Read Online Walking on Eggshells: Discovering Strength and Courage Amid Chaos by Lyssa Chapman - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Lyssa Chapman
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superiority that she lorded over us.
This may be why Dad began taking me on some of his bounty hunts rather than have his sister watch me. Although Dad has told me that he first began taking me on bounty hunts when I was about two, my first memories of this happened in Colorado when Dad had no one to watch me. I was very curious about the fugitives Dad captured, and I remember asking them things such as “Why are you bad?” and “What did you do?” I also remember that after one catch I accidentally got one of my suckers stuck in a fugitive’shair—he was in the front seat with Dad and I was in the back. I can just imagine what the guy thought!
Dad always instructed the “bad guys” to be polite to his children, and for the most part, they were. Just as it was shown on the show Dog the Bounty Hunter, Dad always talked to the fugitives he caught and tried to encourage them along a better path. “Find them and fix them” has always been his motto. Not all bounty hunters are like this, but Dad has such a good heart that he always wants to help someone if he can—and if it’s in their best interest that he do so.
I can attest that while you hunt a person you become infatuated with them. You learn about their families, habits, and hobbies, and when you finally meet them and the cuffs are on you almost want to hug them in relief and sympathy.
When I wasn’t on a bounty with Dad, I hoped he would remember to buy something for dinner. He often worked long hours, and when I wasn’t with him he couldn’t always get away to see that Tucker and I were fed. I knew Dad was trying to dig himself out of a huge financial hole; essentially we were starting over. Because of that I was glad that he was working so much, but it made our mealtimes very irregular.
After a number of weeks or months, Dad had enough of the fights with his sister. That’s why Dad jumped at the chance when Beth Smith (now Barmore, as she had married—and divorced—Dad’s friend Keith Barmore) asked Dad to house-sit and watch her daughter, Cecily, while she was away for a few days. We packedup our things and moved to Beth’s house, which was nearby. I had bumped into Beth a few weeks earlier in the back alley of Aunt Jolene’s shop. Beth worked for another bonds company on Bail Bonds Row and gave me a toy, a magnetic drawing board. Beth was very nice to me and I remembered her stay on the Big Island and how much she didn’t like Ginny. That alone made her good enough for me.
While I remembered Beth, this was the first time I had met Cecily, who was three or four at the time. I thought Cecily was by far the cutest little girl I had ever seen. I wasn’t the only one who thought she was adorable, though, as Cecily had just won the Little Miss Colorado pageant.
Beth’s house was a nice three- or four-bedroom home with a basement and a huge yard. The house was full of toys and food, and compared to the Motel 6 I felt like we were living in a castle.
The few days quickly turned into a much longer stay. One reason was that Tucker and I had not been enrolled in school in Colorado, even though the weeks or months we spent at the Motel 6 were during the school year. Beth lived in Green Mountain, which is a nice Denver suburb about twelve miles from downtown. They had great schools and Beth convinced Dad that we needed to be enrolled there.
Shortly after we settled in with Beth, Barbara got into a spat with our mother and was sent back to Dad. I was so glad to see her, but I was soon to find that when she came back our nice new life would change dramatically. Tucker had his partner in crime back,and he began to go off track again. Then Barbara tried to slit her wrists over a boyfriend. She had not wanted to leave Alaska, and the boy she had been seeing was the reason.
I remember being downstairs and hearing Beth and Dad screaming as they held Barbara down to get the knife out of her hands, but not before she had cut herself multiple times. My sister
This may be why Dad began taking me on some of his bounty hunts rather than have his sister watch me. Although Dad has told me that he first began taking me on bounty hunts when I was about two, my first memories of this happened in Colorado when Dad had no one to watch me. I was very curious about the fugitives Dad captured, and I remember asking them things such as “Why are you bad?” and “What did you do?” I also remember that after one catch I accidentally got one of my suckers stuck in a fugitive’shair—he was in the front seat with Dad and I was in the back. I can just imagine what the guy thought!
Dad always instructed the “bad guys” to be polite to his children, and for the most part, they were. Just as it was shown on the show Dog the Bounty Hunter, Dad always talked to the fugitives he caught and tried to encourage them along a better path. “Find them and fix them” has always been his motto. Not all bounty hunters are like this, but Dad has such a good heart that he always wants to help someone if he can—and if it’s in their best interest that he do so.
I can attest that while you hunt a person you become infatuated with them. You learn about their families, habits, and hobbies, and when you finally meet them and the cuffs are on you almost want to hug them in relief and sympathy.
When I wasn’t on a bounty with Dad, I hoped he would remember to buy something for dinner. He often worked long hours, and when I wasn’t with him he couldn’t always get away to see that Tucker and I were fed. I knew Dad was trying to dig himself out of a huge financial hole; essentially we were starting over. Because of that I was glad that he was working so much, but it made our mealtimes very irregular.
After a number of weeks or months, Dad had enough of the fights with his sister. That’s why Dad jumped at the chance when Beth Smith (now Barmore, as she had married—and divorced—Dad’s friend Keith Barmore) asked Dad to house-sit and watch her daughter, Cecily, while she was away for a few days. We packedup our things and moved to Beth’s house, which was nearby. I had bumped into Beth a few weeks earlier in the back alley of Aunt Jolene’s shop. Beth worked for another bonds company on Bail Bonds Row and gave me a toy, a magnetic drawing board. Beth was very nice to me and I remembered her stay on the Big Island and how much she didn’t like Ginny. That alone made her good enough for me.
While I remembered Beth, this was the first time I had met Cecily, who was three or four at the time. I thought Cecily was by far the cutest little girl I had ever seen. I wasn’t the only one who thought she was adorable, though, as Cecily had just won the Little Miss Colorado pageant.
Beth’s house was a nice three- or four-bedroom home with a basement and a huge yard. The house was full of toys and food, and compared to the Motel 6 I felt like we were living in a castle.
The few days quickly turned into a much longer stay. One reason was that Tucker and I had not been enrolled in school in Colorado, even though the weeks or months we spent at the Motel 6 were during the school year. Beth lived in Green Mountain, which is a nice Denver suburb about twelve miles from downtown. They had great schools and Beth convinced Dad that we needed to be enrolled there.
Shortly after we settled in with Beth, Barbara got into a spat with our mother and was sent back to Dad. I was so glad to see her, but I was soon to find that when she came back our nice new life would change dramatically. Tucker had his partner in crime back,and he began to go off track again. Then Barbara tried to slit her wrists over a boyfriend. She had not wanted to leave Alaska, and the boy she had been seeing was the reason.
I remember being downstairs and hearing Beth and Dad screaming as they held Barbara down to get the knife out of her hands, but not before she had cut herself multiple times. My sister
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