Marianne

Chapter Three

Clover's Mama was born in 1940 and was an only child but grew up with cousins galore who lived just down the road. Her name was Marianne Rae Bailey. When Marianne was little she loved her dolls, they were real to her and were temporary substitutes for the big family she knew that she would have some day. Marianne met her future husband Arni when they were just babies, they grew up together, were childhood sweethearts and in fact Arni asked her to marry him when they were just seven years old. Marianne graduated from high school on the first Friday in May, turned eighteen the next day and married Arni the following Saturday. Marianne enjoyed her new role as a wife and after two years passed, she and Arni were ready to start a family. When two more years passed and no babies, Marianne began to worry a little and then when four more years passed and no babies, Marianne was still young-twenty-six, but she and Arni knew it was time to start thinking about adoption. At this same time another young woman knew it was time to start thinking about finding the baby that was growing inside of her a home that she wouldn't be able to provide.

Clover

Chapter Two

After Happy Birthday had been sung, the cake and ice cream had been eaten and presents from all her friends had been opened Clover's Mama told her that she had a special present for her that she would give her when all the company had gone home.

Clover's Mama was a very attractive woman, she was tall and slim and today she had on one of those pantsuits that were popular in 1979. She wore her blond hair teased with a slight touch of hairspray to keep it in place. She rarely wore makeup except for a little lipstick and today she had on just the barest touch. Clover loved her Mama dearly and thought that her Mama was the prettiest Mama of all her friends.

Clover really didn't look much like her Mama except for the fact that she was tall for her age and would eventually be five feet and eight inches tall. Clover's hair was silky fine and dark brown and Clover was headed toward being curvy. She already had to her amazement and wonder--breasts. Clover's eyes were blue like her all her family, but that was about where any similarity ended. Clover's brother and sister looked just like her Daddy. Her daddy was stocky with muscular arms and legs. Clover's daddy drove a truck and hauled logs. Years of hard work had made him rugged in appearance, not handsome by any means but there was something about him that Clover couldn't yet put into words. When she got older, she knew exactly what it was, he was sexy.

After everyone had gone, Clover's Mama and Daddy sat down with her as she opened her last present. In a tiny box wrapped in gold paper, nestled in delicate tissue paper was a silver charm that encased a dried four-leaf clover. When Clover turned the charm over, engraved on the back were the words, "London 1965."

Clover

Chapter One
Clover would have known that she was adopted even if nobody had ever told her. She was different from her Mama and Daddy. She was different from her baby brother and she was sure different from her baby sister. It was not so much that she looked different, she was just different. Clover liked books and art and music. No, Clover loved music. She loved all kinds of music, she even like some of the classic stuff. But she sure didn't tell her brother and sister that. She only had to hear a song once and she could repeat the lyrics almost word for word. And after she heard it twice, it was hers forever. She would sit for hours listening to ELO's Greatest Hits album, wondering what the "living thing" really was.
It was on her thirteenth birthday that her Mama and Daddy--well really her Mama told her that she was adopted. And because she knew she was different she wasn't surprised, or hurt for that matter, in fact it was a relief and it explained a lot of things.
One thing that it didn't explain, was why she had the name Clover, of all things. Clover London Harlow. In later years she would use the name C. London Harlow. And quite frankly it came in handy when she appeared in the board room for the first time, but more about that later.