Changes 1988 - 1991 (22 - 25)

I've gone back to writing in the first person again...


...While 'on-the-club' I managed to bluff my way into a job as a secretary with a marketing and advertising firm in the city. I had to learn really fast but I made it.

My husband 'H' and I got back together again properly by the August of 1988 and we decided to buy our own house.

Things seemed to be looking up for a while but but the coming year brought some very trying times and yet more heartache.

Between 1987 and 1989 my husband's step-brother died suddenly of meningitis, he was only 21. My father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer (he was 50), my surrogate mum 'B' from the farm was diagnosed with cancer and died two weeks later (she was also only 50). The house we bought was literally falling down and my husband was being made redundant.

All at the same time, I found out by pure chance that my biological father was a different person to the man I'd always know as my dad, which explained a lot of the resentment displayed by my mother over the years.

By 1990 I had changed jobs and was working as a secretary/mortgage controller for an independent financial advisor, 'H' had trained to be a financial advisor with a large firm and was self employed, Our house was still falling down and we were broke!

Soon after my birthday in 1990, I joined the same company as 'H' as a Personal Assistant to one of the senior associates but by the November 'H' was involved in another 'friendship' and, as we were so broke, we decided to hand the keys back on our house, before we were faced with re-possession.

It was also in November I received a devastating call telling me that my step-father had died suddenly from a massive heart attack, while working in Germany - I was mortified, he too was only 50 and had seemed so fit and healthy and was always the life and soul of any party.

Meanwhile, having given up our house we rented a bungalow - next door to the kennels...