It was 1979, I was 16 years old living is a suburb north of down town Seattle. I was a sophomore attending a small Christian High School, was on the chapel committee, student council, took photography classes, excelled in math and science, attended basketball games, had a boyfriend and worked part-time at the Christian school's daycare center. We attended church several times a week, Sunday services mid week youth group and bible studies.
My father was in bible college studying to be a minister, while my mom worked full time for a bank in downtown Seattle. I spent time hanging around the college campus, using the college library and I was the designated babysitter for the married students too. So as far as high school years where going, things were going pretty good for me. I had been planning on going to college to be a CPA, have a career, to be married, family etc...I had dreams.
And as it often goes, there was a divorce and life for me as I knew it turned upside down. I guess because I was living in the middle of it all I guess I didn't realized that there were issues with my parents, but when you are an active teen, the last thing you are thinking about your parents relationship. So Dad moved out for a while and left Mom, my brother and I in our house, then Mom decided she needed to start over so she moved out and Dad moved back in. By that time school had gotten out for the year and I was told that due to the split I would no longer be attending the private school with my friends, and I would be transferred to the public high school in the fall, at least that was the plan.
I was able to shift to full time work that summer at the daycare center and was doing my best to cope with the strange changes at home. I had broken things off from my high school boyfriend and though I didn't realized what was going on in my head, I found myself drawn to much older guys at that point, which looking back at it now most likely some of it was compensation for the distance I was feeling from my father during the divorce, and even before he moved out as things became more strained at home. I went out with one of the college guys I meet at my Dad's s college, I remember spending time with a guy that could have been in his early 20's, but they had one thing on their minds which which at that point I wasn't ready for. I was drawn to a bus driver who defended me when a guy on the bus was giving me a bad time, with him I started making sure I rode his bus ever chance I could. I would ride to the end of the route and back, sitting in the front right seat so we could talk the whole time. He seemed interested, but that never had the chance to go anywhere. It was during that time that the man that altered my life appeared on the scene.
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