Now I Can See

The main character of the story is a young girl named Carole, who craved a life filled with love, security and fulfillment. These were her simple dreams but yet she struggled to find her true place in her world. Her grandparents who emigrated from Italy had told her of the beauty of that land and the hardships they faced coming to a new country. As she grew, her curiosity became so strong she began to search for the reasons why her family would leave a place of security and beauty of an unknown land filled with hardship and uncertainty and to find out where she fit into this story. Having lived in a family filled with love and security; Carole lost her mother at the age of eight. She then spent her years trying to find that sense of belonging. Her father worked and left her with numerous aunts and mostly her grandmother and grandfather who spoke only Italian. She recalls fun times with some of her family, and unhappy times with others, while her sense of insecurity and not fitting in became increasingly stronger as she grew older. Her father then married and Carole's life became one of servitude to her stepmother. Her stepmother was a selfish bitter woman who was unable to have children of her own. She considered Carole her housekeeper. Carole married at nineteen to a fellow a few years older than she, and within the year they had a son. She yearned for the family unit. Her husband had a big family but more dysfunctional than her own, therefore her search for balance and security would only become stronger. During her twenty-three years of marriage she raised three children, worked part time and struggled to keep the family together money wise, spiritually, and lovingly. Although on the outside she appeared happy and fulfilled, these were very dark days for her. She coped with depression, loneliness, financial insecurity, and a husband that was non-supportive emotionally and physically. Once the children were grown she began her life and that included a man that would