Jamie Brickhouse

Jamie Brickhouse writes about his life growing up in Beaumont, Texas, a port city in the southeastern part of the state where he never felt he belonged. He had a particularly close relationship with his mother, Jean. In fact, years later he realized that it was too close. She took care of physically as any good parent does. But she wanted Jamie to herself. She told him that she loved him more than anyone else ever could.

Jamie was a bright young boy and like all gifted children, he was probably judged to be older, more mature than his biological age and was able to venture on the adult side of life at times. When he was just five he had his first sip of alcohol. He liked it; the problem was he never stopped liking it. At 14 his parents were ordering alcoholic drinks for him...