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Authors: Aphrodite Jones
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remained distant at times, but that was more a consequence of having been orphaned. There was always a distance the two girls kept from outsiders. They referred to both Patricia and Kathleen as Mom, but they were removed, at some level, from both women. Even if the Ratliff girls shared a close relationship with Kathleen, in the final analysis, it was only their dad, Michael, whom they considered true family. It was Michael who had spent all his adult life doting on them.
In the months after they had been orphaned, Margaret and Martha had truly become his. For most of their lives, hardly a moment had gone by that Michael wasnât there for Margaret and Martha. Michael was their one shining light. In a way, Michael had become the Ratliffsâ savior. Michael was their primary parent, always taking the girls with him, back and forth from Germany to North Carolina. Michael was the one who helped with the burial of the girlsâ mom, Elizabeth, after she had died tragically in Germany.
He meant everything to them, and the feeling was mutual. So, as much as Margaret and Martha were saddened about the loss of their stepmother, to the Ratliff girls, it was their legal guardian, Michael, who was their only true parent. It wasnât that Margaret and Martha didnât feel their own sense of loss about Kathleen, but it was also for their dadâs sake that the Ratliff girls grieved. They knew how much he loved Kathleen.
Of course Kathleen Peterson had tried to be a good mother to the Ratliff girls. But it was complicated. Over the years, Kathleen had to deal with Michaelâs ex-wife making trouble. In the months following Elizabeth Ratliffâs death, once Michael and Patricia had been designated guardians to Margaret and Martha, Patricia had agreed to leave Germany, to move back to North Carolina with Michael, really for the sake of the girls. For whatever reason, Michael convinced her that it would be easier to raise the four kids in the States. But Patricia had a hard time making that adjustment back to American life. Living in Durham was not what she had expected, and having to supervise four demanding children just made her life impossible. Michael would later tell Kathleen that Patricia had been making comments about how she really didnât want to raise the Ratliff girls. Michael reported that Patricia said she hadnât signed up for a second family.
Nonetheless, Patricia had tried. She had moved back to the States, returning to the home she and Michael still owned in Durham. It was the home that she and Michael had bought in their early days of marriage, when they were young college kids, when their lives were carefree. But life with four kids was a whole different ball game. Michael was working in isolation, writing his novels, and most of the everyday burdens fell on Patricia. And so, returning back to North Carolina would wind up being disastrous for her, and especially for her marriage. Patricia would never feel quite comfortable in the States. Even though she was an American, she didnât really adapt very well. Because of that, Michael wound up retreating into a friendship with Kathleen, the glamorous divorcée who lived nearby.
In the beginning, when Michael and Kathleen were only friends, when Caitlin and Margaret and Martha were three grade-school kids, living as neighbors, playing happily together, everything seemed simple and innocent. But then Patricia noticed that Michael was spending more and more time with Kathleen. For months, she tried to keep a blind eye; she basically stood back and said nothing. But as Michael and Kathleen became more and more involved, Patricia found them together to be near impossible.
Michael and Kathleen were falling deeply in love, and Patricia couldnât help herself from feeling hateful. Naturally, she resented Michael and Kathleenâs love affair, especially as it became increasingly open. As things became more serious, as Michael was
In the months after they had been orphaned, Margaret and Martha had truly become his. For most of their lives, hardly a moment had gone by that Michael wasnât there for Margaret and Martha. Michael was their one shining light. In a way, Michael had become the Ratliffsâ savior. Michael was their primary parent, always taking the girls with him, back and forth from Germany to North Carolina. Michael was the one who helped with the burial of the girlsâ mom, Elizabeth, after she had died tragically in Germany.
He meant everything to them, and the feeling was mutual. So, as much as Margaret and Martha were saddened about the loss of their stepmother, to the Ratliff girls, it was their legal guardian, Michael, who was their only true parent. It wasnât that Margaret and Martha didnât feel their own sense of loss about Kathleen, but it was also for their dadâs sake that the Ratliff girls grieved. They knew how much he loved Kathleen.
Of course Kathleen Peterson had tried to be a good mother to the Ratliff girls. But it was complicated. Over the years, Kathleen had to deal with Michaelâs ex-wife making trouble. In the months following Elizabeth Ratliffâs death, once Michael and Patricia had been designated guardians to Margaret and Martha, Patricia had agreed to leave Germany, to move back to North Carolina with Michael, really for the sake of the girls. For whatever reason, Michael convinced her that it would be easier to raise the four kids in the States. But Patricia had a hard time making that adjustment back to American life. Living in Durham was not what she had expected, and having to supervise four demanding children just made her life impossible. Michael would later tell Kathleen that Patricia had been making comments about how she really didnât want to raise the Ratliff girls. Michael reported that Patricia said she hadnât signed up for a second family.
Nonetheless, Patricia had tried. She had moved back to the States, returning to the home she and Michael still owned in Durham. It was the home that she and Michael had bought in their early days of marriage, when they were young college kids, when their lives were carefree. But life with four kids was a whole different ball game. Michael was working in isolation, writing his novels, and most of the everyday burdens fell on Patricia. And so, returning back to North Carolina would wind up being disastrous for her, and especially for her marriage. Patricia would never feel quite comfortable in the States. Even though she was an American, she didnât really adapt very well. Because of that, Michael wound up retreating into a friendship with Kathleen, the glamorous divorcée who lived nearby.
In the beginning, when Michael and Kathleen were only friends, when Caitlin and Margaret and Martha were three grade-school kids, living as neighbors, playing happily together, everything seemed simple and innocent. But then Patricia noticed that Michael was spending more and more time with Kathleen. For months, she tried to keep a blind eye; she basically stood back and said nothing. But as Michael and Kathleen became more and more involved, Patricia found them together to be near impossible.
Michael and Kathleen were falling deeply in love, and Patricia couldnât help herself from feeling hateful. Naturally, she resented Michael and Kathleenâs love affair, especially as it became increasingly open. As things became more serious, as Michael was
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