Tommy’s Daughter Meets Him

Administrator’s note — In pulling this over from the old site I lost who wrote this.  I believe it was either Angela or Buffy.  Perhaps someone can set me straight.

I was lucky to be blessed with two of the most amazing women in the world as Grandmothers! Unfortunately, in November 2004, I lost the first one and that was one the most devastating blows I thought I would ever suffer. That was until March 2008 when I lost the other one. Nancy Irene Schulze was one of the most amazing women I had ever met and I was blessed to have her as my grandparent. To get the story I want to tell you, I need to lay some ground work first. Bear with me please.

I am not sure if most of you know but when my mom, Maggie and my dad, Tommy split, my mom made sure I had no idea that this side of the family even existed. Then I had a cousin a few years older than me inform me at the age of 7 that the person I had always thought was my dad wasn’t and there was someone out there that was my dad. Anyway, I talked to my dad several times on the phone, but had never met him in person. 3 years into this, my mom drops this bomb on me telling me that I was going to get to meet my dad’s parents. To be honest I was a scared 10 y/o. I kept wondering “What if they don’t like me?” Big surprise, they did. My grandparents Schulze were some of the most amazing people I ever met. Not only did they take and do things with me but they included my littlest sister Lisa because they wanted to. I also found out I had another sister. I couldn’t believe that I was this lucky.

Now to the story folks, sorry! Lisa and myself were spending Spring Break with Grandmother and Granddaddy in Big Springs. They had just put in their above ground pool and Grandmother had actually helped me ruin a hideous perm my mom had put in my hair. You remember those old Toni Perms. One of those. Grandmother had introduced me to my 29 year fave of strawberry’s and powder sugar and Ritz crackers and cheese in the microwave. Hell I didn’t even know what a microwave was, until I went to her house.

Anyway, she got a call from Momma, my mom’s mom, telling her that my Uncle Sonny was in the hospital and they weren’t expecting him to live. Grandmother packed Lisa and I up and back to Midland we head. It is about a 40 minute drive from Big Spring. We get to the hospital and go to the ICU waiting room where we found my mom, and Momma.

Now mind you Momma and Grandmother had remained friends throughout this entire ordeal with my mom and dad. Well, we were sitting there and my mom comes rushing in and pulls both of my grandmothers aside and is whispering excitedly and then the whispering became heated. That is when Grandmother said to my mom, “Well the girl needs to know who her real daddy is.” Then Momma looked at my mom and told her, “You need to let that girl meet her daddy because she deserves to know him”.

By this time, I not being your typical 10 year old understood that my daddy was in the same hospital to visit my Uncle who he had remained friends with since my parents had split. I looked at my mom and told her I wanted to meet my daddy and against her better judgment she allowed it to happen. If it had not been for both of my grandmothers I would have never know who my dad was and wouldn’t have been able to spend the 2 and half years with him before his death in 1983. I am thankful that my Grandmother Schulze stood up to my mother earlier that year and threatened her with legal proceedings if she did not allow her to see me.