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| My So Called Life...Chapter 1
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My earliest memories take me back to my birthplace, Montgomery, Alabama. I was born the sixth child of eight children, the fifth girl to be exact. My father wanted twelve children, six boys and six girls(what the hell was he thinking). My mother just delved right in and went to work, in six short years she had him eight children. As it happened they had three girls and a boy, then three more girls and a boy. Heaven forbid they end up with nine girls and three boys so the family stopped with the last boy(Thank You God). Six girls was more than enough, nine would have been pure torture. This means for people with little imagination..that she was constantly pregnant and for much of her early twenties she had four children in CLOTH diapers at a time. Yikes.
A little background information would probably help you to understand things better, so here it is. My mother eloped with my father when she was fifteen, he was twenty seven(11 years older). Personally, I would have shot him straight off the porch when he showed up to pick her up that night. This was in Alabama at a time that dating older men was the norm. He had a good paying job and as far as the family knew was an upstanding citizen.
Oh how tears were shed when the call was made from Mississippi the next morning to inform the family that she had wed my dad on her sixteenth birthday. The birthday party did not go as planned, I assure you. My mother was a sophomore in highschool(can you imagine, I can't), and though she tried to stay in school, her classmates teased her unmerciful. She dropped out of school having finished her sophomore year and never returned. Now just to clue everyone in on something, my mother is an avid reader and is highly intelligent.
They moved into his families home(imagine how awkward that was), until they could make a home for themselves. My mom describes this as a fun time for her, she felt all grown up and was excited to make a home for them. Little did she know, huh? My paternal grandmother, though unhappy about the marriage taught her how to cook healthy, delicious meals.
Fast forward six years and eight children later. We lived in two different homes in Montgomery, both of which I can see in my memory, though I can't wander through the rooms or see the placement of the furniture. We lived a very orderly life with meals at the same time, a nap everyday and trips to the park. My mother did all the cleaning and laundry and our house remained spotless at all times. She did not own a car, so daily she walked us to the park to feed the ducks, and to glide in the huge glider at the park. She taught us a lot of songs here and I recall her having a beautiful voice.
I distinctly remember attending bible school, because we were served cookies and pink lemonade, a luxury we could ill afford at home. With ten people to feed on one income, we were very poor. I don't recall owning any toys and most of the time we played games that we made up or with everyday items found in the house.
I attended first grade and half of second grade while in Alabama, and my memory is full of colorful worksheets and the scent of crayons. We learned to read using the Dick and Jane reading series and I truely loved these books. Till this day, I remember the characters names and some of the story lines. So simple, but so endearing.
I guess you noticed that I have not mentioned my father in my earliest memories, he wasn't there. He was either working or visiting a bar with his friends. I don't remember even seeing him in these houses, though I am sure he had to be there at least on Sunday. Hmm, funny what makes an impression on a young mind.
When I was seven years old, my parents seperated. Much to my joy, we moved in with my maternal grandmother, my aunt and all my cousins. They all three left their husbands together(conspiracy, you think)and moved into a large renovated hotel. It was like a vacation home with a wrap around porch that offered many hours of fun play for us children. I don't recall missing my father at all, or why they seperated. Maybe we were protected from that information, or I swept that information under the rug of my memory bank. Irregardless, I was happy as a clam living with my grandmother, whom we all adored, and my cousins. Life was more relaxed and there was a lot of laughter.
Around Christmas 1970, my mother decided to join my father in Tennessee. We were excited to go somewhere new, but hated leaving our grandmother behind. My mother loaded eight children in the car and filled a u-haul with all of our belongings to make the trip. Somewhere along the way at a gas station, she ripped the bumper off the car trying to back the trailer up. I am sure we were a sight to be seen, eight kids under the age of ten crammed in the car. The men at the station helped her get the bumper back on and got us back on the road. We sang songs all the way to entertain ourselves for the five hour trip. We were never disorderly as our mother held us in check with just one look. There was no fighting, complaining or stopping for treats. We were as unspoiled as we could be, as spoiling us was never an option for her.
Arriving in Tennessee stands out in my mind because it had snowed several inches. We had never seen snow and we were all amazed and excited. Little did I know that this beautiful arrival would lead into some of the most difficult years of my entire life. The beauty of it will forever be sullied by the events that unravelled shortly thereafter. |
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Posted by shemelts on 2008-04-17 13:10:41 | Rating: | Views: 70
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| Blog Comments
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Absolutely love this Shemelts! I'm being selfish, more please :) I remember the Dick and Jane books...my first readers in school as well. Your Mother sounds awesome :)
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Posted by pitapie50
on 2008-04-17 13:37:22
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Wow... This is a great story. I like the way you present it shemelts. I'm going to rest the next 3 posts related to this one.
Thank you for sharing your life with us.
~K
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Posted by InsertHere
on 2008-04-21 15:45:02
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Thanks for sharing your story, I kept reading it today.
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Posted by prelude2it
on 2008-04-21 17:04:40
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