Crazy Like Us: Sands Through the Hourglass

By Scott J. Haschke

Crazy Like Us: Book 1: Sands Through the Hourglass is part one of a crazy love story. Lance found love in the most unlikely of places in the mountains of Western North Carolina. And with the most unlikely of persons, Kate, a dying, middle-aged, lonely married woman with multiple personalities. Did they find each other by chance or was it preordained? Finding out the woman he loved was crazy, most people would run away, but not Lance. He believed she was his soul mate; now he had to convince all of her personalities the same. The hardest to convince would be Miranda, his archnemesis. Welcome to the greatest love never told until now.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9781662477119

Book preview

Chapter 1

In a Crazy World

Part 1: Him

Lance was the first of three children born to Janice and Stan Little. He had a sister named Mae and a brother named Brock. Mae was three years younger, and Brock was six years younger. It wasn’t easy growing up for Lance, but you can only do so much with what you have. Lance carried a heavy load early in life with an alcoholic mother and a father who wasn’t home much. The mother and father would fight a lot, but there was no physical abuse, just verbal. There was passion there at first, but all that remained was an obligation for the love of their children. But, like some things did, their marriage would end in Lance’s midteens.

Most times, Lance would do stuff that was supposed to be done by either parent, but this weight was placed on his shoulders. That was minute compared to what piled up when high school started. School was a difficult time for him. He wasn’t the most picked-on kid in school, but he was definitely in the top ten.

Just cruel, stupid kids doing cruel, stupid things, his sister used to say to him.

The end of high school had come and gone, but possibly the damage had been done. Lance wasn’t happy with his life and decided that a significant change was what he needed. At least, that’s what he thought for the longest time.

He went to college for a few years and then ran out of money. He worked two jobs for a year for $6 an hour each, but he knew that wasn’t working. Therefore, after working a long twelve-hour shift as a guard at the county jail, he went down at seven in the morning and signed up for the US army.

This was by far the most significant decision he had made up to that point in his life. The kind of thing you fear, but to be where you really want to be, you have to venture into the unknown. He started to learn valuable life lessons around that time. Lance was twenty-one at the time, still young. Basic training was definitely challenging, the hardest obstacle he had to overcome yet. Discipline was precisely what he needed at a young age. At times, giving up was a common phrase that was uttered by every basic trainee. The key was to listen to the persistent voice in the back of your head, saying, Don’t give up! Another name for this voice was motivation. Of course, some didn’t have what it took to be in the finest military in the world. However, that’s nothing to hold against anyone. Some people can do certain things and some can’t. The sight of blood would make someone nauseous, and for another, it would be the fear of heights.

Every morning at the break of dawn, the drill instructor barked, It’s 0500, you scumbags. If you’re not up, dressed, and out the door in one minute, no breakfast for you.

Lance would have been the last person in the world to join the military, but he thought at least they provided a roof over his head and three square meals a day.

By the second week of basic training, or eight weeks of living hell, as some have been known to call it, Lance had almost lost all hope and felt willing to throw in the towel. The most incredible thing happened to him; he began to believe. It was a slow process, but it was all well worth it when he marched in that final graduation. Lance remembered his drill instructor told him, You’ve gone from a scumbag recruit to a fine soldier. You should be proud of yourself.

During his six years in the army, Lance saw the world from two very different places. One was partying in Europe and Asia and making new friends with people from different countries and cultures. The other was in the middle of a war zone. When you’re in the military, you know it could happen but never expect it to happen. War did happen, and he lost some good friends over there.

The sound was distant but ever so close. Months of being there had gotten to him. It was taking its toll, one quarter at a time. Pay the piper, pay the piper! That was a common saying there. Just saying it out loud, he felt like a caged animal. They had nothing better to do than push your buttons. Lance convinced himself that they would not do that.

He continued thinking to himself, In six more hours, I’m going to do it. Change my life or at least start going down that path. They do not pay me enough to put up with these kinds of people. I never thought I would hear myself say this, but maybe the old man was right. Join the military, son.

He must have heard it a hundred times, and he was seriously thinking, How bad can it be?

Those thoughts faded away into what seemed like several instances, and then the sound of gunfire woke him up from his What was I thinking? dreams in the middle of a war zone. He thought being a computer programmer in the army would not put himself in harm’s way. Now he felt that harm’s way is a city in Eastern Afghanistan. He shouldn’t even be here! Where was his Dilbert cubicle? He was not more than ten feet from the enemy in someplace he could hardly pronounce, but he’s still there nonetheless. Looking around, everyone looked tired, angry, and scared, and those were just a few he saw.

Snap out of it, sergeant. We’re being ambushed! Take cover.

The lieutenant did not even have time to finish his sentence, and Lance was already hiding behind a nearby car.

Roger that, lieutenant.

I need those coordinates now, sergeant. We need that air strike in here, pronto. Al Qaeda is heavy on the hill, two clicks to the east. They are probably on the tree line by now.

Lance repeated the lieutenant’s instructions. As he radioed in the coordinates, a sigh of relief came across Lance’s, but it was short-lived. It would be ten minutes before the birds would be there, and they had to defend their position. He settled in and listened for the enemy and so did the rest of the unit.

A sound and smell simultaneously hit him, and his senses went into defensive mode. It smelled like stale camel piss. Somehow, two Al Qaeda members had snuck up behind him and taken position a few buildings away. The release of the trigger on his M-16 was instinctive. Both of them were dead in five seconds. Everything he had learned in basic came rushing back all at once. He knew what he had done. Killing another person was not something he ever saw himself doing when he signed on that line for Uncle Sam. Nevertheless, this is what a soldier does.

If necessary, killing may be required if you’re put into a war zone where it’s you or them.

Somewhere in the contract, he was sure Uncle Sam had it in the fine print. He didn’t remember correctly seeing it, but he knew it was there. They have so much paperwork they give to you. Who knows what all you signed away? Eventually, you got to a point where you scribbled anything that looked remotely legible. The way you signed your name changed drastically from the time you started until the end.

Hey, maybe I’m an organ donor too, he thought.

Dark humor sometimes struck him when he was under a lot of stress. He had signed himself over to become the property of the USA. They might as well have stamped a brand on his rear that said, My ass belongs to Uncle Sam, and in small letters below that, I do anything he tells me to.

When he signed his name on that dotted line, the world was at peace for the most part, but then the war on terrorism began. That is what brought him to that very place.

Making a difference had a different meaning then. There was no war. But Lance knew we entered a fight with a relentless enemy hell-bent on destroying America and everything it stands for. Any enemy willing to sacrifice themselves for their god would be tough to beat. But defending freedom was a fantastic motivator for the men and women of the armed forces. They would defeat the enemy at any cost.

Lance would get out at the end of his enlistment, which was a few months away, and he had decided immediately that he was not going to re-up. Times like these bring one’s life into focus and maybe help us chose a path that leads to the true happiness everyone seeks.

He ended his enlistment in Hawaii because that was where he was stationed. The last few months had been more relaxed, not being out in the field, but getting out of the war zone wasn’t easy. If he hadn’t been wounded, he would still be there. Finally, the day had come, and it was time to go back out into the real world.

Part 2: Them

Natasha Olonakov was an orphan born to a west German mother and an east German father in 1957. The father knew someone at the guard station, and they allowed him to go through the checkpoint without any questions. They would look the other way in exchange for a bit of money, and in turn, he and his friends would have a fun weekend out on the other side of the wall.

One weekend, he met a west German girl at a bar, and they danced until the early morning hours. They spent the night in a nearby motel and parted the following day. The chances of her seeing him again were slim. Even though they lived only a few miles apart, it could have been a million miles. They lived in different worlds.

She lived in a world of poverty, but at least her country was free. His world was communist ruled, nothing but oppression and despair. She didn’t feel free. The chains of being poor made her feel like a prisoner of the state, especially when she began to show the signs of being pregnant. When she finally went to see a doctor at her mother’s insistence, she found out exactly what she expected. It was confirmed she was having a baby. Let me rephrase that: She would be having babies. Twins.

Two more mouths to feed, she thought.

She could barely feed her own mouth. Being a poor German girl trying to make it in such a place was tough. Simply said, trying to raise two children living in poverty was not fair to the children. Putting them up for adoption was her only choice.

Three months later, on March 21, 1960, Oksana and Olga Olonakov were born healthy. They were immediately taken away to a place where they would soon find happy homes. It was best to get them out of there as quick as possible because the adoption agency didn’t want a mother changing her mind. It had happened before, but it was rare.

Peggy and Michael Martin got married two years after Michael joined the army in 1957. Michael was stationed in west Germany when the idea of starting a family became more important. They soon found out it could never be for them because of Peggy’s female complications, the doctor put it kindly. Adoption was their only hopeful choice.

A friend of theirs from church who had been a missionary told them about an adoption agency. Therefore, one day after work, they both went to this agency. They were there for about an hour and walked around after talking with the staff. In the back of a large room called a ward, two little girls curled up asleep together, quiet and breathing together in perfect rhythm. One had her hand on her sister’s face, and they were fast asleep, like little angels. When Peggy and Michael asked about the girls, they were told the twin sisters had been practically abandoned at the door.

A few hours later, they did the required paperwork, and Oksana and her sister Olga had a new home. Since they were still young, Michael and Peggy thought it was good to change their children’s names to American ones. At first, there was much argument about their names because Peggy wanted to name them after her mother and grandmother, and Michael wanted the same. After a compromise, they decided each one would choose a name. They changed their names to Kate and Karen.

Michael was in Germany a few more years, and then he got orders that sent him stateside to Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Kate and Karen were two years old at that time. Their father would be stationed there from 1962 until 1969. When they were both seven, their father had to go overseas for long periods, and he was not home much over the next few years.

At that time, Peggy started to drink a lot. One night in 1968, she brought a man by the name of Hank to the house. He seemed like a nice man, but looks can be deceiving. After their mother passed out, he would make his way to their room. There you can guess what happened. Kate would always try to protect her sister and bear the brunt of his abuse. This would lead to psychological problems for her throughout her life. It would change and mark their lives forever. This went on for almost a year and was a very traumatic time for young Kate. Sometimes she would stand up to him. She was very strong for a young child, but he was still physically stronger. Most of the time, he would overpower her. Several years later, he would get his due.

Finally, in the fall of 1969, Michael got orders to go home to where he grew up in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He was stationed at the army post south of there. Peggy finally told Michael about her ongoing affair with Hank, and the divorce soon followed.

In the divorce, Michael petitioned for and obtained custody of both girls. Peggy didn’t even show up for the court date. Peggy was not too happy about the outcome, but she was lost in a bottle of booze and guilt. Michael did allow her visitation rights with the girls. While Karen was visiting her mother, her mother told her lies and tricked her into staying with her. She didn’t know what was happening until she was far away from her sister and her dad. What could she do?

Each sister missed each other, and Kate wondered why her mother would do something like this. Taking Karen away like that was morally wrong. Nevertheless, they were only nine. Their tears and pleadings fell on deaf ears as both parents were determined to get custody. She knew she was going to lose. It happened to be Karen. If Kate had known that day would be the last time she would talk to her sister for a while, she would have hugged her and told her, I love you. But she didn’t get that chance. Kate knew things in their lives would never be the same again.

The army base was where Kate would spend most of her teen years. She would make friends that would last many years to come and a few she wished she had never met. Every day, Kate would rush home to check the mail and hope she received a letter from her sister. Kate was worried about Karen.

In her early teens, Kate met somebody who would be there throughout her life. They were always together. It was the first of many personalities she developed in life. She began to get blackouts. Some periods disappeared altogether. No recollections. She didn’t know what happened to the chunks of time erased. Kate learned to deal with that problem. Millie and Miranda, two of the first of many personalities, came around more often. There was also Logic and Sentential. These characters will be introduced later.

Then one day, Kate received the letter she had hoped she would get. It was a postcard of the Grand Canyon from Karen.

She’s out west, Kate thought. She read it to herself. Hello, Sister. I know it’s been a while since I have spoken with you, but Mother would not let me call or write. I had to sneak this postcard out. Guess what? A school bus hit that bad man, Hank. Killed him dead in his old stinky truck. He finally got what was coming to him. I’m doing well. Mother said if I contact you, I would be in trouble. I did it anyway, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do it very often, but I’ll try. I hope that we will get to see each other soon. Goodbye for now, Sister. I love you, Karen.

Reading the postcard brought tears to Kate’s eyes. She missed her so much. It was as if a part of her was gone. It felt great hearing from Karen, but she still felt like she wanted to die. A portion of her was dying without her sister. This bit of news made her feel better about that