Court Ordered Phone Calls (2)

Court Ordered Phone Calls (1)

Chapter One: Born in Jamaica

Monique Ann Antognetti was born in Montego Bay, sometime in the last week of April 1968. She was the third of four girls, born to her mother out of wedlock by different men. Jackie was the first born, followed by Bridgette, then Monique and the youngest, Rachel. Her mother, Julie and her grandmother, Iolyn Plummer, never agreed on the date of birth. Monique and her first husband, Mel Dressler, attempted to retrieve her birth certificate from the public records in Spanishtown, Jamaica but even after filling out the appropriate documents and submitting the payments, never received it. Two possibilities come to mind for this failure. First, since her half sister Michelle Parkes did everything in her power to keep Monique from reuniting with her biological father (in order to keep her own inheritance intact), she received the document but did not forward it as she promised to. Second, Monique's birth was not registered (although her grandmother claims to have been the one who reported it) or it was just not stored correctly and therefore the records, do not exist.
Monique has adopted the 29th of April as her date of birth although her mother strongly objected to this date, claiming that she had given birth one week earlier. Monique was given the same surname as her older sister Jackie "Antognetti",. Monique's mother never admitted who Monique's father was instead lead her to believe that she and Jackie had the same father. After Monique's graduation in Penticton, B.C. she met with Frank Antognetti (Jackie's father) and he told her that although he wished he was her father, in fact he was not. This disturbed Monique deeply as her sisters all had the surnames of their biological father except her.
Long before Monique's birth, tragedy brewed. Julie (Monique's mother) was approximately seventeen years old when Frank Antognetti kidnapped her and held her captive in his house only a short distance from where Julie's home was where she resided with her brother and two sisters. Within a week or so rumors of Julie's whereabouts reached Iolyn (Julie's mother)and she immediately went and confronted Frank and demanded her daughter back. Frank obliged to avoid being charged with the crime. Julie was now back, safe with her mother, but she was pregnant. Julie's first child, Jackie was born. Iolyn (Julie's mother and Monique's grandmother) often had to go up to Julie's bedroom at night to take care of Jackie who was crying and left unattended (Julie often slipped out of the house). About a year later, Julie gave birth at home, to Bridgette. Iolyn claims that she broke into the bedroom that night and seeing the baby blue and almost lifeless, prevented Julie from further suffocating the baby. These series of events compelled her to look after the children born to Julie. Julie eventually moved out of Iolyn's home, leaving her Mother and Stepfather with all four children. Monique was approximately 3 years old at the time. Julie would return periodically ( once or twice a year) with presents for the girls. An Englishman with a cockney accent, Michael Parkes visited Monique several times a year and brought her gifts. It was not often that someone driving a car came to visit them. When Monique was asked if she needed anything, she politely informed him that she and her sisters did not. The children were told that their mother was busy working as a model. The girls later learned from their mother, that in fact she was prostituting herself during that time. Julie finally met a German-Canadian named Gunter who agreed to marry her and take her back to Canada. She told him that she had a child and introduced him to Monique. Monique was the daughter with the lightest color of skin and Julie probably felt that it would ease the transition if he learned the truth (that she was a mother of 4 children) only a little at a time. Julie told her young child, Monique, not to say anything about the others,. On the day of the flight, Julie showed up with all her children and told Gunter that she had to look after the other 3 as well. The additional plane tickets were obtained that same day. Monique begged her grandmother not to be forced to leave with Julie. Her grandmother insisted that she should go with her mother. As they departed, Monique sobbed as she was taken from the only mother she had known, her Grandmother. They were flown to Canada and moved into a house in Penticton B.C. This is where the children really came to know and fear their abusive and alcoholic mother.
Now in Canada, Monique's mother opened a small drapery business in Penticton and attempted to emloye her daughters after school. Monique was the only one who perisited in helping her mother. Julie promised to pay her daughter for her work but never did. Monique believed that if she helped there would be more money for the household. She also recalled her hunger pains and fainting spells due to the "empty refrigerator". This, compounded with Julie's drinking and consistent neglect of the supper, burning on the stove, left little for the girls to do except go to the neighbor's Ted and Tammy for help.