CHAPTER 3
Morgan had met a boy named Adam in school and hoped he would be the one to get her pregnant and marry her. Adam came from a small family and was not well known by people in her town like her family was. His family grew up on a farm. They learned to love and depend on one another, encourage each other, and be very supportive of each other’s hopes and dreams. Morgan wanted this kind of family for herself and the children she hoped to have. Adam was a handsome, intelligent man. He had a very nice build, great tan, with sandy blond hair the color of wheat. He had deep brown eyes; ones that you knew would tell you the truth. Adam’s eyes told her he loved her from the moment she looked into them.
In March of 1966, Morgan did get pregnant and knew at once. Adam had told her that night after having sex he knew he had gotten her pregnant. He was correct; she missed her period one week later. They both were very happy. Adam had fallen in love with her and when he had learned about her situation at home, he wanted to help get her out of there and knew this was the only way. They kept it a secret from both families until after spring had ended. This way she would be too far along for them to do anything about it. Morgan’s family would have made her get an abortion. They did not need any more brats running around. Adam and Morgan found more and more ways to be together and began to make plans for their marriage.
During the summer months, Morgan’s family stayed at the lake and did not come home until August. Morgan did not tell her father she was pregnant until fall because she knew he would insist on her getting the abortion. When she did tell him about the pregnancy, she tried to explain that they had fallen in love and were having sex for months. Harold became outraged and called her a slut. Her father demanded Morgan and Adam get married immediately, so she would not shame her family.
Later that night Harold approached Vicky with great apprehension. He knew he had to tell her Morgan was pregnant. Vicky was in the kitchen getting the dinner ready to set on the table for them. As Vicky placed the roast in the center of the table, she knew Harold had something to say. As she looked at her husband she could tell this was very painstaking for him. Vicky wanted to know what was wrong. Harold began very calmly to tell her about their daughter’s condition. Before he could get out the words, she called Morgan to the table. Morgan looked at her father with betrayal. Her mother knew this look well and asked them what they were keeping from her. Harold took a deep breath, and looking down at the table, told Vicky that Morgan was pregnant. Vicky went into a rage. She grabbed the plates from the table and threw them at Morgan, missing her head by a few inches. She then grabbed Morgan, dragging her to her room, and shoved her on the bed. Vicky began to pack Morgan’s things in a suitcase and told her she was going to live with her grandmother. Morgan began to cry and told her mother that she could not disgrace her grandmother that way. Vicky told her to call the boy who was responsible and have his family take her in because she was no longer welcomed in her home.
Morgan called Adam, nonetheless, he could not take her to his family’s home until they were married. Morgan began to cry and begged her mom to let her stay. Vicky grabbed the phone from her and called Clarabelle. Harold came into the room and told Vicky to go into the other room while he talked to his daughter. Harold told her that she had to do as her mother asked; he picked up her suitcase and took it to the car. A few minutes later, Morgan came down the stairs and out the door, looking back at the house she had grown up in.
Morgan went to live with her grandmother, knowing she would not yell at her and would understand accidents happened, even though this was no accident. Morgan started her junior year four months pregnant and still not married. She was very worried about what would happen to her if she would have to move back home. Morgan’s parents had gotten into a fight with Clarabelle and had told her to stay out of their business. By law, Morgan was not allowed to leave home until she was twenty-one and could not marry without their permission. Her grandmother knew they were right and had to let her move back home with some conditions. One: that she was able to spend weekends with her, Two: Morgan would go to church every Sunday with her, and Three: Vicky and Harold would pay and sign for her to marry Adam. Her parents agreed to these terms. They felt it would be good for Morgan to go to church and to be married. This way she would be out of their hair and maybe God could help her with her problems. Harold and Vicky believed they were not the cause of their daughter’s problems.
Adam’s family was very excited and supportive of them and they decided to help with the wedding plans. His parents had told them both that they had wished they had gotten married first before she had gotten pregnant and Morgan had finished high school. His parents were understanding and realized how accidents could happen. Neither Morgan nor Adam decided to tell his parents it was a planned pregnancy or the reason behind it. It was better off if no one knew the truth. Adam was graduating that year from high school and as soon as he did he knew he would have to get a job. He had a job all set up; he would be a truck driver. This would support his family. Adam also knew that he would be on the road most of the time, and not be home much to help with the household chores or the upbringing of the children. Adam and Morgan married that August in the family church Clarabelle belongs to. Morgan was five months pregnant and was not showing. Morgan hid it from the people who did not know she was pregnant. Their wedding was very simple, and everyone was happy for the young couple.
Morgan did try to finish her junior year of high school. Once she began to show the school expelled her. It was common to get married at a young age and be a drop-out because of pregnancy. The school had to set an example for the other students that pregnancy would not be tolerated. Morgan would be allowed to return to school after she had the baby. Returning to school would be difficult for Morgan because she could not handle being a mother and a student at the same time.
Morgan gave birth to a baby girl in December and named her Kelly. She was a small baby at six pounds and nineteen inches long. Morgan and Adam now had a house and family of their own. Morgan visited her grandmother often with her daughter. Morgan was happy for many years. However, times were getting tough having to raise a little baby practically on her own since her husband was away out of state on most jobs. Morgan never knew when Adam would be home or on the road until the job ended and a new assignment was given.
After delivery of Kelly, Morgan went on birth control pills. Birth control pills were not 99.9% effective and women had to be very careful about taking them every day and not missing one pill. They still had a chance of getting pregnant. Eight months later in August Morgan did get pregnant, even though she took her pills as prescribed.
While on the road, Adam began to drink and slowly became an alcoholic. If he was not on the road working, he could be found in a bar. Their marriage began to suffer. Morgan gave birth to this baby in May and named him Brian. Brian was a much larger baby then Kelly. He weighed ten pounds and was twenty-two inches long. It was a hard childbirth; Brian was breech and doctors needed to turn him. The birthing process had already begun, and they did not know his position before it was too late, and they were unable to perform a cesarean. After the birth, things just got worse. Adam started to get into heavy drugs. Morgan was glad when he was on the road working and not at home. When he was home, he would play with the children, get high and then beat her. That November when he was on the road, Adam was arrested for assault and battery with attempted murder. The police tested him for drugs and alcohol while searching his truck. Adam failed all the tests and he was put into prison. Morgan had no job to fall back on and had to depend on government assistance to keep the house and support two children. Morgan knew she would be too much of a burden on her grandmother to move back in with her. She had no other choice than to move back home with her parents.