"Where would I be today? I can't imagine. I would probably be working fast food," replied Catina.
Catina and I sat down over ice cream to discuss her biography for the website. She had never put anything like that together before and she had that slight smile that signaled she was a bit nervous about the idea. I started with the obvious questions like where she's from and went from there. I was pleasantly surprised at the little tidbits I learned along the way.
35 years ago on a hot day in August there were only two people at her birth - Catina and her mother. Despite calling for help no one would come and despite the pain Sherrel delivered her own baby girl all on her own weighing in at 5 lb 3 oz. Catina was so little that her dad called her "Squirt," but Ernest and Sherrel decided to officially call her Catina Elizabeth Rigsby. The name "Catina" was unique and a bit of a mystery until a little prodding uncovered that the name became popular because of a baby "born" with the character name Katina on the soap opera called 'Where the Heart Is.'
Catina's early years were spent growing up "back in the hollar" of Millersville TN about 17 miles north of Nashville. Her mom described her as "chatty, busy and sweet" while reflecting back on the days that Catina made mud pies outside in her underwear. Her dad, known for being able to fix almost anything, was usually away working, but he got to spend some time with the kids on the weekend. Sometimes sweet and sometimes mischievous the biggest trouble she got into back then was making ice cream sundaes with unusual random ingredients around the kitchen. Most of those days were always spent close to home as the family did not have much money back then. Catina considered "going to restaurants like Ponderosa and Bonanza" to be a special treat that made them feel like "kings and queens."
Catina was a middle child. Middle children are usually described as cooperative, flexible and understanding. Catina says the only thing she understood was that Michael was the oldest so he got everything and that TJ was the youngest so he got everything. What did she get? She got into trouble, most of which Catina blames on Michael who could talk her into or dare her into doing anything.
She reached her late teens becoming a sweet 17 year old girl sometimes in trouble, sometimes enjoying time with friends, sometimes dreaming of the future. And then it all came to a screeching stop. Catina found out she was pregnant. It was during the fear and excitement that she realized everything would have to change. Catina had reached her crossroads. She had never felt a strong motivation to do more with her own life until she realized she was responsible for someone else's. She began to focus on what it would mean to be a good mother to her child—the money necessary to raise him, the effort to be there, the pursuit of an education so she could better provide.
The baby gave her a terrible scare when she was nearing full term. Catina realized she couldn't fully extend herself back without the little baby squirming frantically inside her. She was rushed to the hospital where they discovered the umbilical cord had somehow tied into a knot. Any stretching movement tightened the knot cutting off critical nourishment. Doctors rushed to help and safely delivered Taylor Tristan Rigsby. They placed him into Catina's arms as she cried uncontrollably with relief and happiness at her beautiful blond haired, blue-eyed baby boy. She was too afraid to let him out of her sight without a family chaperon because "someone might steal him."
Catina has lived up to her life goal of caring for Taylor ever since. She worked multiple jobs always trying to move up, she started nursing school completing her RN degree, she sacrificed to make ends meet. In the end she managed to not only finish her degree and provide for them both, but she maintained her promise to always be there for her son.
Catina will tell you she doesn't regret a single moment. She smiles—happily, proudly, and somewhat nervously—as she reflects on Taylor now reaching his high school graduation. He'll be starting college soon and she'll tell you it was all worth it.
"What of the future?" I asked her.
Catina told me, "I have a real opportunity at the office as a RN that will shape my future. I want to watch Taylor succeed in college. I want to have another baby. I want to travel..."
She seemed to trail off.
"Something more your thinking of?" I asked as I watched another little smile come across her face.
"I want to share all of that with a man named Mick Ross."