By 1997, I had finally been allowed to get a driver's license and had used it and my little Ford Ranger pickup to become quite the popular guy. I had a large circle of friends and went out just about every night to a different party or bar or road trip or whatever I could do to get away from my parents.

I met a girl named Mindy Moore (no relation to Dawn from years before) and we were dating rather casually. Mindy was 8 years older than me and had 2 kids, but she made me feel grown upand that was a great feeling after the childhood I'd had. She and I experimented with just about every recreational drug known to man together, and made just about every party and get-drunk around town.

After about 6 months, Mindy informed me that her ex-boyfriend was getting out of jail and that she intended to hook back up with him when he did. It wasn't too much of a problem for me because I had learned by that time not to get too attached to any woman, because they always seemed to shit on me when I least expected it. Mindy did, however, do me the favor of introducing me to her sister Voncile so that I wouldn't be lonely in her absence.