A Pair of Genes

By Maddox Browne

This book describes the circumstances which led to a vicious rape and its aftermath. It also illustrates the search of a woman anxious to find her birth mother after living many years as an adoptee.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: May 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496980199

Maddox Browne

Maddox Browne, the youngest of three children was born in industriall Lancashire, a mining town situated in the north of England. Her father was a miner, her mother managed a small book shop. This is Maddox's first attempt at writing and serves as her autobiography. Her many hitherto unpublished collection of poems is scheduled to become her next publication and recent retirement has given her the time and inclination to pursue her long term ambition to write,

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© 2014 Maddox Browne. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 05/06/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-8018-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-8017-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-8019-9 (e)

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Chapter 1:   Early Days

Chapter 2:   St Helens, 1963

Chapter 3:   St Helens, 1962

Chapter 4:   St Helens, 1963, Revisited

Chapter 5:   Henry And Henrietta Mouse

Chapter 6:   27 March 1996

Chapter 7:   3 April 1996

Chapter 8:   A Mother’s Response

Chapter 9:   First Meeting With My Daughter, 1996

Chapter 10:   We Fly To Perth

Chapter 11:   A New Life In Australia

Chapter 12:   30 April 2002

Chapter 13:   August 2002

About The Author

About The Book

A Pair of Genes was inspired by tragic events, including rape, serious illness, tragic loss and death and covers a period of time spent in Australia. This story is a factual account of a 16 year old innocent girl who became the victim of a callous and brutal rapist while his wife was in hospital giving birth. When she discovered that she was pregnant and had to confide in her mother who in turn informed both sets of grandparents that when they visited she could stay downstairs but for any other visitors, she would remain in her bedroom. The story has its origins in the industrial north of England and concludes in rural Berkshire many years later. It clearly demonstrates the power of a mother’s love sometimes amusing but always poignant. It will serve to illustrate to the reader the distress and suffering of this young girl and her consequent recovery, culminating in a gloriously happy ending. The story includes an account of an adopted child searching for her birth mother.

This true account of unbridled abuse and rape will lead the reader into the unsavoury world of the assailant and offer insight into the mind of an innocent sixteen-year-old girl.

CHAPTER 1

Early Days

The telephone rang.

I had just walked into my office, where I managed a development for people over the age of fifty-five years in South-West London. I recognised the voice of my brother, John. He asked if we had enjoyed a good holiday, and I replied, Yes, it was a nice break.

He told me that he had received an unusual telephone call from a woman who he thought sounded Australian. She said, I am trying to find your sister.

John said that he thought the phone call might be about Jennifer. I asked him if the woman had explained the reason why she was calling. He replied, No. However, he said, the woman had asked for my telephone number, which he gave to her. Before ending the call, she promised to contact me upon my return to England.

At exactly 9 a.m. on the following day, Monday, my office telephone made a melodious announcement of an incoming call just as I walked through the door. I hardly dared hope that the call was from the Australian woman who had phoned my brother on the previous day. It would be 5 p.m. or later in Australia. I knew that their working day normally ended at 4 p.m.

As I picked up the phone, I felt a sudden burst of excitement when I heard the voice of the woman whom my brother had described. She wished me good morning and began to ask questions, e.g. Did you have a daughter who was adopted out?

Yes, I did, I replied, nervously catching my breath and hardly able to speak. I felt that I was in a dream but wide awake, wondering how this could possibly be happening, even though I had been forewarned by my brother to expect this call.

I thought that my heart would burst as the woman explained. My name is Denise, and I am calling from Western Australia on behalf of Jigsaw, a voluntary self-help group of adoptees, adoptive and relinquishing parents, relatives, and friends, which enables members to receive emotional support, counselling, and assistance for people who are searching for their birth parents.

My hand was shaking as I tried to write down her welcome words. She continued. We hold discussion groups, publish newsletters, and hold a contact register. We also have a mediation service and liaise with similar groups throughout Australia. The daughter you relinquished all those years ago now lives here in Perth. She has been searching for you with the help of Jigsaw. Would you be willing for her to contact you?

I responded eagerly, feeling my heart fluttering with excitement and sheer joy. Oh yes! I managed to whisper in a strangled voice. More questions poured into my mind. My long-felt and often curbed emotions overwhelmed me as my eyes filled with tears. I struggled to say, Yes! Yes! How is she? Has she had a good home?

Denise allowed me time to regain my composure and then continued to tell me as much as she was permitted to disclose at that point. She told me that Jennifer, as I had originally named my daughter, had been given a new name by her adopted mother and father.

The moment was very emotional. I no longer held back my tears, but I did manage to ask, Is she well? Does she have good parents?

Denise continued. "Your baby is thirty-four years of age now. She is married and has one child—a