This is a true story about Robert. It tells of the things that happened during his life. Some of which he deserved and others that he didn't, even before he was born, life was hard. His Mother had left home and moved to New Zealand were she lost the man of her dreams and her heart, the father of her unborn child. Then the new man in her life had parents that didn't want a bastard child brought up by their only son and didn't want that child to have their family name, ot enjoy their money. So they set about to getting rid of him . This was a time that unmarried mothers weren't given the time of day and they weren't given any handouts by the government and some families never talked to them again and treated the child like a leper. The child was then born, early and taken off his mother at birth and put into an incubator for months as he was to small to go home and they believed that he was to sick. Instead of going home with his mother he was taken into welfare care and place with a family that cared or didn't for unwanted children. In this home he was mistrated by the lady that as paid to look after him until he was adopted. He was often seen walking around in wet nappies or totally unclothed, he slept in the bottom draw. When he went to his new family he was handed over with only the clothes on his back even tho the welfare had paid for everthing that had been bougt for him. He was adopted into a loving and caring family. Instantly having a mother and father, as well as a brother and two sisters. Good pentecostal family living their lives from the bible and being actively involved in the church. Things were for a time until his father died and the mother remarried. From that point on things changed and trouble started. Robert started stealing. getting into alot of trouble from doing it. Nown grown up Robert realised, that he was different from the other boys and found that his sexual desires weren't the same as most, he looked at men and didn't give girls a second look. He started living a double life going to church and having one set of friends as a christian and then on the side having sex with men and making friends with them. Hiding his sexual desires and experiences from his family and friends for years until he was out of home and working. Realising that he was gay was hard enought for him to cope with but, coping with being treated like a leper amongst the people that he had grown up with including his family was another thing. Leaving (house) home, was good for a time but. he realised that he could never be apart of his family or the church again like he had been in the past. After living away from his family for a couple of years as a homosexual, he left his homeland and started a fresh in Sydney Australia. Within a month he met a guy whom he was to love and live with. He met his natural mother and her family, some time later. Things went well for awhile until they went soar. Years later they patched things up and became friends unlike they had been in the past., his brother and sisters had grown up and excepted each other for what they were. His life turned another corner it now had to deal with, AIDS. Dealing with his own illness wasn't the only part of it, there were his friends flatmates and workmates as well. Roberts parents didn't belive his story, thinking that it was just Robert trying to get attention for himself. That was untilt hey received a letter from his doctor, stating that Robert's story was correct. This is a true story about what happened and how he dealt with all the things that happened in his life. How it ends no one knows as the end hasn't happened and hopefully not for a long long time. This story is based on fact from Roberts point of view, there are parts of the story that aren't seen the same way as his family and they don't agree with the way that he interprets it. It is not intended to make anyone look bad or dircted at anyone, it is to tell the story of a chile that grew up in an adopted christian family, death, stepfather to homosexuality and then Aids. When a friend of roberts died he thought about death alot, he felt that when one dies they are forgotten and the memory of them dies with them. This upset him alot so he decided to write down his life as a memory for others
Robert/Howard |
