Morgan: The Family

By Sadie Beckenridge

While growing up during the chaotic 1960s, Morgan flourishes in her role as daddy’s little girl. But as she enters puberty and her father begins to notice her in a different way, Morgan’s path in life suddenly heads in a dark direction as she is forced to endure unimaginable abuse, shame, and heartache.

After Morgan finally manages to escape her personal nightmare, she marries and divorces several times while subconsciously adhering to a negative pattern that often places the men in her life ahead of her three children. Although Morgan loves her children, she is unable to protect or shelter them from her past. As she struggles to care for her family, Morgan is unaware of the things unfolding in front of her eyes. Will she ever be able to break the cycle of abuse or will she continue to harbor the dark secrets from her past?

Morgan: The Family is the poignant and heartbreaking story of one woman’s journey through adversity and manipulation as she struggles to break free from the cycle of abuse, heal, and move forward into a brighter future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Apr 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9781480877399

Sadie Beckenridge

Sadie Beckenridge holds a Bachelor of Science in Family and Child Services and an Associate Degree in Human Development and Family Services. She has been working in an elementary school setting since 2015. Sadie currently resides in Central Pennsylvania. This is her third book.

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Copyright © 2019 Sadie Beckenridge.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-4808-7738-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-7739-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019904843

Archway Publishing rev. date: 4/24/2019

Contents

List Of Characters

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

About The Author

For the abused

A special thank you to Abbie, Ruth, and Nancy.

It all started many centuries ago, long before any scientist had yet discovered an exact term to describe many psychological illnesses. Somehow you always hoped that it would never happen in your family and that it would have stopped where it all had begun before it was passed down from generation to generation. Long ago in the Mitchell family, there had been child molestation, incest, rape, alcoholism, and both physical and mental abuse. This is the story of Morgan and her family. Morgan was not the first, nor would she be the last to suffer abuse in this family.

List of Characters

Morgan Main Character

Harold & Vicky Parents

Richard Brother

Rachel ½ Sister

Rebecca Sister-in-law

Clarabelle Grandmother

Esther Aunt

Adam 1st Husband

Kelly Daughter (Adam)

Brian son (Adam)

David 2nd Husband

Amber Daughter (David)

Lisa & Nicole Friends

Michael 3rd Husband

William Fiancé

Lance 4th Husband

Jack Boyfriend

Martin & Lucy Neighbors

Mitch 5th Husband

Brandon 6th Husband

chapter 1

V icky and Harold had known each other at a young age; they had both grown up in the same town. At any social functions, they would end up at the same place. Her parents knew his parents and attended lots of the same events. Vicky was only six years younger than Harold. Vicky had red highlights in her dark auburn hair. Her eyes were the color of dark walnuts. She was a cheerleader in high school and always maintained her slender figure, even after having children. Harold and Vicky were not each other’s first love or spouse. Vicky was raised to believe that it was very important to look your best in society no matter what life threw at you. Vicky and Harold had a great life together, loving each other and their two children. They had a very wealthy lifestyle and never lacked for anything. They were the everyday normal upper-class family, which everyone wished they could be.

Harold was a very strong man with dark brown hair and eyes the color of the deepest blue waters. They sparkled and yet had a sinister look in them every time he looked at his children and younger wife. Harold was, at times very intimidating with eyes that could pierce a hole right through you. His eyes always gave him away. You knew what kind of a mood he was in by the way they looked, whether it was vicious, mischievous, or fun-spirited. He was a very intelligent man with a degree in carpentry, always working with mathematical precision. Most of his work was done with his hands. Harold was very well known in the town where he lived and the surrounding areas by the work he did. He helped build the town into what it is today. The buildings he designed and help build are still standing sixty years later. Harold was always very caring and giving and never intentionally hurt a soul. This was the image he portrayed to his friends and neighbors outside of his home. Harold was a very tall man with broad shoulders and had lots of strength. He never showed any kind of anger or bad temperaments towards his wife or children in public. You could feel the heat rise and the air gets very thin when he got upset or annoyed with someone. He was not a man with a quick temper. He was cold and calculating in the revenge or punishment he felt was earned.

The year was 1949 and Vicky and Harold had just had a baby girl named Morgan. Morgan was a very stunning baby, with long black hair that you could put into a ponytail at the top of her head. She had a beautifully shaped head, long black eyelashes, and eyes the color of emeralds. Vicky and Harold loved her dearly and could not decide who she looked like, though all agreed she was precious. Morgan was the first child they had together. Vicky had birthed five children by other men and Harold had fathered three from other women. The seven children lived with their other parents. The only child Vicky had any kind of contact with was her daughter Rachel. There was a bond between them that could not be severed. Vicky had once loved Rachel’s father and wanted to have his child. Harold too accepted Rachel as a part of the family and loved her just as well. He had known Rachel’s father as a close friend and had great respect for him, so it was no problem for him to love Rachel. Rachel was the perfect duplicate of Vicky. Rachel was a year and a half older than Morgan.

Morgan was wonderful and filled a void in her parents’ lives; nonetheless something was still missing. Harold was the first to mention it: they had desired a baby boy and not a girl. Now they wanted to try for another baby very soon and hoped this time it would be a boy. The years passed quickly, and Vicky had not conceived another child. The doctors told her they were uncertain if she could get pregnant. They reminded her that she was fortunate to have already given birth to four other children. The doctors informed her that something may be wrong with her reproductive system, possibly the ovaries. They could not give her any medications to help her conceive a baby. Medicine at that time was not advanced and the procedures they did have could have some serious side effects. It was not worth risking her health.

After four years of trying to conceive a child against doctors’ orders, Vicky got pregnant and it was a boy fortunately for her, because the doctors had told her she could not have any more children. The next time Vicky tried to have a child against doctors’ orders it could kill her. Vicky and Harold agreed that the best decision was to go along with the doctor’s recommendations and have an emergency hysterectomy after the birth of her son Richard, who was a handsome baby with strawberry blond hair and big brown eyes. He was a nice-size baby with very chubby cheeks. Every time you saw them you wanted to reach out and pinch them. Of course, he resembled Harold in every way, except for his dark eyes. Those he got from Vicky.

Richard mother and father loved him a great deal more than they had ever loved Morgan. This was because he was the male child who would pass on the family name and heritage. Richard was now eight and a very cute child. He was tall and had a devilish streak that would always get him into trouble with his parents. Richard loved animals and had a few pets outside his house, like the fish in the pond beside the house. No animals were allowed inside the home. Richard was more interested in his bike and model cars. He had all the toys a boy could ever want. All he had to do was ask for them and he got them. He was mommy and daddy’s little angel boy.

chapter 2

T ime had passed. Morgan was about to turn twelve years old and the prior year Morgan had started going through puberty. She got her first period that following summer and grew pubic hair. She had already developed breasts earlier in the spring. Morgan was very tall towering over most of the boys in her school. Now her hair had changed to a dark brownish red, and her eyes still were greener than ever. She had a pretty face with no blemishes, except she wore thick black glasses that covered her natural beauty. Morgan was never clumsy and never slouched. Morgan was told to be proud of her tallness and to always stand tall. Morgan had a very hard time growing up in the 1960s. There were a lot of changes taking place in society.

Morgan never looked at her father as a man but only as her father. She believed he would love her no matter what she did or how much trouble she would get into at school or with her mother. Morgan was indeed daddy’s little girl. This man whom she knew, trusted and loved as her father would become her worst nightmare in the years to come. Slowly her father began to pay more and more attention to her. Her mother started to ignore what was happening before her very eyes. Vicky was too immersed in her life and her son’s happiness. As soon as puberty started, Harold started to notice his daughter in a different way. Morgan was becoming a woman who would soon have women’s needs and desires.