Dear readers, tonight with us is a college professor with a gift for logic. She believes that if you dig long enough, the truth will rise to the surface. She’s hear to speak about what happened when she turned her relentless curiosity toward her own family, and unearthed more than she bargained for: a web of secrets her mother carried silently to the grave.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I grew up in the town of Cherry Creek, New York, right outside of Lindsborg, New York. It is a lovely little village with a stop light and four corners and sits right on beautiful Owanka Lake. Most of the families there were working class, although there were some professionals and other small businesspeople whose lives were a little more upscale.

Did you have any favorite toys as a child? Any cherished memories?

My favorite memory of childhood was the summer when my family would live in a trailer on Owanka Lake right next to my aunt and uncle and some of my parent’s friends. There was always something to do, including hiking, swimming, or going out on somebody’s boat. My parents let us come and go as we pleased, and it was really the best place to grow up as a child.

What do you do now?

I’m a college professor at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. I teach Math.

What can you tell us about your latest adventure?

My adventure began with some unsettling news about my background, and I’m still processing these changes. It would appear that everything I was told growing up was a lie, and what’s worse is that my entire extended family was in on it. I found this extremely difficult to process, as well as frustrating.

What did you first think when you found out the news that upset you?

I thought the worst about my mother, and I couldn’t understand why others weren’t as equally horrified as I was. My family seemed more interested in protecting her memory as well as the family “name,” then helping me out, and offering little more than sympathy and vague explanations.

What was the scariest thing in your adventures?

My trip to the medium who both frightened and confused me. I was desperate, desperate enough to try anything, including an attempt at contacting the world from beyond out own. I wasn’t sure what I would find, but the look on the medium’s face, well that’s something I’ll never forget. The entire room seemed to take on a aura of its own, something not of this world.

What is the worst thing about the experience…?

For me it was the feeling of being unmoored and seemingly alone in this journey. Nobody seemed to understand my motivations or why I was so upset. In many ways, I’ve never felt more alone. My husband claimed that he understood and offered me some solace, but I think he was simply trying to do what he thought he was supposed to do. That’s fine, but it didn’t help, and it forced me to look in directions that I otherwise wouldn’t have.

Tell us a little about your family.

My mother was from a large Italian family, and my father was from a rural Swedish family in western Pennsylvania. I have a much older brother and a twin brother who I am very close with. I’m married to a high school social studies teacher, and I have two grown sons. Even though I was half-Swedish and half-Italian, it was the Italian side that I and my twin brother identified with. My mother’s huge family dominated all aspects of my life growing up and I often only identified as Italian when asked. I suppose this was because we didn’t spend much time around my father’s family, and he was not the kind to insist on much attention, so it was my mother’s family that we spent almost all of our time around. We were all very close, which I think is typical in a small town. It was not unheard of for my aunts, uncles, or cousins to just show up at our house, and walk in unannounced without knocking, and grab a cup of coffee. Still, despite this closeness, my mother’s family was extremely competitive, and there was plenty of gossip behind each other’s backs. Like all families, we were complicated.

Whom (or what) do you really hate?

I’m frustrated by the many roadblocks my extended family has created to keep me from finding out my truth. I hate this idea that our family name and reputation somehow was more important than helping me, and that it was up to me to understand what my mother had done, and not for me to blame her or anybody else, as if it wasn’t my right to ask these questions about my origin story.

What’s your favorite drink, color, and relaxing pastime?

I love tea. Black, green, it doesn’t matter. My husband Mark gets me at least one cup every night before I go to bed. If I have a favorite color, it would probably be pink. You wouldn’t know it since most people don’t think of college math professors this way, but at heart I am a
girly-girl. As for pastimes, I love playing Suduko, as well as doing puzzles and playing board games. Anything that exercises the mind, and involved problem solving. I also enjoy digging into my family background on Ancestry.com, although that has its pitfalls.

What does the future hold for you?

I suppose I’m looking to heal mentally and emotionally and perhaps reconnect with my brother. We’re at a bit of a loggerhead right now, and I’m not sure how we get back to our relationship before all of the business with my mother started, but I’m determined to rekindle that relationship. I also want to do some traveling with my husband. We could stand a little reconnection ourselves.

Can you share a secret with us, which you’ve never told anyone else?

I’m thinking of writing a book about my experiences. I want to explore the history of Lindsborg, and how it shaped my family and all of the people who I have encountered on this journey. We’ll see how that goes over.

Robert Hoffman recently retired from teaching after 34 years. He was a blogger for six years for his local paper, the Albany Times Union, and has also blogged for Albany.com, Fark.com, Crooksandliars.com, and kneesandfists.com. In 2021, he published his first novel, “Blind Spot.” He has also written a television pilot with a friend which was recently named an “Official Selection” at the Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Festival. “Taken to the Grave” marks his second attempt at writing a work of fiction.

You can find Maria on the pages of Taken to the Grave.

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