The Next Five Pages

At this point in the manuscript, I introduce a 48” X 32” piece of heavy gauge paper containing, in my father’s handwriting, the story of his life, beginning from his birth to the year 2000.

The document had at some point been taped to a wall. The purpose I’m not sure of. I discovered it folded up inside a box filled with historical Charlie and Haden Family photos.

My father was a uniquely talented, uncompromising artist. His music and philosophy changed people’s lives. But he was also a normal human, suffering from common human problems. His childhood, while giving him a strong musical foundation, was marred by physical and emotional abuse. It left a void that Charlie tried to fill with drugs and alcohol.

Trigger warning. There are a few paragraphs below that describe extreme domestic abuse and child cruelty. If you are uncomfortable reading such things, try this instead.

The five pages directly preceding these can be found here.