Chapter 9        Momma Goes to Work

Momma had no choice, with her herd of children to take care of... but to find a job.  There was something called a Mall, across the Big Lake, that was opening up, and had jobs available.  Momma got a job at one of those Big Department Stores working, as a clerk in the offices.  We did not have a car, so, Momma had to take the Greyhound Bus everyday, to and from work, which was at least an hour each way. 

About 5:30 pm, my Brothers and I would wait at the end of our driveway for Momma.  We must have been like little vultures, waiting to grab onto Momma, as soon as she came home...  Momma had to walk, from the Highway to our house, which often was muddy, wet, and slippery from the rain.... (no paved roads in the country, back then...) She would put on her old shoes, after she got off the bus, to just walk home, for she did not want to ruin her only pair of work shoes in that muddy mess.

When we saw Momma coming, we would race to greet her, and be oh, so happy... Momma was home.   I am sure she was tired, but she still had to come home, and do all the Momma duties... cook, wash clothes, take care of her babies, clean.  When I had babies, I understood, why Momma would "shussh" me away, when she was reading the newspaper.   She just needed a little bit of time to herself, which was hard to find, with 5 kids around.

Hmm? We, Working Moms, do understand how hard it must have been, and still is today...to raise babies and have to work too.  In the 50's, Working Moms was not all that common...and not having a Daddy around, even rarer.

Chapter 8   My Love of Trains

Our home was right next to the train tracks.  Whenever we heard the train whistle, my brother and I would RUN to the tracks and wave to the Train Engineer and Conductor.   They would smile and wave back and often, throw us a bag of candy in a small brown paper bag.  After the train passed by us, we would rush to go get find those treats, as if that candy was a true treasure...

Since we lived next to the railroad tracks, quite often, Hobos would stop at our house, to ask Momma for something to eat and drink.  Momma always gave those Hobos a plate full of food in a tin pie pan, with ice tea to drink....  It happened so often, I wondered, if there had been a message or symbol placed on a pole... saying... " Nice Lady will feed you here?"   Could have been dangerous, opening the door to Hobos, but no one ever caused harm.  

That was my Momma always sharing, giving, and feeding everyone.... even HOBOS.

Chapter 7  How Did Momma do it?

Though Daddy was the Deputy Sheriff of the small town we lived in, there was no money, insurance or financial help for Momma.  I remember bags of groceries being left on our steps, by the Church, which was embarrassing to me...even as a small child.  It was a true struggle for Momma to feed her  5 children, plus pay the other bills too.  We had no car and Momma did not even know how to drive.

Only a few months after Daddy died, more craziness was yet to come.

My Sisters and I were riding our school bus home from school.  The bus driver did not stop at the railroad crossing that day. NOPE. He proceeded to cross the railroad tracks, without looking, when a frieght train was coming, and only a few feet away.  The train hit our school bus and knocked it across a deep ditch and ironically, onto the back part of our property. 

My younger brother was swinging on the swingset, and saw and heard the loud crunch, crash, and screaming from the children.  He ran inside to tell Momma what had happened.  She did not believe him and thought he was lying, until she saw for her own eyes the destruction.  

My older Sister and other high schoolers, in the back of the bus, opened the emergency door and jumped out of the school bus, as it was being dragged by the train.  My other Sister followed suit, and jumped off the bus.  The train hit the bus at the engine section of the bus and at the front door, which was just a few seats back, from where I was sitting.  I was knocked to the left side of the bus and hit the wall on the opposite side of the bus.  I did sustain an eye and forehead injury, but I was truly lucky, as it could have been much worse.  I looked like I had been beaten up in some prize fight, but healed in a couple of months.  The bus driver and the kid standing at the front door suffered long term injuries from the crash. 

So much tragedy for Momma, in that first year of Widowhood.  How did she handle this all alone?  My heart goes out to here.

Chapter 6  MOMMA!!!

In small country towns, first grade through twelfth grade were all in the same school building.  There were not enough students to have an elementary, a middle school, and a high school separately.   My two Sisters and I all rode the same school bus and went to the same school. I was in the first grade, one sister in the fifth grade, and the other Sister in eleventh grade.

My oldest Sister came to my classroom, and told me to get my stuff together, that we were going home.  I asked  Why?  but no one would tell me.  Someone in a big, black car picked us and and we all sat silently in the back seat.  "Why are we going home,"  I asked?   I was told to hush and be quiet.   When we got home, a bunch of cars and people were at our house.

Finally, someone told me about Daddy and how he had died in the hospital. Death was hard for a six year old to understand.   I vividly remember,  that we were not allowed in the house.  People were inside with Momma, but her children were told to stay outside to leave their Momma alone, right now...  Of course, as a small child, this made no sense to me at all.  I wanted to see my Momma.  I recall YELLING for my Momma, and even getting spanked on my rear, by my big Sister for acting up.   MOMMA!!!!

Poor Momma, five children and she was now the Widow Lady at 38 years old.. living in the rural South in the house that Daddy built. 

  Chapter 5   My Daddy Did Not Come Home.

Another surprise was on its way four years later.  Momma had another baby. It’s a boy!!!!  Five kids, with three daughters and two sons was ENOUGH... Momma declared...

Sadly, Daddy used to have awful nightmares.  He would jump out of bed and sometimes sqat in the corner and YELL.  He was re-living the war days.  Now a days, they call this Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, but back then, they just called them nightmares.  

One night Daddy had a real bad nightmare.  So bad, he fell out of bed and hit the floor so hard, that he injured himself.  He had to be rushed to the hosptial.   In those days, Country Doctors did everything.  Treat you when you were sick,  take out your tonsils, deliver babies, AND operate on you in an emergency.   Doc, told my Momma that Daddy had a rupture spleen and he needed to operate.  Not sure how many ruptured spleen operations Doc had done, but he took my Daddy spleen out.   Now a days, bet you could never find a Doctor anywhere to operate on you, unless he was board certified in surgery.... No matter what the emergency or how critical a person was...

Something just was not right.  Daddy was not getting better. Momma made him tapioca pudding and other special foods to take him to the hospital to eat.  BUT Daddy still was not getting better.  Something went amiss with the surgery and poison was backing up into Daddy system.    We were not allowed to visit Daddy in the hospital...  They would not allow this, because of our age.  After about two weeks, Daddy left us.  I never saw him again.

Tears abound..

  Chapter 4       City Momma Enjoys Her Country Life

Momma added special flairs to her country home. Big Blue Hydrangeas, Azaleas, and Roses of all colors were planted all around our home. (In Momma's honor I have three huge Hydrangea bushes in my back yard.  Everytime I water them or look at them from by window,  I think of Momma.)    She also planted fruit trees too... Figs and Persimmons, and a small oval orange fruit, that you could eat the skin and all.  

Daddy planted his own big garden in the back of the house.  Strawberries, tomatoes, okra, corn, peppers, onions, potatoes grew abundantly.  Today, we would call Daddy's gardening method "Organic."  Back then is was the only way to grow things...   Momma learned how to can vegetables, make jellies and jams  and even cook the Southern Way.   I had the best of both world when it came to eating.  Daddy was a spicy, Southern cook, while Momma served up foods from the north and from her heritage.  Stuffed Peppers, Chicken Paprikas, Yankee Pot Roast to just name a few of the dinners, we ate.  

What Daddy told Momma that day in the hospital, about having more babies, until they had a boy, was true. Within six months, Momma was pregnant again.   Daddy told everyone "This will be a boy."   AND it was.  Baby Brother joined our family, when I was fifteen months old..  Now, Daddy could relax and enjoy his family of four children...

Daddy became the Deputy Sheriff of our small town and loved that job. 

Chapter 3   The House My Daddy Built 

Daddy promised Momma a new house, next to Grandpa’s house and Momma was ready to live in her own home.   He drew out the his own design of the house on a piece of paper.  Back then, houses were real small and looked like square boxes.   There were 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, small living room, big kitchen, with an area for a big dining table, a typical post war house.  Nothing formal, nothing elaborate, and nothing like the mega homes of today, but perfect for a family of four.

Daddy’s Brothers and Uncle helped build Momma’s house.  Back then, you did not hire contractors to build your house.  Nope, you did it your self, with help from others, who knew about a bit about electrical stuff and plumbing stuff and wood stuff and roof stuff. 

As Daddy was building Momma’s house, Momma had a surprise for Daddy.  She went to the Doctor and came home to tell Daddy, that another Baby was on the way, to be born in October.  "Better hurry up and finish the house by the time the new baby arrives."   Daddy was excited, for he was certain this baby was going to be a boy, his son, Junior.

The time had come for the new baby to be born.  Money was tight and Momma had to have the baby at the Charity Hospital, across the big lake in the big city.   Not the most ideal setting to have a baby, but there was no choice but to go there. 

Back then, you had no idea of the sex of the baby, until it popped out and the Doctor would say.. "It is a GIRL." They never let Daddys in the delivery room.  After the birth was all over, a nurse would walk out, ask for the Daddy by name. and let them know that all was well with the Momma and "You have a baby GIRL!!"    Daddy was disappointed, since he was sure this one was going to be a boy.  When he went into Momma’s hospital room, he told her... " Hon, we are going to keep having babies, unitl we have a boy."  I wonder what Momma was thinking at that moment, having just given birth.   If that had been me, I would have probably thrown my food tray at him, and said "You best get on out of here."

Yea, Daddy was disappointed, but not to fret.  This baby girl would charm the socks, off of her Daddy, even though she was the third daughter and not a boy.  She was Daddy’s Little Girl and different from her two older Sisters.  Her Sisters were fair skinned and freckled, and one of her Sisters had beautiful jet black hair.  (This Sister was the sweetest and fairest of them all.)   

This baby girl, had olive toned skin, dark hair, like her Daddy and hazel eyes, no freckles here.    This was the first "Southern" Baby, and she was going to be a real spit fire.  Momma was going to have her hands full with this one. 

  Chapter 2   Heading South, Momma, Daddy & My Two Sisters 

I tried to imagine what it must have been like to take a car trip back then. No interstates. No rest stops.  Two lane highways, at the best, driving through a zillion small towns to reach Daddy’s South and 1287 miles from start to finish.  

Momma was probably expecting paradise from my Daddy’s description of his South. They turned off of the highway onto the narrow, dirt road, that Daddy called home.    It had rained, as it did very often in that part of the South, and that dirty road was muddy, as the mud pies I made as a kid.   On the sides of the road were open ditches with lots of water in them from the rain.  I wonder, if Momma had a real knot in her stomach the first time she entered into Daddy’s world.  If I had been her, I would have said,  "Oh my word, where have you taken me?  OR I probably would have even been more colorful in the words,  I would have said. 

 As they pulled up, Grandpa was rocking on his front porch on his old wooden rocker. 

Grandpa lived in one of those real old looking, weathered wood houses, without any paint on the outside, an outhouse, an old rusty, black, Ford pick up in the driveway, and dogs barking in the yard.  Inside he had a wood burning stove for cooking, wood burning fireplace for heat, and a lever you had to pump to get water to drink or cook.   I just do not know how my "City Momma" did not just head to the bus station and go back to Jersey, but she didn’t. 

Daddy showed Momma where their new home would be, right next door to Grandpa’s house.  He showed her Grandpa’s huge garden in the back and the animals.. cows, pigs, chickens, the mule,and the giant pecan trees in the back lot.   He drove her the four blocks to the lake. showed her the sandy beach, the sailboats in the distance, AND Momma settled into her new life, with Daddy in the South.