Page 142 - That’s Crazy ebook

That’s Crazy

deciding to move to the upscale community of Enclave in PG County.

Adriana and Judge Deacon had become Leroy's de facto parents and
they were going to protect the Thornburg image by any means

necessary.

I did not clearly understand when I was first screened by the
family about Thornburg's having never had a divorce in the family.
When they first said it to me, I thought they meant the family would

pull together and help each other in counsel when it came to marriage.

I came to find out what they meant; you are supposed to stay married
despite any abuse. They were strict, Southern Baptists and I had no

clue the depth of Southern Baptists until I started dealing with the
Thornburg's. I sincerely believe that to be the root of Leroy's

problems. The family was so caught up in the Thornburg image. When
we traveled to Leroy's hometown in Florida, I realized the Thornburg

power lay in the tiny church that consisted of all family members.

Leroy's family was divided by the educated Thornburg's and the

others. As the story is told, Leroy's mother had a dream that showed
her working in the hotel industry was not the answer and that

education was. She made sure her children would rise early enough in
the morning to do their part in supporting the house and she would

make sure her children would leave early enough for school while their

cousins had to stay home. There were ten Thornburg children, five
brothers, and five sisters. All achieved bachelor's degrees or higher.

There were four PhD's, two lawyers and three with masters' degrees.
Leroy was the only one who had just a bachelor's degree in the shop.

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