Her mother had told everyone in town that she was a very sick girl who couldn't be around any other children. When it was time to take school photos her mother kept her home so there was no pictures to show anyone.
One day Stephanie asked her to come out and play with her. Her mother yelled at her I said No why don't you play with your grandmother I know she wished you were her daughter. Stephanie didn't know what to think except that her momma didn't love here any more.
Some of the other adults at church thought that her mother Marsha had a mental illness of some kind that was causing her not to be able to work and provide for her daughter due to she was healthy enough to hold down a job and she wasn't needed to take care of her mother Even her mother had said numerous of time that she would take care of Stephanie most of the time.
The Next Spring Stephanie's family moved to a little house on the outskirts of town. Her mother drove her to the retired school teacher's house for her classes. She told the teacher that she belonged to a religion who does not believe in taking pictures or using a computer. the school work was done on paper.
The little one story white farmhouse It had bushes almost as tall as trees lining the outer edge of the property. It was invisible from the road. Stephanie wasn't allowed to play in the front or side yards leaving only a small back yard to play in.
Her mother told her the owner didn't want the yard or bushes ruined. She wasn't allowed to have any kind of a pet not even goldfish. Stephanie saw a rope hanging from a big oak tree in the back yard. She wished that she could have a swing hanging from the tree.
The owners of the house was a farmer and his wife that lived a mile or so down the road. The man was out mowing in the summer heat. He noticed Stephanie out doors and asked her if she fill his water bottle up. She was glad to help.
Even though he was a man in his older 50's Stephanie's mother Marsha rushed out of the house. She appologized to him for her daughter's interrupting him as he mowed. He told her that he was the one who interrupted Stephanie playing asking her for water.
She wondered if there was a reason for the rope hanging from the tree. he commented when he was about her age his father had put a tire swing up He said it kept his free time occupied. Stephanie spoke up and said she wished she had a swing. Early the next morning he was out putting a tire swing up.