The Bastard Child of Ore City

By Mike Hayesdale

"Why was I not hidden away in the ground like a stillborn child, like an infant that never saw the light of day?
- Book of Job


Journey with the author as he takes you back through 50 years of intense memories from a childhood filled with unimaginable torment and abuse; and how he was able to escape and lead a normal life through the power of forgiveness.


"In all things God is Just"
-Mike Hayesdale-

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098387907

Book preview

DISCLAIMER

This book is a memoir. It reflects the author’s present recollection of experiences over a period of almost 50 years. Some names and characteristics have been changed/altered, some events have been compressed, and some dialogues have been recreated. The timeline is not in chronological order and therefore will often be gaged by the author’s approximate age at the time of the event.

The author has also been corrected on some points by eyewitnesses after vetting some details (mostly as to the names of other witnesses that were present at the time of some of the events). With that said, this is a book of memory, and sometimes witnesses can often remember an event slightly differently; and therefore, I recognize that others may have different memories of the events described in this book. Nonetheless, the author has worked hard to explain these advents as correctly as possible (from his memory as a child) so that his opinion of his past may be more accurately understood; and to how he drew his conclusions.

The author’s intent is not to cause harm to any person or character in this book but to share the real events that happened to him during his childhood and ultimately how he was delivered from them. As the author was a child during the times of these events and therefore is not responsible for what was done to him, he reserves the right to tell the truth of his life (as protected by the First Amendment) …both good experiences and bad. He chooses not to hang his head in shame or hide in fear from his past.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am grateful to those throughout the years that have treated me with kindness, love, support and who gave me the strength to make it one more day during my younger years. To all of you listed, you are really the answered prayers and heroes of my life.

From Ore City:

To those that befriended me through the years during school—your genuine kindness during those times allowed me to get through another day when I had all but given up. Through your kindness, I was reminded that the entire world was not like my home and therefore gave me hope that things would one day be better for me, and it was. I say to continue to be kind to others as you might never know what kind of positive effect that will have on their life…often one simple act of kindness is enough to save a life for one more day. You all have my sincere gratitude.

From Youth for Tomorrow:

To: Don Carter, Roger Staubach, Donnie Gay, Bill Krisher, David and Leilani Tejeda, and Mrs. Roe; Through your kindness and generosity, you all provided a safe home for young men and young ladies; to unwanted kids that no one else would give the time of day to. You fed us, clothed us, loved us, guided us, and gave us opportunities and the tools to better ourselves…you saved our lives, and for that, you will always be in my heart and in my prayers.

A special thanks to Deaun McCann; you have always been the best of us!

Most importantly, I would like to thank my wife for always being of great support, especially through the writing of this book…you are forever my Love.

Special thanks to STATIONARY PUBLISHING LLC for their assistance in publishing this writing.

WARNING

The following is a memoir based upon the real experiences of my life as a child growing up on the outskirts of Ore City, Texas. In the pages to come, you will be confronted with actions that may make you furious as some events are almost unspeakable, but I ask that you focus on the last few chapters of the book so that you may begin to understand the magnitude of what I am trying to convey at the ending of this writing.

INTRODUCTION

Redneck Snorkeling

The summers in East Texas were known for being hot and extremely humid. Most people growing up in that area are familiar with the term The air is so humid you can cut it with a knife, and on this day, it turned out to be no different.

I was around 12 years old at the time, a skinny boy with below average height and brown hair that was, to be honest, somewhat unkept. My summer routine consisted of getting up at 6 am and beginning my chores, which at face value seems normal for a lot of people during those days, and then working until the sun went down. We had many acres of land, and I was tasked with keeping it groomed and presentable, but not necessarily for the reasons you may think.

I was up early mowing the grass with the push mower when my stepdad (Dickey) came out of the house and told me to go find an old green water hose from the shed. I rummaged through that shed for a while until I found what he was asking for and immediately brought it back to him. It was a little thinner than the average garden hose, around 15 feet long, covered in cobwebs and dust, but Dickey did not mind. He cleaned it up, cut off both ends, then had me follow him to our swimming pool.

Now a year or so earlier, Dickey had installed an in-ground swimming pool close to the house; it was around 8 to 9 feet deep and had one of those plastic liners instead of being made from concrete. To be honest, it was a nice pool and had a wooden deck all the way around, water slide, and diving board, but evidently the liner had sprung a small leak in the deep end. Dickey tried to patch it up but not being the best swimmer, he would float back up before he had a chance to install the patch. So, he came up with this great plan on how he could stay down on the bottom long enough to patch the hole.

Dickey was below average height, around 5 foot eight, and was wearing his homemade swim trunks, which was a pair of wrangler jeans that had the legs cut off. One leg of the shorts was cut a little shorter than the other, and the white threads were hanging down from where they had been cut. His potbelly was hanging over the edge of those homemade swim trunks, and he was sporting that redneck farmers’ tan that East Texans are all too familiar with. If you have ever seen the movie 50 First Dates and are familiar with Rob Schneider’s character, then you have a remarkably close image of how Dickey looked…. except for Rob’s long hair.

Now to say Dickey was not a smart man would be an underestimation of the facts, but as I lay out his master plan, then you will have the full understanding of what I mean. So, we are standing on the pool deck, and Dickey has a potato sack, 2 blocks of cement that he had made, some rope, the hose that I had located, and his patch and glue for sealing the leak. He then places the 2 blocks of cement that he had made into the potato sack, tied them to his waist with the rope, and then hands me one end of the hose to hold while he hangs on to the other end.

Now, I would like for you to keep in mind that the amount of cement he has tied to him at this point weighs roughly 100lbs and Dickey, as I stated before, was not a good swimmer. He then proceeds to describe his master plan to me, although even at 12 years old, I could see where this was going. It’s just like one of those snorkels people use to dive with and breathe under the water, he said, just hold on at your end and don’t let go. You better not let go! And then he jumped in.

Even at an early age, I knew there was a fine line between being overconfident and plain stupid, so I just stood there and watched this play itself out. Now, the first part of his plan worked very well. That 100lbs of cement brought him straight to the bottom, and it did so rather fast I might add. And he was also correct that the cement would hold him down, preventing him from floating back up, but as you might have guessed by now, he was not correct about breathing through that garden hose being the same as breathing through one of those snorkels as he so intelligently put it. And therein lies the problem…

Dickey placed the end of the hose up to his mouth and took a big o’ breath, or at least he tried to. The realization that his well-thought-out plan was not as effective as he believed was soon accompanied by his frantic attempt to ascend. You do have to give him some credit, though, as he was correct by which the 100 lbs. of cement did hold him down on the bottom, and therefore that portion of the plan proved to be effective. Well, perhaps too effective, I guess, because Dickey was unable to lift that cement-filled potato sack and make his way to the oxygen-rich environment that taunted him from just a few feet away. It was at this point that time stopped, and it is also at this point that this story becomes one of the most tragic moments of my life.

Dickey is looking up at me with fear in his eyes, partially because he knew he was about to drown but mostly because he could see in my eyes that I was not about to help him in any way. I know what you would like to hear; I know you hope that I jumped into that pool and saved him, or I at least ran inside to get help, but to be honest, I did not do either of those things. Instead, I stood there holding my end of the hose with great satisfaction at what I was watching. And as his eyes locked with mine in what seemed to be an endless eternity, Dickey knew the last thing he was going to see was me looking down at him with unadulterated gratification. Dickey continued to struggle, and I continued to watch with a level of calmness that can only be described as a combination of hope and disbelief like the first second someone realizes they have won the lottery.

I know what you are thinking; how can a 12-year-old boy just watch his stepdad drown? What kind of kid would do such a thing? But before you go and judge me, before you cast that stone, I ask that you grab hold of my hand and come with me on a journey back in time from the beginning so that you can have a complete understanding of what created this tragic moment in my life.

Chapter 1: Evil Has a Name.

Telling a story is a lot like baking a cake. You need to understand all the ingredients beforehand, collect them together, and then insert them at the proper time so that they mix properly and the final product can come to fruition.

With that in mind, to fully understand and grasp what you are about to read, you first need to know the participants of those involved, the family tree so to speak and the fruits of that tree. Please, follow along for a few moments as we focus on a little family tree history, and then we will begin putting things together one event at a time. Also, be aware that not every event is in chronological order as there was far too much going on at any given time, so I have chosen to break things down into relatable events and then overlap them as we go along. Specific dates are difficult to remember after

Reviews for The Bastard Child of Ore City

[ray barnett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I know them, lived in the same town and went to school with them but never knew.

[Amelia Heatherly · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Could not put it down! Cannot wait to read the next one! Great message and inspiration!

[Skyler Miller · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was so sad. But I loved how it was wrote so detailed and this shows not to judge anyone cause you never know what is happening at their home. Definitely recommend this book for everyone. ?

[Emiley Brown · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read the whole book in one setting. I also had a similar experiences as a child, but not necessarily because my parents were awful, but my mother’s family. I never thought one family could be filled with so much sickness, perverted ways, molestation, and the ability to just cover things up like they never happened, so no one else would find out. I believe me, my sisters, and my cousins have broken the cycle, and pray our kids never have to encounter the things we did at such a young age.
I hate that anyone has to go through a miserable childhood feeling unloved, it literally breaks my heart. If I could change anything in the world, it would be that no child is ever abused and left feeling unloved. I believe this book is inspirational to those who may be going through it currently, and will help someone someday.
Thank you for sharing!

[April · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a gut wrenching story of my home town and a family I know and grew up with. (Not in immediate contact with except the grandmother when I was very young) The horrible things this man (and his sisters) had to endure is so heartbreaking. I hope and pray for continued peace and success for this man, his wife and child.