Unfreakingbelievable
Basically Gina (my now ex-best friend) is a nutcase. No, I don't mean funny nutcase, I mean serious sad sick sick sick nutcase. She made up all these different realities, and we're not sure how much was intentional & how much was out of her control. Everything, I kid you not, everything she ever said was a lie. Right down to every day stuff she talked about - never happened. I think alot of it she knew what she was doing, but she didn't care because of how sick she is. I knew she was supposed to have been medicated for depression & was on a really high dosage. About the time I was being stepped down from mine (legitimately - my doctor told me to step down) she said she was stepping down from hers too. As it turns out her doctor never had her stop taking them, and she stopped taking them cold turkey. Stopping a drug like that cold turkey is a HUGE no-no. You can have some major set backs & side effects. She was not supposed to stop taking her meds.
So, her husband (all along I said this was stupid anyway, before I knew what was really going on) trusted her with all of the finances. Well, all the money is gone (blown on stuff) & the bank has sold their house. She would hide the mail from him, which to me would say you'd better start calling around, bud, cuz something's going on. He didn't do that, so he's to blame too, but I can understand a husband wants to trust his wife. Still, he was stupid entrusting her with all the household finances & never taking a look at things himself. Their house has been in default since April 2004 - court dates come & gone, various eviction notices been served. (I guess there's a process of eviction, a notice doesn't mean you're dragged out right away) They have bills upon bills upon bills that have not been paid. Several months back her car was repossessed. I remember one time, I thought they'd just had a hard time that week - it happens sometimes, Gina needed to raid my stockpile for groceries. That was fine, I didn't mind helping her. She took home several bags. (good thing I am so good with money, coupons, stocking up ,etc.... so their little girl could have some food in the house) Well, her husband didn't know anything about it. He is a very proud person & he just sank when I told him about it, but I'd thought he knew the whole time.
SO, come Wednesday of last week the Sheriff serves the final eviction notice, giving them 7 days to get out. Gina takes off. She had called me to ask me about a friend of hers, what I thought she should do. She gave this big scenario about the guy beating his wife with hangers, and the child too, what should she do with the child, should she take a plane or bus, has a friend in another state who will let her stay, should she have the mother-in law watch the little girl (Gina had asked Brian's mom to watch Sammi) or take off with the little girl, etc... (all I told her was her friend should go to a women's shelter.)
Guess what.
Gina disappears that night. No, she hadn't been beaten, she'd made all that up. She was running because there was no hiding from all she's done (or not done) anymore. So, she ran. She dragged her little girl accross several states before she turned up in Tennessee. She was on her way to Florida to stay with a friend, to whom she had also lied. The bank account had virtually no money, yet she only had $20 in her pocket. What she was gonna do to take care of a 3 year old on only $20 I have no idea. So, her in-laws (who are so angry & didn't want to pay to get her home, but did so for their grandchild) paid for a return ticket back to Peoria. Brian (Gina's husband) couldn't pay for it because their bank account was pretty much empty.
Gina returns home with Sammi & Sammi has bruises on her. Sammi's had bruises before, children often do. Thing is, with Gina being gone it allowed all of us to talk to eachother & we learned all kinds of things Gina had been lying about, and suspicion has come up as to whether or not she's hurting that little girl. Some of the reasons she's come up with for bruises on that child just do not make sense. Sometimes Gina herself would call me & tell me her mother was driving her crazy & she'd break down sobbing as if she was so concerned with her mother's state of mind. Her mother would tell her she's hitting Sammi too hard, what was she doing to this child, etc etc... What Gina was doing by calling me & other people about this was pre-empting anything her mother might bring up so we would immediately discredit her mother. She'd do the same thing about all kinds of other situations. Brian even told me on the phone that Gina has gotten mad at him for not hitting Sammi hard enough when he's punishing her for something. Suffice to say she'd tell a made up story to cover herself before anybody else would bring up any suspicions about this that or the other. She did the same thing just a few days before she took off. She told me her mother was blaming her for taking money, that she was so upset because she didn't know what money her mother was talking about. Alzheimers has hit other family members & her mom is over 70, so she was bringing that up as a worry. Turns out, she stole hundreds upon hundreds from her mother - mostly on her credit card.
So, Sammi comes home with bruises on her after being alone with Gina for 3 days, being dragged accross several states and back. Gina's reason for these bruises ? She said there wasn't ever a seat on any of the busses that she took for Sammi to sit next to her, so she had to hold her on her lap the whole time. That's it. The child got bruises by sitting on her mother's lap. You and I both know a child doesn't get bruises by sitting on her mother's lap.
Now, here is where it really gets sick. Brian's mother calls me & we talk for a while. She tells me all kinds of things, but the most important & sickening part is that Gina & Brian have been living in garbage. Their entire lower floor of the house, every room, packed with garbage waist high, piles of diapers, etc... Under that garbage is encrusted food & bugs. Brian told me the house was in bad shape, but I had NO idea. They live in Chillicothe. Gina would always come into town to go shopping, for doctors appointments, etc... It had been 2 years since I'd been to their house. I had no idea this was going on. Brian's parents live even further away. So, they haven't seen the house either. Not until this Thursday. Brian called them to come help clean things up so he could find anything he needed to move. Most of the furniture is destroyed, they can't salvage it. I asked Brian about it & he said anytime he'd try to clean the house Gina would go completely mental, sometimes violently so. If he managed to clean up a room Gina would trash it again. Ok, so as Sammi's father he should have gotten some help then. He did not. So, he is equally responsible for having Sammi live in such conditions. There was no place you could walk without walking on garbage. I understand he was overwhelmed, he was the sole provider & not home all the time, etc..
So, Brian's mom knows Robert had worked & is working again in child welfare. She begs me not to get Robert involved. (I did not, although if he got involved all on his own that's another thing) I have been very careful not to make any promises that I wouldn't call anybody. What I told his mother was that I wouldn't have Robert make any calls. Which I didn't. Brian also told me he didn't want social services breathing down his neck, that he promised he'd get help for Gina's mental problems & that he would never have Sammi live in those conditions again. Well, all I told him was that I wouldn't call anybody right away. I never said I wouldn't call anybody. I needed to take a step back & make sure I was doing the right thing. I thought it over for 2 days, I made sure that I was keeping my temper in check so as not to be doing this out of revenge, etc...
So, when I analyzed it all in my mind (cuz my head was spinning, I needed time to think. The person I knew as my best friend just plainly & simply did not exist, did not ever exist. The Gina that I learned was the real Gina is a complete stranger to me.) .... I realized that my only responsibility was to that child. The adults in the situation are nothing to me. That child can not, at 3 years of age, ask for help. Somebody had to be HER voice. So, I called the child abuse hotline. The investigator went out yesterday. Due to confidentiality for the child there's nothing else I can be told, and the only way I'd find out what happens is if Gina, Brian, or any of the rest of the family were to call me & tell me - which they are not likely to do.
I just can't believe all of this. Gina is not at all who she pretended to be. I am just sick for the conditions in which that child was made to live. Just sick.
So, her husband (all along I said this was stupid anyway, before I knew what was really going on) trusted her with all of the finances. Well, all the money is gone (blown on stuff) & the bank has sold their house. She would hide the mail from him, which to me would say you'd better start calling around, bud, cuz something's going on. He didn't do that, so he's to blame too, but I can understand a husband wants to trust his wife. Still, he was stupid entrusting her with all the household finances & never taking a look at things himself. Their house has been in default since April 2004 - court dates come & gone, various eviction notices been served. (I guess there's a process of eviction, a notice doesn't mean you're dragged out right away) They have bills upon bills upon bills that have not been paid. Several months back her car was repossessed. I remember one time, I thought they'd just had a hard time that week - it happens sometimes, Gina needed to raid my stockpile for groceries. That was fine, I didn't mind helping her. She took home several bags. (good thing I am so good with money, coupons, stocking up ,etc.... so their little girl could have some food in the house) Well, her husband didn't know anything about it. He is a very proud person & he just sank when I told him about it, but I'd thought he knew the whole time.
SO, come Wednesday of last week the Sheriff serves the final eviction notice, giving them 7 days to get out. Gina takes off. She had called me to ask me about a friend of hers, what I thought she should do. She gave this big scenario about the guy beating his wife with hangers, and the child too, what should she do with the child, should she take a plane or bus, has a friend in another state who will let her stay, should she have the mother-in law watch the little girl (Gina had asked Brian's mom to watch Sammi) or take off with the little girl, etc... (all I told her was her friend should go to a women's shelter.)
Guess what.
Gina disappears that night. No, she hadn't been beaten, she'd made all that up. She was running because there was no hiding from all she's done (or not done) anymore. So, she ran. She dragged her little girl accross several states before she turned up in Tennessee. She was on her way to Florida to stay with a friend, to whom she had also lied. The bank account had virtually no money, yet she only had $20 in her pocket. What she was gonna do to take care of a 3 year old on only $20 I have no idea. So, her in-laws (who are so angry & didn't want to pay to get her home, but did so for their grandchild) paid for a return ticket back to Peoria. Brian (Gina's husband) couldn't pay for it because their bank account was pretty much empty.
Gina returns home with Sammi & Sammi has bruises on her. Sammi's had bruises before, children often do. Thing is, with Gina being gone it allowed all of us to talk to eachother & we learned all kinds of things Gina had been lying about, and suspicion has come up as to whether or not she's hurting that little girl. Some of the reasons she's come up with for bruises on that child just do not make sense. Sometimes Gina herself would call me & tell me her mother was driving her crazy & she'd break down sobbing as if she was so concerned with her mother's state of mind. Her mother would tell her she's hitting Sammi too hard, what was she doing to this child, etc etc... What Gina was doing by calling me & other people about this was pre-empting anything her mother might bring up so we would immediately discredit her mother. She'd do the same thing about all kinds of other situations. Brian even told me on the phone that Gina has gotten mad at him for not hitting Sammi hard enough when he's punishing her for something. Suffice to say she'd tell a made up story to cover herself before anybody else would bring up any suspicions about this that or the other. She did the same thing just a few days before she took off. She told me her mother was blaming her for taking money, that she was so upset because she didn't know what money her mother was talking about. Alzheimers has hit other family members & her mom is over 70, so she was bringing that up as a worry. Turns out, she stole hundreds upon hundreds from her mother - mostly on her credit card.
So, Sammi comes home with bruises on her after being alone with Gina for 3 days, being dragged accross several states and back. Gina's reason for these bruises ? She said there wasn't ever a seat on any of the busses that she took for Sammi to sit next to her, so she had to hold her on her lap the whole time. That's it. The child got bruises by sitting on her mother's lap. You and I both know a child doesn't get bruises by sitting on her mother's lap.
Now, here is where it really gets sick. Brian's mother calls me & we talk for a while. She tells me all kinds of things, but the most important & sickening part is that Gina & Brian have been living in garbage. Their entire lower floor of the house, every room, packed with garbage waist high, piles of diapers, etc... Under that garbage is encrusted food & bugs. Brian told me the house was in bad shape, but I had NO idea. They live in Chillicothe. Gina would always come into town to go shopping, for doctors appointments, etc... It had been 2 years since I'd been to their house. I had no idea this was going on. Brian's parents live even further away. So, they haven't seen the house either. Not until this Thursday. Brian called them to come help clean things up so he could find anything he needed to move. Most of the furniture is destroyed, they can't salvage it. I asked Brian about it & he said anytime he'd try to clean the house Gina would go completely mental, sometimes violently so. If he managed to clean up a room Gina would trash it again. Ok, so as Sammi's father he should have gotten some help then. He did not. So, he is equally responsible for having Sammi live in such conditions. There was no place you could walk without walking on garbage. I understand he was overwhelmed, he was the sole provider & not home all the time, etc..
So, Brian's mom knows Robert had worked & is working again in child welfare. She begs me not to get Robert involved. (I did not, although if he got involved all on his own that's another thing) I have been very careful not to make any promises that I wouldn't call anybody. What I told his mother was that I wouldn't have Robert make any calls. Which I didn't. Brian also told me he didn't want social services breathing down his neck, that he promised he'd get help for Gina's mental problems & that he would never have Sammi live in those conditions again. Well, all I told him was that I wouldn't call anybody right away. I never said I wouldn't call anybody. I needed to take a step back & make sure I was doing the right thing. I thought it over for 2 days, I made sure that I was keeping my temper in check so as not to be doing this out of revenge, etc...
So, when I analyzed it all in my mind (cuz my head was spinning, I needed time to think. The person I knew as my best friend just plainly & simply did not exist, did not ever exist. The Gina that I learned was the real Gina is a complete stranger to me.) .... I realized that my only responsibility was to that child. The adults in the situation are nothing to me. That child can not, at 3 years of age, ask for help. Somebody had to be HER voice. So, I called the child abuse hotline. The investigator went out yesterday. Due to confidentiality for the child there's nothing else I can be told, and the only way I'd find out what happens is if Gina, Brian, or any of the rest of the family were to call me & tell me - which they are not likely to do.
I just can't believe all of this. Gina is not at all who she pretended to be. I am just sick for the conditions in which that child was made to live. Just sick.