed and said too late and hung up. As we got settled at the gate our plane would take off from I called my friend. I told him what happened he said the gate guard was paid to keep me from crossing the security gate. Unfortunately for the other side, his loyalty was to my friend and he refused payment but he wanted to keep my knife. My friend said he would be waiting for me at the airport. We had arrived 4 hours early for our flight so our wait seemed to be never ending. We ate breakfast and shopped on the safe side of the security gate. Marie and I were still in complete shock and everything seemed to be happening around us in slow motion.
The time came to land in Los Angeles and I was starting to worry a little. Marie asked if we would be safe and I said of course. When we departed I saw more protection than was called for. I told Marie there were a lot of people that we could not see making sure we were safe. I was met at the baggage claim by my friend and he said he had plans to drive us back to my house. As we were driving back to my house my phone and Marie’s phone were endlessly ringing with texts and voicemails from my family. I told Marie to turn her phone off and then started the painful part of listening to the endless messages and reading the relentless texts from the family that betrayed me. The messages were endless about how I was making a mistake and how they would not stop coming for Marie. I knew now that our life would never be the same.
The next few days felt like a dream, trying to wrap my head around whatever had happened. I would have to return to work and my friend agreed to help keep Marie safe. I made sure that the family knew I was no longer going to keep in touch with them and that they were to have no contact with Marie. When I returned to work I had more surprises waiting for me. The family had gone to lengths I did not image they would go to even with everything they had done. The family had contacted my employers and told them that I was on pills and drinking too much. They told them that I was unsafe for Marie and that I needed to be kept from her. My employers had known me for 10 years at that time and knew that it was a lie. They asked me to tell them what happened I spent the next 30 minutes explaining what had happened while I was in Phoenix. I asked them to break all contact with them and if my family did not stop to call the police. They both agreed to do so and said that they believed me.
I had no idea that my family would make everyone in my life pay the price for me protecting my daughter. The next few weeks my family would relentless harass my employers and my coworker. My coworker even went as far as to call the police and file reports because they would not stop calling and emailing her. All the attacks on my employers and coworker were taking a toll on them. They were fighting and protecting me and at the same time they were keeping me completely out of the loop. I never meant it to touch them in that way and the guilt was destroying me. I loved the friendship and loving environment I worked and lived in. I was watching my life destroying their lives and it was not their burden to carry or live with. One day in particular everyone was at the limit of how much they could take. I decided on that day that I had to do something to protect the people I loved and respected. I knew I had to quit my job and make sure they were no longer in my life. It was the only way to keep them and their families protected from my family.
My personal life was changing as well. My friend had become the special person in my life and was now living with me and the hell that had become my life. I came home that night in tears I never thought I would ever leave my work. I loved everything about being there but knew this was no longer about me. I spoke to my friend and he agreed I would quit work and spent the next year or so at home. I could protect Marie full time and help him with his business.
I went into my job and gave my resignation. I didn’t tell them the truth about why I was leaving. I told them I wanted to start my own business and I needed to do it now. They tried endlessly for me to stay. My heart was completely shattered but I knew I could not continue to watch my family destroy their peaceful lives. My last day was the hardest day of my life; walking away from them was something that changed me forever.
Over the next three years I was a stay at home mom. Our family life was slowly returning to normal and we were finding a balance. Marie was not allowed to be left alone at any point ever. I made sure either I or my friend dropped her off or picked her up from school. I was right to keep such a tight hold because more than once the family attempted to kidnap her from school. Our lives became a game of hide and seek until Marie turned 18. Then the game was over, there was nothing more they could do.
It has been over 6 years since the initial event took place. There is not a day that goes by that this doesn’t tear my heart in pieces. I knew that my family didn’t love me the same as other people loved their families. I had no idea people would go to such lengths to kidnap a child. What is worse is watching the pain and torture they put that child through in the name of what they call love. I have yet to come to any understanding as to why they would be so cruel and heartless towards me. After that day, I cut all ties with the family and discovered Marie and I are much happier now than we ever were with them in our lives. I have also discovered that there is a real possibility that they are not my real family. I hope one day to find the truth out about who I am and where I come from.
