Chapter 303

“Later I found out that the Andersons really didn’t want to take me in. They were concerned, and rightly so, that I would contaminate their wonderful family with my penchant for dr*gs, tobacco, alcohol, sex, and foul language. Steve actually talked them into accepting me on a trial basis. He did wash my mouth out with soap the first day. I was tricked into drinking at a party another time. That’s when the now famous pictures of me topless in Steve’s arms came into being. He actually washed the vomit out of my hair and put me to bed, alone. The short answer to your question is that I now know who I am, and what I am. I have a wonderful support group. I love Gwen and Steve more than I ever thought I’d be able to love anyone or anything. On top of that, I’ve fallen in love with a great guy. Charlie Burns is my lover, my best friend, and with him, Gwen, and Steve behind me, I don’t feel like I have to justify anything to anyone else. They make me want to be a better person than I am.”