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When the hidden chapters of a life story suddenly surface, it shakes the very foundation of identity. My daughter and I embark on an emotional excavation that begins with me stumbling upon my adoption papers, leading to an unexpected year of adoption and a name spelled wrong. But that was just the beginning. The documents unveiled a stark term: 'judgment of abandonment', a phrase that would startle anyone into a quest for truth.
That quest opens up long-awaited conversations and unearths family secrets, as my mother steps into the dialogue, sharing the gritty details of my early beginnings. Left in a box outside a hospital, I was an infant wrapped in layers of mystery. This revelation, heavy with emotional gravitas, sets us on a path to understand the protective silence of parents and the child's innate need to seek out their origin story – a testament to the complex tapestry of adoption and the relationships it weaves.
The narrative takes yet another twist when a casual conversation leads to a serendipitous connection with Richard, a retired cop who found me all those years ago. This revelation bridges the gap between past and present, shaping the contours of identity and belonging. The search for my birth family, while fraught with false starts and a con artist lurking in the shadows, ultimately reveals the unpredictable intersections our lives can take. Join us as we navigate through the profound reflections on identity, chance, and the enduring quest for connection that defines our human experience.
If you're interested in sharing your stories, click here https://www.listeningthroughwalls.com/contact/ to go to our webpage and email me and we may read listener's emails in the future. Thank you
00:02 - Discovery of Adoption Papers
12:39 - Discovering Adoption Story Through Family Discussion
22:31 - Searching for Infant's Founding Story
36:46 - Birth Family Search Reveals Con Artist
She told me. All we know is that you were found. How can I say this in a nice way? And you know she told me she's a dog. I know it sounds so terrible.
Daughter:Please find a good home for her XOXO.
Jenny:It was an even smaller town than it was now Right, so it had to be in the newspapers. So I said, well, can you ask your dad if he knows a so and so? And I said the name of the cop who found you? Yeah, in that picture, you know. He said he said that's my grandfather. Hi, I'm Jenny. Welcome to the show Listening through the walls adoption, hidden stories, when I share my crazy adoption story with my daughter. Come join us to hear the discoveries, coincidences and laughs. Enjoy the show. So you know what I noticed we didn't do last time, what we didn't say hello or welcome to the show. That was kind of rude.
Daughter:We got to jump right into it.
Jenny:We should say welcome to the show. So welcome to the show, hello.
Daughter:Welcome, yeah, there you go.
Jenny:That was much nicer of us, okay. So last time, where did we leave off?
Daughter:This is a test question we left off after, like the high schools stuff.
Jenny:Yeah, so what I had told you was that. So I met somebody in college that was going to tell me, but I found out I had adoption papers, right.
Daughter:Oh yeah, wait, that's not where we left off, though.
Jenny:Yeah, that is where we left off. I didn't tell you about it but I told you I was going to meet somebody, Okay, Okay. So my friend Monique. I met her. She was a new friend, she was very many friends, and so I found out that she was adopted and she started telling me different information about her biological parents, just basic information like the color of their hair, the color of their eyes. And I'm looking at her like how do you know this? She says because of the adoption papers. I said adoption papers, we have adoption papers and looking back on it, I'm like I don't know what I was thinking, because you can't go around taking kids. I mean, that's kidnapping.
Daughter:Yeah, you have to have it in some kind of documents. Thank you.
Jenny:So I mean, of course there's paperwork, and I mean really that's something to think about. How that never crossed my mind, you know, because nowadays it's like do you see what I'm saying?
Daughter:There's paperwork for everything.
Jenny:Well, not just that, but like it's like no, I mean there is yes. But also trafficking is so common nowadays, right, and I'm sure it happened back then, but that was not top of the mind back then, so I don't know.
Daughter:I just feel like I don't really need proof for my adoption. I don't know.
Jenny:I just feel like I was stupid to not think somebody would have papers. You know, like if you're adopted, like you don't have paperwork, of course.
Daughter:Yeah, but I was trying, not the first thing. You're not like oh, where's your proof? What? Yeah?
Jenny:So I was like, oh, I got to find these papers. Mimi and Poppy were out of town. They went out of town a lot, so I was impatient. So I'm like I can't wait till they get back home. And this is not exactly a phone conversation Like oh hey, you know how. Y'all told me I was adopted, so I really want to know everything, like right now. I mean, they were like a state over, actually a couple of states away, and that's all you. So no, I was over 18. Oh yeah.
Daughter:I was in college. Yeah, I forgot, don't be like I'm trying to get Mimi and Poppy in trouble. That was like 30 years ago, so it wouldn't even matter.
Jenny:So I'm like I'm going to find these papers. So I went digging through the house. I literally broke a sweat. I mean it took me three hours and I'm like sweating, dripping with sweat, and I finally found the papers. Oh, and I have. I have documents. Would you like to see them?
Daughter:Yes, I want to see the proof.
Jenny:Yeah, to see the proof yeah.
Daughter:Wait, you have your adoption papers.
Jenny:Yes, they're right here.
Daughter:I'm going to show you.
Jenny:Why not? Yeah, so look, this is what I found. Oh man, I'm missing my computer.
Daughter:Where did you find it? I?
Jenny:don't remember, it was somewhere in their room.
Daughter:Oh, so you were looking around and, like you like, found it in the house. Yeah, while they were out of town.
Jenny:Yeah, so. Okay, I was in panic mode, so if you read the first part of the page, it kind of explains what happens. Dang, that's hyper writer. Yeah, yeah, so. But in this part let's see when is it Say? It Pretty cool font yeah, no, old school font. Okay, hold on, it's a lot of pages, anyway, oh look, I forgot about this. Look, look, look, hold on my computer. Signatures Look, that's one thing I noticed. My name was spelled wrong. It's spelled differently with a different last name, but it's the same, that's the most basic last name ever. And it's. It's the same name but it's spelled differently. And where's the date on here? At some point I realized. So I realized I was adopted a year later. Aha Look, you're so smart, I'm so proud of you.
Daughter:And it's upside down for me.
Jenny:So I was. This is when I realized I was adopted. A year later you were a year old. Yes, I always thought I was just immediately adopted. So then I noticed here's the paper, the last page. It says judgment of abandonment. Don't, don't, don't. I was like what. And then so here it says the parents of me are terminated. Their rights have been terminated because the parents abandoned Cause.
Daughter:Don't you have to like wait a year?
Jenny:Yes, Abandon me. Before like you, can and, and I'm like what does this mean? Oh, but somewhere you know what I really wanted to show you, and I'm not going to see here forever and try to find it because I don't, I don't see it. But it says somewhere the unknown parents, and it says it a few times and it kept saying the unknown parents. So I'm like, what the heck does that mean?
Daughter:That means they don't know who the heck your parents are.
Jenny:But I'm like I don't understand what that means. So then I call Monique and I'm reading the papers to her and I'm like I don't know what this means. Is this what your papers look like? And she's like no. And I'm like I don't understand. And she says, well, let me call my mom on three way, but you stay quiet, like her actual mom or like her adoptive mom Girl in our world. That's what we call our our mom. Well, I know.
Daughter:But like you do kind of have to clarify whenever you're, talking about.
Jenny:Okay. So she's like let me call my mom on three way, but you stay quiet, so she doesn't know you're on the phone. So I'm like I got you, girl, I can stay quiet. So I'm on the phone like really quiet, yeah, trying not to breathe, basically.
Daughter:Look at you always name dropping.
Jenny:Good, Then my meat tells her mom with a paper say, and then her mom gets really quiet and serious and mom voice and yeah, like that, mom wait what did she ask? her. She tells her what the papers say and then like she's like mom, I have this friend and this is what's going on and she found these papers and she doesn't understand what does this mean? So her mom gets so serious as she says Monique, tell your friend to put those papers away. Put them away. Yes. She tells her tell your friend put those papers away and wait till her parents come home and then to ask them.
Daughter:And then Monique's like okay, yeah, yeah, these kids are all be like okay.
Jenny:So then they hang up and then Monique is like all right, so that doesn't sound good.
Daughter:So just wait till your parents are home.
Jenny:Right, so then I guess it'll go down from there. So I didn't sleep at all that night.
Daughter:Shoot. I don't think anybody would. It'd be like unknown parents.
Jenny:So I was just like my head was just spinning. I'm like I don't know what is going on. I'm sure it was a day or two later, mom and dad came home. I didn't know how to talk to them at all. I was a terrible communicator, so I didn't know what to do, so I just acted weird.
Daughter:I was pretty usual, so Just standing there being like, well, I have something to tell you all, but how do I bring this up.
Jenny:Dad was. I think they both noticed, but dad just was the one to come to me, so he was. I forget how he brought it up, but he was basically like is anything bothering you?
Daughter:Like no, I'm actually perfectly fine, Gosh.
Jenny:And.
Daughter:I didn't know what to say. Why do you suspect that, like I'm weird, I'm not acting weird? Are you acting weird?
Jenny:So I didn't know what to say and I was just like well, I think I found something that I shouldn't have, which made the whole situation even weirder and you're like what 20?
Daughter:Yeah, I think it was like 19, 20.
Jenny:Yeah, and I'm sure he was thinking in his head like what? Who is this child? Like this creepy child?
Daughter:I may have found something. It could be anything, but I found. I did find something.
Jenny:I found something I should not have found.
Daughter:He's like is it a dead body? I know.
Jenny:What is it? So I think I had the papers in my room and I was like, let me show you Like I really was a terrible communicator.
Daughter:Let me just show you and I thought I can't use words for adoption papers I don't know what that means.
Jenny:So then I showed him, and then apparently he was a terrible communicator too, cause he said all right, hold on, let me get your mom. So then, to be fair, we all sat together in my room. I'm sure they had a discussion beforehand, because they took a minute to come in my room prayer. I think they came up with a game plan.
Daughter:They're like okay, if she pulls out a dead body, have the phone ready, have the phone ready.
Jenny:No, they knew what I was going to talk about, because dad saw the paper.
Daughter:Oh well, you didn't mention that I did, you weren't paying attention. Sorry, I'm like Okay, well, other option papers.
Jenny:I'm pretty sure they came up with a game plan. So Mimi came in there and they were like okay, ask us anything. Like she was just like we knew you were going to wonder one day and ask us. So and to be honest with you, I was like kind of worried that they were going to be mad that I dug through the entire house looking for the papers. Of course they didn't care, but they honestly, I don't remember what they told me, but they didn't tell me everything.
Daughter:Yeah, they kind of like told you what you wanted to hear, like sugar coated the story a little bit. Right.
Jenny:And I don't blame them. I probably would have done the same thing, but I knew that they were quote, unquote, lying. I really wouldn't call it lying, but it's just telling you, like, have truth. Yeah, so then, later that day, probably that day or the next day, I called Mindy.
Daughter:There's a lot of M's in the story. Someone has a favorite letter.
Jenny:Oh, I didn't even notice. I didn't notice. But so, anyway, I called Mindy and I told her what they said and I said but I'm pretty sure they're lying. So she said how do you know? And I said I just know.
Daughter:And I'm a psychic? Yeah, I am.
Jenny:Clearly I had the dream. Don't even play with me yeah, the next day Mom came to me and she was like I heard your phone call. Our house was really small, oh, okay, and I was never a quiet person Shocking.
Daughter:We know.
Jenny:I'm kind of loud when I talk. I don't know if you know that, shocker. It's only just been in the past 10 years that I realized I'm loud, so I thought I was being secretive, but I really was.
Daughter:Oh my gosh, they're being like, they're being so weird, they're lying.
Jenny:I heard your conversation and I'm like how did you hear me?
Daughter:You're just like screaming in your room For the whole house to hear.
Jenny:So then she's like all right, so I'll tell you what we know. You can ask us anything and I'll tell you everything we know. We'll tell you what we know. But you know basically she was hinting around that they didn't know everything but she would tell us everything that they knew, right? So I'm like well, what happened? So she told us from what they knew that my memory is kind of vague on this, but I'm pretty sure she knew. I think she got. I'm just going to tell you the story because I think it was pretty close to what happened. I think the facts were a little off and my memory is kind of vague and I don't want to be considered a liar. So I'm just going to say the what happened, because I don't really remember what she said, but I know it was very close to the actual facts. So she told me all we know is that you were found. How can I say this in a nice way? You were found Abandoned In a box. In a box. There's no way you were found as a baby outside of a hospital. Hey, at least they had the right idea, but by trusted people with a note out of a house, outside of a hospital, with a note they said please find a good home. And you know she told me so she told me the name of the hospital and the name of the town and then the town is only like 40 found minutes away from where we live and some of us like, oh, okay, that's great. So then I understood. Then how did she know that the court said that, no, okay, so let me tell you about that. Okay, I don't remember this, but I'm assuming that's also when she told me that I was actually adopted a year later Because I was in foster care for a year. So she heard it from the foster parents. Because they had to wait for a year For the parents, in case the quote unquote parents came back right to get me because that would have been the best idea. Yeah, the people that left you in that box by a hospital.
Daughter:Hey, at least I didn't leave you on the side of the road, that is true, that is true. At least they left you by, like nurses and stuff. Yeah, they made a really good decision well, so the best they could out of that situation.
Jenny:I don't know what they were thinking, but hey, you know back then good enough, but you know what back then maybe they didn't have, oh, which, by the way, remind me. At the end of this, I do want to bring up something. I should make a note of that.
Daughter:Yeah, I just do that I'm. I'm probably not gonna remember either. I have a memory of the cold.
Jenny:Yeah, so that's all she told you. Yeah, so that's all she told me. And uh, so then later I told mendee everything so that year, no if Mindy hearses or if somebody else hearses. And I have things mixed up around this whole time. Please forgive me, because some things may be out of order within um some time frame. All this is true, but some things may be out of the timeline might be messed up. Exactly, it was like 20 years ago, so fair enough, it's, all of it happened within the same year, but the order of it all I'm not sure. So here's where things, the order, make it mixed up. But I told mendee about it. Mindy worked. Remember in the first episode how I told you no, yes, this is one reason why Remember in the first episode when I said of all the reasons but this isn't the only reason, but one reason of all the people I made best friends with, it was crazy that I made best friends with her right but this is only one reason. Okay, when I told her she said so she was going to college, university in the same town that it happened, you know, at college I'm talking about. So well, she had a job, her job she worked at the library. Did I tell you the story? Nope, okay, she said if that really happened like that Back then, oh, I remember this. Yeah, she said back then it was an even smaller town than it was now, so it had to be in the newspapers, so it has to be on microfilm. And I said what the heck is that? Clearly, what I'm noticing in my whole life is I'm completely glueless about everything Apparently. I didn't know about it until you told me about it Apparently everybody surrounding me in my life knows things that I don't about everything. So she explained to me that microfilm is the newspapers from Long ago like the documents Dang it. I had a word for it and then I lost it. I can't explain it. It's like A copy, copies of it.
Daughter:So she found old files, or no, there.
Jenny:That's what she said it has to be on the microfilm, so that's what I said. Yeah. So I said okay, Well, I'm coming out there, we're gonna search for it, because that's what we do. We do weird, crazy things. Let's go on an adventure and look for it. So I go out there and and we're looking through all the like, we know when my birthday is, I mean Kind of supposedly, so we pull all the the micro wait.
Daughter:Is that just like an?
Jenny:estimated birthday. I mean basically, oh yeah, because the notes that I was born the day before.
Daughter:So basically, so you were found on the 29th and then yeah, so that's how we did that.
Jenny:That's how we figured out what day is the pull and Well, yeah, and we know, we know that the, we know that it, the note was correct, because when they found me I still had. Well, this is gross.
Daughter:I was not. I did not have a full bath yet yeah, he said like the weird fluids all over. Yeah, yeah, are you him it the child.
Jenny:I said I was Born on this day so I had the news article had to be on this day. So we pulled all the microfilm from all the articles or the newspapers you know from the day and we were like, scrolling, like, like we're journalists. You know, like we're like Like flipping through it. Yes, like well, it was on the screen. Like you had to put like a little quarter in, and you had to. It's like a screen. Oh, I've seen that in a movie before or a show, yeah, exactly. And you're having to like scroll through and then, sure enough, I find it and, oh, I have a here, I have a copy for you. Oh, perfect, this is what I found.
Daughter:And then, uh, look, wow well, yeah, I'm sure it was a little bit newer, Even though it was 20 years later. Now this is like 40.
Jenny:This is what I come across.
Daughter:Day old girl left on a bench at S***.
Jenny:Don't say the name of the hospital.
Daughter:I mean, you can cut it out, I'm sure.
Jenny:Jesus, that's scaring me.
Daughter:Nobody knows what this hospital is anyways. Well, they might okay, whatever.
Jenny:That's like scaring me. I'm gonna have to mute it anyway, because I screamed so loud.
Daughter:Okay, day old, day old girl left on the bench at a hospital right like, and it's in big words yeah, that's the heading.
Jenny:It's like it's super big words and I was like, oh my god, it's for real. You want me to rate it.
Daughter:Um, I mean, I can bleep stuff out. Yeah, bleep stuff out. I guess the parish Authorities are looking for the parents of a one day old girl who was found in a cardboard box at the hospital. Sheriff Spokeman said the infant was found at A street name. I didn't know what that was A hospital kitchen worker. At 5 10 am Saturday the baby was ona Wooden bench in a brick column near the hospital in the front door. She was wearing a little slugger t-shirt yes, that's like a big t-shirt, yes, and that's like a regular t-shirt, yes and that's important, yes, oh, and was wrapped in a blanket. A bandaid was covered the. A bandaid was covering the child's umbilical cord. Yeah, also with the child was a note on a blue line paper reading Please give a good home, like you said, yeah. The note also said the baby has been born at 6 37 am Friday. Oh, so it told you like yeah, when it was when you were born. I forget that. This is new. Okay, friday the hospital authority said that the child had not yet had a complete bath but appeared to be in good health. According to the purse the cop, an emergency room nurse, said the baby had probably not been outside very long. The baby was taken to another hospital by the deputy.
Jenny:And the deputy is important to know.
Daughter:Yeah, oh wait, that's yes, that's oh. I play soccer with oh, yeah, okay, nevermind. The baby was taken to that hospital by the deputy and the officer and the lieutenant contacted a judge who issued the order allowing the child transfer. So I'm guessing that's like a child transfer to like foster care, I think so, yeah, also contacted was the state welfare department who will be charged in finding a foster home for the child. Okay, the cop said that the person or persons that's not okay. The person or persons who abandoned the child could be charged with criminal neglect, which could result in a $500 fine. Only $500? What $500, that's like, oh my gosh. But also, this was a long, long time ago, six months in jail, or both. However, the cop said consideration would be given to the parents if they come forward to claim the infant. The baby is white, okay, the weight in six, seven pounds. Brown hair or brown eyes.
Jenny:I know it's confusing, because I have blue eyes.
Daughter:Yeah, that's not right. Yeah, so-, but I think babies. That was confusing, yeah because your hair is not truly blonde.
Jenny:Yeah, but I have, I know I have now seen baby pictures. I did have like dark reddish oh yeah you're telling me about that. And I don't know about the eyes. I guess when your babies your eyes can change colors, maybe, but your hair? When you were born you had jet-bot hair and yours is blonde. Blonde now. I mean, your eyes were blue, so I don't know.
Daughter:Maybe they just got a mix up, maybe they just Maybe the journal was messed up, maybe the lighting was messed up, I don't know. Yeah, maybe the journal is messed up. Well, that's interesting.
Jenny:Yeah, hey, but you know what? Actually, I'm gonna actually talk about this right now. You know how? In this article, they are talking about charging the parents. I actually think that that was a bad idea?
Daughter:Well, yeah, because then they wouldn't come forward. But then it said and also-. But then it said that if they did come forward, then it would be dropped.
Jenny:Yeah, and I also just think that's a terrible idea, but back in the day they don't. They didn't see things like they've seen now and I wanted to talk about. I should have looked it up before I did this. But they have a TikTok with this lady on there. You can bring your babies now to-. Oh the firehouse the firehouse.
Daughter:Yeah.
Jenny:And you can just drop them off in this little compartment and hit a button and then leave. You know.
Daughter:Yeah, but I think it's delayed, so that way you have time to leave. Yes, and then it'll go off and then they can go to the baby.
Jenny:Yeah, like the fireman can go to the baby it gives the mom or whoever's dropping them off enough time to leave. So you don't, so you can be anonymous, yeah and they call it some type of law.
Daughter:It's like something law, maybe a safe haven law Safe haven. Yeah, that's what it is.
Jenny:Yeah, so I think that's a good place to insert that information, Because that's important. I mean, it sounds terrible, you know that somebody would abandon a baby, but you don't but also, they didn't have anything like that.
Daughter:Yeah, like you could just like drop it off.
Jenny:You don't know people's circumstances you never know, and so that's always a good thing to have in place, and so that's why I always think that's the terrible thing you know to say, oh, you're going to go to jail, I mean. I mean it does sound terrible and at least like, if you think about it, she brought me to a hospital.
Daughter:Yeah, you know she had the right idea, like yeah. So, they didn't have anywhere else to like, give you to, unless they gave you to like a person. But it's just like that's just not going to work, because then they're going to be like um, who are you Right? Why are you giving me this baby, Right?
Jenny:So then, and me and Mandy, we were kind of stupid. So when we found this, okay, well, first of all, we actually found another article. It was the same exact article, but they had a picture. I don't have a copy of that, I don't know where it went. I had a copy of that, but it had a picture of the cop with the name in there, the which one, and and the kitchen worker that found me. So I think the picture. I think she was holding me and then he was standing next to me. Oh, that's cool, yeah, and so I always kept that clearly, I lost it, yeah.
Daughter:Clearly.
Jenny:I always keep it, yeah, so. But when we saw it we started laughing because it was just I, that that was like we were normal kids growing up and it was like this felt like a movie and it was like this is something you see on lifetime movies, like, how is this my life? So we were just laughing because we were in the library and we felt this is what we find like shocking or just like, yeah, what in the world Right?
Daughter:And then call us detectives.
Jenny:Yeah. So then I went home and showed mom, and mom was shocked because she didn't know what was in the newspaper either. So she was like, oh my God. So then mom said you know, if you want to find your birth mom, I'll do anything I can to help you. So that's good, yeah, cause I'm sure that was hard, you know so. So have more things to show you, perfect. So then I think the the one close to our house, they came to the house. A journalist came to the house and he interviewed all of us. Oh really.
Daughter:Yeah.
Jenny:And then he did an article and like he asked us questions. Well, I thought I had a copy of that and I'll see it. I don't feel like digging through all this stuff and okay, so at some point. Then also the one in. I'll just say this one, because it's so such a big city Like no one's going to figure that one out, but New Orleans, they did, they did want and, look, they took my picture. It was a terrible picture. No, they didn't take my picture, but they use my senior picture. So they were trying to help me find, they were trying to help me. Oh, I remember they were trying to help me find my birth mother.
Daughter:Yeah, I remember you showing me this.
Jenny:And then the wine that I really wanted to do was the one in the town that happened in. So this is where it is really crazy. So before we called them, I was kind of I don't know if you would say like talking to this guy, but he was a friend of remember how I said oh no, I didn't tell y'all, oh, I skipped all that part when you also name dropped. Oh shoot, okay, remember when I told so. I didn't tell you this before, but Mandy, shortly after college, moved away, cuz she had always been my kind of my next-door neighbor. She lived like two houses down. Well, after college they moved out to family property probably about 30 minutes away in the country. So this boy that lived across the street, he was our age, let's call him. I don't know why we get chured oh god John. John, I can do it, so we'll call him John so I guess you could say we were kind of talking, but not really we're on over the instant messenger on yeah, that was like texting back in the day, yeah. So and he lived across the street from me, kind of knowing for a long time, and he kind of knew Mindy for a long time. They knew each other because it was family property so, right, mindy always went over there to see her grandma and they knew each other for a long time. So one day I was telling John, trying to get the fake names right, I was telling John that I was telling him the story and he said, oh, he said my dad is a cop, he's a cop out there where that happened. I said, really, and I said, well, can you ask your dad if he knows the so and so? And I said the name of the cop who found you, yeah, and that picture you know. He said he said that's my grandfather oh yeah yeah yeah, that was his grandfather what a crazy coincidence. I said what? Yeah, so that was his grandfather, the guy who found you was the grandfather, oh.
Daughter:So you were asking him like, oh, is your like? So?
Jenny:I was just talking to him and I was telling him the story and he was just like oh yeah, my dad's a cop out there, and you?
Daughter:were like, oh yeah, like, oh, I said I think he's like, that's my grandfather. Yeah, wow, yeah, yeah, he knows him pretty well, yeah wow, yeah.
Jenny:So then I said can you ask if he remembers all of this? So he said, yeah. So then at some point I mean not very long after that I know that he taught them the cop. We gotta give him a name too. We'll call him Richard. Yeah, so Richard talks to my mom over the phone. I'm pretty sure my mom wanted to like vet him out. You know, be a mom you know her mom thing. So they talk. And I want to say I talked to him over the phone for a second, like a little bit. So then we had an agreement that we would meet at the, the newspaper place in that town, the library, no, the newspaper, the newspaper place, what you got? The newspaper place, I don't know. The newspaper where they do the articles, the newspaper place, I have no idea. So where they write the article, the journalists where they go to work where they all gather around the office, so so anyway. So we met there because they did an article on me, you know, trying to find like here's so-and-so, she's looking for her birth mom. Her birth mom left her in the box. Anybody seen her lately?
Daughter:anybody seen? Seen someone that might have had a child 20 years ago.
Jenny:Anybody know who that is. So, and at the same time I met Richard. So well, richard happened to tell me. He said that he was hoping that he would meet me one day and he actually kept the box and that little slugger t-shirt, my god, all those years, because he hoped to meet me one day and it did but he actually he lost it in a move one day, but he kept it for a long time until he lost it but, um, that would have been so cool, if you like.
Daughter:Yeah, I didn't lose it, but she does it interesting.
Jenny:You know, it was so cool the thought that that is the thought that counts. Yeah, so you're a little late yeah, if only I had put the puzzle pieces together a little bit sooner yeah, when you're in a high school you should have done all this, yeah, but you know what was crazy? so I had done several articles by that time. That was the last one I did, and the journalist there was the first one to ask me. I think they asked me why I wanted to meet her, or it was either why did I want to meet her or what I would want to say to her oh yeah, cuz I saw that in the thing and it had like a quote of why yeah, and I think it just made something up because it threw me off. I threw me off because I never saw that. I never because everything was happening so fast, like I had never stopped to think it was in that one. Oh, because I thought it was in the other one. So if it was her then maybe I got the articles around.
Daughter:Says a quote from you I'd. I'd just like to know who she is. I don't know, it's a quote from you. I'd just like to know what she looks like.
Jenny:I'd just like to know who she is yeah, such a generic yeah, that's right, because it caught me away and I still, to this day, remember being asked that because I was. I never stopped to think about that because everything happened so fast that I'm like I don't know. I just want to know who she is right, I just want to know that I didn't curiosity. I just want to know. I didn't follow the sky. I mean I don't know what I'm gonna say to her. I mean I didn't think that far ahead, right. Um. So then after that time kind of just went on and I was just really hoping that somebody would step forward. And right, because you have that thing in the news. So I had the three newspapers, I had put out three, yeah, because in three different cities right yeah, and so it was really just up to somebody stepping forward and saying hey, I'm your mommy. Yeah, that's a little risky, yeah and um. So it was really just down to luck whether I was gonna meet, you know, find out who they are. I mean, I went a long time just thinking about it and just like hoping like mm-hmm, anything, now somebody could show up, yeah. So it was really kind of weird to think about just knowing like any day somebody could just show up and be like oh hey, I saw this news article. I think I might be related to you in some kind of way you know, well, hmm, funny, funny. I should say that because in college you know a lot of some quite a bit of time passed, probably two years later in Somebody. So one thing you don't know because of your age. Back then, back in the day, a lot of people talked on forums on AOL. They had like chat rooms, so they had specific chat rooms and some was like for adoptees searching for their birth families. So I would post in there like looking for my bio mom, blah blah, blah, blah blah. You know, give a little history, and I know that sounds weird, but there was a lot of other people doing that too.
Daughter:Yeah, so well they can all talk about it like there's right and everything right.
Jenny:So well, one day Somebody did contact me and then they were like oh, I think I am related to you and it was this lady who was in her 30s. And then she also put it was me, this other lady that was probably about in her 30s and this man that was probably in about his 30s and she let's give her a name, we'll call her Colleen, okay. And so Colleen was super excited and she was like, oh yeah, we're all related and we're all just kind of like, hmm, okay, we'll just go with it, but it was kind of weird.
Daughter:So Colleen is supposed to be the.
Jenny:No, colleen was like another sister. She had this whole story. Like I forget what this story was, but apparently our dad was like a musician and Like she had this whole story and it seemed a fishy.
Daughter:Y'all are all like about the same age.
Jenny:But it seemed fishy. But we just kind of went with it. But she seemed more into it than all of us because we were all older than you yeah they were all about ten years older than me, oh. Yeah, the same age, right, and so that's we. We would meet up a few times, and so In the end of all of that, I Ended up finding out. I Came to the conclusion that I think she was a con artist, because she got to a point where she wanted me to Move and live with her and her husband. She lived Like an hour and a half away and she wanted me to drop out of college and go live with her and her husband About. Yeah and go live with her and her husband. And she was like well, we're siblings, we're sisters. And when I was like no, then she got mad, she got really mad.
Daughter:And then if you're, if you're my sister, you would be like okay, like yeah, in college, like why would you need to be right? And so then you in 30.
Jenny:I ended up talking to the other girl and Telling her what happened and she was like, yeah, she kind of did the same with her and the guy, so, but a little bit different story because they were older, but the same kind of premise, you know. So we all came to the conclusion like we think she's like a con artist, like, which was really weird, because she was married, so it was like what's her husband?
Daughter:and on it too, yeah, like what was she trying to do?
Jenny:I don't know. I still wonder if she's crazy.
Daughter:Yeah, either she's crazy or it's like a trafficking, like I don't know.
Jenny:I don't know, but it was weird, and so I don't really tell people about that, except the black guys. Cuz, who cares? So anyway, I guess we'll just leave it there and then next week we'll talk about. I guess, like the next thing that happens is Somebody in my actual birth family legitimate birth family Contacts me, but this happens Years later, when you were like when you're old Wow you were like one years old. That was a good bit later. Don't forget about the safe haven laws and leave your babies somewhere safe. If you feel like you need to drop them off, do it, do it safely. Yeah, if you need to. I mean sometimes that is the best decision yeah because, then they'll have a good home.
Daughter:Yeah, if you can't like, provide for them, right so, all right.
Jenny:Well, I guess that. I guess that's the end, and next time we'll have more interesting stuff to share. Toodles, toodles. All right, see y'all next time. Thank you for joining us today. Don't forget to like, share and subscribe. You can also go to wwwlisteningthroughwallscom to share your story or opinions. See you next week, you.