How I Got This Kid: Part 2
On the Sunday of that long weekend, Darcie called me to inform me that Dean had died, and Tillie, as Matilda had chosen to be called a few years earlier, would like a visit from me. During that phone call from Darcie, I couldn't contain my sorrow for poor Tillie, now orphaned from suicide and addiction. Darcie briefed me on the condition of Dean's house that she witnessed on that chaotic night, circumstances that can only be described as squatting. Dean's medical condition had become so dire due to his alcohol abuse that he was unable to care for himself, let alone a young girl who had never been taught the necessary skills to take care of herself or her home. I was furious with Dean for forcing this sweet girl to fend for herself physically and emotionally, and for the first time since her death, I was more than a bit ticked at Lily for leaving a world in which her daughter would ultimately be left alone. Before I left home for that visit with Ti...