A FAMILY’S MEMOIR

Unraveling the Mystery About My Father

Following the trail of broken hearts he left behind

Photos of my parents and the letters — photo and property of Darren Weir

Who was this man who was my father?

It’s a question that has plagued me my entire life. He vanished when I was two years old and I always wondered who he was — and where he was. Would he ever come back? What happened to him after he left us?

I only had the stories I heard from my mom and my sisters and they weren’t very flattering. And of course, they ended when he disappeared.

He was a wanderer. He couldn’t stay in one place for any length of time. He was also a two-bit criminal. Fraud, embezzlement, and car theft were all part of his M.O. He was in jail when I was born. Since they’d already used up his monthly visits they had to wait another week for the end of the month before my mom could tell him he had a son and to introduce us.

By that time my mom and my two older sisters were used to packing up and moving house and home every few months. He would simply vanish. He never told anyone that he was leaving or where he was going. And he never did anything to ensure we would be taken care of while he was away. He often left us penniless and facing eviction.