I think I might have been in college when this particular event happened. I was probably home for the weekend or something. I have this image of me being older. I was either in the kitchen or passing through, when I was asked to do something.
I think both of my parents were in the kitchen, when I came through. I was asked if I could sign my older brother’s name. I did some practicing signing his signature and ended up being a pretty good representation of his actual signature. But when it came time to actually sign my brother’s signature on whatever documents, I just couldn’t do it. I was too nervous.
My mother sad to me “that’s okay, I was nervous too, the first time.” I didn’t think about that statement at the time but today is a different story. I have no idea what the document was that required my absent brother’s attention, but it made me wonder how many other documents of his were signed. Or any other of my brothers or sisters, or even mine for that matter. And why did they want me to sign? Why not continue with how things had been operating?
I can’t imagine my mother being the instigator of this scheme (an illegal one at that!). My guess is this was somehow my father’s idea. My mother was not one to act out on her own, especially something of this magnitude.
I guess this begs the question of how my father started down this path of criminal behavior. He had already been done with his judgeship for quite a number of years. And what sort of document would require you to start forging documents? And did this start a road that led to the mob in Las Vegas?