Ab Antiquo

SHE HIDES LIKE A CHILD
:: But she’s always a woman to me::



FULLNAME: DOROTHY JEAN ABBOTT

NICKNAMES: DOT, ABBY

DATEOFBIRTH: 15 JAN 1976

PLACEOFBIRTH: HATTIESBURG, MISSISSIPPI

GENDER: FEMALE

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: STRAIGHT

MARITIAL STATUS: SINGLE

PARENTS:[/font]

• THELMA ANN ABBOTT-MOTHER (DOB.1945-DOD.2001)
• OLIVER JAMES CAREY – BIOLOGICAL FATHER (DOB.1941-D0D.1975)
• ALAN MARTIN ABBOTT-FATHER (DOB.1933)

SIBLINGS:

• KAREN LYN ABBOTT-HALF SISTER (DOB.1969)
• JOHN TERRANCE ABBOTT-HALF BROTHER (DOB.1970)
• OLIVER JAMES CAREY JR. – HALF BROTHER (DOB.1966)
• MADISON OLIVIA CAREY – HALF SISTER (DOB.1968)

CHILDREN:

• TEVIN MICHAEL ABBOTT – SON (DOB.2000)

SHE STEALS LIKE A THIEF
:: but she’s always a woman to me::


The birth of Dorothy Abbott could be seen as either a blessing or a curse. She was a blessing to her mother since the child was conceive out of an unlikely but powerful love affair between two people from opposite sides of society. She was a curse to the Carey family because they lost their one and only son because of her existence and the circumstance of her birth. She was a blessing disguised as a curse to Alan Abbott, who raised the child as his own despite knowing she was never really his in the first place. She was a curse to Karen because Karen envied her sister for being lighter and prettier in her opinion. She was a curse to John because everyone in town knew the story of Dorothy Abbott and no one was willing to let it go. Dorothy often wondered whether she was a blessing or a curse throughout her life. Her parents never wanted to reveal to her why she looked different from her older siblings. At a young age, she realized that everyone viewed her and treated her differently. She never really fit in with anyone. She was too light to be considered black, but she was too dark to pass as white. Her whole being was stuck in a constant state of grey.

She was the product of an affair between a white man and a black woman. Sure, the civil rights movement had long been over when she entered the world. Hattiesburg wanted to consider themselves ahead of their time. Everyone seemed to view each other as equal. A black man could sit and have a meal with a white man. No one would look at them weird. A black woman could converse with a white woman at the park while their children played on the play ground. Yes, they were ahead of their time, they truly felt. But, intermixing on a romantic level was never considered the norm. It was the unspoken rule of the town. There could be friendship, yes, but a relationship built on love and trust...no. That simply couldn’t exist between the two races.

Yet, two people dared to challenge that rule. Yes, they were married to other people. And it hadn’t been Oliver and Thelma’s intention to hurt their spouses and cause such an uproar that ended in violence, sadness, and a new life. But their love had been unexpected to the both of them. Thelma’s children were in school, as were Oliver’s children. Alan figured it was be good if Thelma got a job to bring in more money for their household. Oliver and Alan had been good friends and he knew of an opening at the Sheriff’s office. So, Thelma went to work as the receptionist. She knew of Oliver Carey, just as he knew of her. But they never had much interaction with each other.

It wasn’t like their marriages were at a bad place. Quite the opposite, their marriages were going just fine. But love had a funny way of doing things. And love had been the reason they took that fateful step into each other’s arms. Their affair began February 1975. That May, Thelma discovered she was pregnant. This pregnancy was different than the last two she experienced. She couldn’t understand, but she felt an overwhelming amount of joy. At first, Oliver had been caught off guard, but he too had a skip in his step. In secret, they made plans to runaway together and go somewhere where they could be together in the open.

But that never came.

What came was a shocking reveal to a town. Their secret came out and no one knew how to take it. And one late eve on a cold November night, Oliver Carey’s body was discovered; he had been beaten to death. No one ever came forward about the murder. Though, many suspected Alan himself did it. No one dared to press the matter because the situation died alongside Oliver in the ditch. Thelma couldn’t openly grieve. She wasn’t even invited to the funeral. Alan stayed with her because he considered himself a good man and a God fearing man.

And that was the circumstance Dorothy Jean Abbott was born into. She didn’t ask to be born into it. Yet, she may have suffered more because of it than anyone. Her sister and brother wouldn’t acknowledge her in school. Oliver’s kids, Oliver Jr. and Madison, didn’t even know of her. Their mother had picked up and moved from Hattiesburg, no one but the Carey family knew where she had gone. She never stepped foot back into the town again.

Life in the grey was difficult for Dorothy. She had no identity. She was just Dorothy, the love child of Oliver Carey. She was the grey sheep. She was...

She never knew who she was. But everyone seemed to know who she was before she even knew.
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BLAME IT ALL ON YOURSELF
::cause she’s always a woman to me::


Tevin had been a surprise. Dot was a young girl and was trying to make a living for herself. She didn’t leave her parents home and continued to help around the house. Karen and John had long since moved away from Hattiesburg, something Dot should have done herself. Instead, she took a job at a local diner as a waitress. That was where she met Curtis Howard. He had gone to school with her brother and stayed in town. He was working on becoming a pastor and had married his high school sweetheart, Coretta, a couple years back. He came into the diner every day during the lunch hour. He sat in the same seat each time, the right corner of the countertop. Their conversation was usually light and casual.

He was handsome, and Dot knew this, but she also knew he was married. But the past had a funny way of repeating itself. The light, casual conversation soon turned into a deep emotional attachment. Sure, Curtis knew of Dot and her circumstance. He knew how the kids at school use to make fun of her. He remembered how bad John used to speak of her. He always used to tell Dot she didn’t deserve what happened to her. All she ever wanted was someone who understood how she felt. All she wanted was someone who would sympathize with her. Unfortunately like her mother, she too found herself in the arms of a married man. Instead of it being a long lasting affair, it was a one night stand. A one night stand that left Dot very pregnant. When Dot brought this to Curtis attention, he cursed her and accused her of sleeping with other men before they were together.

The affair never came to light. Dot was forced to go through the pregnancy alone with no support from Curtis. Many in Hattiesburg were curious about whom the father was, but she never revealed the information. She didn’t want to ruin another marriage. Curtis had stopped coming to the diner, which broke Dot’s heart.

She worked up until the last two months of her pregnancy. Tevin came into the world March 14, 2000 with his grandparents in attendance. Dot took one look at Tevin and discovered her identity as a mother. Nothing but joy and love filled her heart. She knew despite the fact Tevin would never know his father, she was confidence she could be everything the boy needed.
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THE MOST SHE’LL DO IS THROW SHADOWS AT YOU
::but she’s always a woman to me::



PLACEOFRESIDENCE: RAVENBLACK CITY

OCCUPATION: MAID/WAITRESS

EDUCATION: RAVENBLACK COMMUNITY COLLEGE (JUST ENROLLED)

PASTRESIDENCE(S):

• NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE (2001-2005)
• ATLANTA, GEORGIA (2005-2007)
• WASHINGTON D.C. (2007-2011)

The eleven years had been rough for Dot up until her arrival to Ravenblack City. A year after Tevin had been born; she lost her mother to a fatal heart attack. She found herself coordinating her first funeral. Yes, her siblings and their families had come. This should have been the time where family was able to put aside the past hurts and come together. Not so for the Abbott family. If anything, bitterness became an even deeper root, splitting the family. Karen had married and had a few children of her own, none of which knew that Dot existed. And the same went for John and his family. It was as if they moved and erased Dot’s existence from their lives.

It left Dot feeling invisible and rotten. Hattiesburg had become a place ridden with pain and unforgiveness. Finally, Dot decided it was time for her to move on. So she took Tevin and all the things they had acquired, setting forth on a journey of their own. They lived in Nashville from 2001 to 2005.Dot worked little odd jobs over the years in Nashville. They moved to Atlanta where Dot worked as a nanny. She was fired after her employer suspected her of stealing money over the two years she worked. It really had been the cook. Once again, they uprooted and moved to Washington D.C, where they lived for the next four years. Dot worked two jobs to keep them afloat. Tevin was getting along just fine in school. She always stressed to him how important education was because she knew it would be the only way he could get anywhere in life. It wasn’t like Dot would ever have the money to send him to college. So, she thought it was important to instill the importance of school in her son’s mind. She would have stayed in D.C. and raised her son...if it hadn’t been for the fact a drug dealer had tried recruit Tevin into his gang of hoodlums.
To save her son from ever entering that life style, Dot made the difficult decision to uproot once again. Tevin hadn’t been too happy about it. All his friends were in his neighborhood. But she assured him it was for the best and this would be the last time they moved.

Ravenblack City has been quite interesting for the pair. They live above the diner that Dot works at in the twilight hours. It was a cheap one bedroom apartment. Along as they have hot water and working heat, Dot didn’t care if it wasn’t exactly a five star rating. Once again, she found herself working two jobs. She worked as a maid for a motel during the day and in the diner over night. All while attempting to get a bit of a college education.

She can’t say she has any friends beside Tevin. Mr.Fields, the diner owner, was kind to her, but she didn’t consider him a friend. She isn’t too buddy buddy with the customers, frankly because those that come in between the hours of 11pm and 2am aren’t quite wholesome. She works hard to be content with the mother/father identity of her life. But sometimes when she catches a moment of peace, Dot prays that one day she could find who she really is.