The Cry That No One Heard

By Andrea Lynn

As the years went by I didnt think about how
much yell was putting me down until we had
moved to Louisiana and then back to Oregon. You
call yourself a mother and in your heart you
could never do wrong. What kind of a mother would
do that to her own daughter? You all would always
tell me that I did not belong with you guys well
you know youre right I dont belong to none
of you. So you know all of you guys were wrong
in what you have done. One day I will find my
children.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 9, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465360274

Book preview

THE CRY

NO ONE HEARD

Andrea Lynn

Copyright © 2011 by Andrea Lynn.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2011915583

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4653-6026-7

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4653-6025-0

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4653-6027-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1 It was 1952

Chapter: 2 Growing up is getting tougher

Chapters 3 The Break for Freedom from Bill

Chapter 4 Bill Returns

Chapter 5 Bill is finely History

Chapter 6 Black Tuesday

Chapter 7 Bad News

Chapter 8 I lost my best friend

Chapter 9 Moving Back to Oregon

Chapter 10 The day I met Jerry

Chapter 11 Moving to Portland, Oregon

Chapter 12 Moving To Florida

Chapter 13 Moved to Mississippi with Bubba

Chapter 14 The Boat’s paid for

Chapter 15 We move to Alabama

Chapter 16 Moving Back To Mississippi

Chapter 17 Running from the Hurricane

Chapter 18 Keith and I moved back to Mississippi

Chapter 1

It was 1952

On the morning of July the 25 th 1952, I was born in a hospital at Pocatello, Idaho. I weighed only 3 pounds and was 12 inches long. I was two months early and a very small baby. After I was born the doctor look at mother and said you have a beautiful baby girl! The doctor wasn’t hiding his concerned about me he wanted to meet with both my parents. He asks the nurse if she would go out to the waiting room and ask my dad if he would come to the room where mother was in. So she went to the waiting room and asks my dad to follow her back to the room. When dad walk into the room the Doctor looked at both of them and said; you know your daughter is a premature. The problem with most baby her size is they don’t live a month or two. But the whole staff of doctors and nurses here will be watching over her very closely for the next few days and see how she does. The doctor told the nurse to put me in I.C.U.

The doctor was making his rounds and when he was walking down the hallway he saw daddy standing there in front of the I.C.U. room staring in at me thru the glass. The Doctor walked up to Dad and asks him; I would like for us to take a walk there are some things we need to talk about. He told Dad I want you to know that your daughter has a very high fever and we’re doing every thing that we can to get a handle on it. We need to get it to come down and as soon as possible. The damage that it can cause to her is life threatening. Daddy told the doctor please don’t let my daughter die. He told dad you need to stay beside her and pray for her she’ll know you’re there. How’s that going to help? You’ll be surprise how a baby can feel that they’re wanted and being loved. That same day they took me and put me in an incubator where I could get more oxygen.

Daddy worried about me a lot; he was hoping that things would start to improve for me. He would pray that I’d make it thru all this and that they could bring me home soon. Mother and Dad would come down to the hospital as often as they could but most of the time it was every day. Daddy was so proud that he had a daughter and that He wanted to be the one who named me. So he thought for a while and then he said I want her name to be Andrea Wing.

The doctor would make his rounds and come in to check on me. Later on that evening he made a phone call to my parents if they couldn’t make it in that day. He told them that he’d keep in touch with them by the phone if they didn’t make it by that day.

Well the time had come for him to make the call for mother and dad to come and pick me up. That day mother answers the phone it was the Doctor on the other end. He said well Mrs. Wing how do you feel about coming down and picking up your daughter today? Mother was so excited that as soon as she got off the phone with the Doctor she calls dad at work. He was so happy that he went to ask his boss if he could take off early and go and pick me up at the hospital.

He went by the house to pick up Mother and they took off to the hospital. When they got there they went straight to the doctors’ office. He was sitting there waiting on them to come in. He told them let’s set down there’re some things I need to go over with you before you go down and pick up your daughter. They sat down and listen to what he had to say to them. Daddy got up and went down to the room I was in. He reaches over into my bed and picked me up and said finally you get to come home with us.

When I was about six months old mother had a habit of leaving Leeann and me (that’s my older sister name) with grandma and grandpa were starting to get upset with her. She’d do this when dad left for work. Sometimes she would be gone all day but would come back in just before dad walk through the door. One-day daddy got off work early and went to the house and there was no one home. He went straight over to grandma and grandpa’s apartment and asks grandma where’s Ruby? Grandma told dad that Ruby had left us off there with her this morning and said she’d be back soon. Dad asks grandma if he could leave us here with her until he could find Ruby.

Well daddy didn’t have to go too far before he found mother in a bar. She was drinking with some men who were buying her drinks. So dad went over to mother and tried to get her to come home with him. Mother said no and started screaming at dad. She told him that she wasn’t going home until she’s got ready and no one was going to tell her what to do and that there’s nothing you can do about it! Dad turns around and walks out the door leaving her there at the bar. Dad went back over to grandmas’ to pick us up grandma said we try to talk to her but she won’t list to us any more. That was the first of many fights to come. A few months later dad caught mother running around on him again.

When I was 10 months old Dad went to a lawyer about filing for a divorce from mother. He told grandma what he did and that he couldn’t take any more of her cruel ways of treating him the way that she does. At the court hearing he ended up having to pay mother for child support. Even thou Leeann wasn’t his kid he’d still paid to support both of us for several years. Their divorce became final on May 5, 1953. In The Court order dad had visitation rights every weekend. We really look forward for the weekends because we knew Daddy would be there to see us.

Mother got to were she’d leave us with Grandma so she could go and look for a so call job. But grandma knew what she was really doing and there wasn’t any way grandma could talk to mother about it. Grandpa and grandma were getting to were they hated the way mother was doing. When mother would come in to pick us up grandma made sure that we had our supper before we left to go home with mother. She knew mother wouldn’t fix us anything to eat after we left to go home.

A lot of nights we had to stay over at grandma to sleep because mother wouldn’t come home. One morning when mother came dragging in grandpa and grandma got into a big argument with her. They asked her where the hell have you been? Don’t you know you have two girls to take care of? Mother acted like she didn’t even hear them. All she could say was I met this guy last night at a bar and he just swept me off my feet.

Grandpa told mother you need to stay home with these the girls and quit running around with all these men and take responsibility of your two girls. Mother didn’t pay any attention to grandpa she said she has been seeing this one guy for about five months now. Grandpa throws up his hands and told her I’m tired of talking to you and you never listen to what I have to say anyway.

One morning mother gets us up early and takes us over to grandma. Mother said she had to go to the doctor that she was pregnant again. She asks grandma if she’d watch us for a few days. Grandma and grandpa were mad at mother for the way she had been treating us. Mother didn’t come back home for about three days. She told grandma and grandpa that she had lost the baby and it was a girl.

1954

In April mother and Uncle Verl took us girls with them on a trip to the park to have a picnic. We walk around looking at all the animals that was there. Mother had made plans with this one guy to meet her there in the park. I don’t know who he was I’ve never have seen him before? All I could remember about him was that he was tall and they would walk around the park holding hands. Later Mother put Leeann and I on a blanket in a grassy area of the park. She looked down at us and told us you better not move off that blanket and don’t go anywhere. Uncle Verl told Ruby why don’t you let them play in the grass? It won’t hurt them to have some fun. Ruby told Verl no, if they want to play they can play on the blanket! Or they can go and stay in the car. Uncle Verl looked at Ruby and said why are you being so cruel to them? Ruby turned and looked at Uncle Verl and told him they’ll do what I tell them to do and no one is going to tell me any different. Uncle Verl got so upset with her that all he could do was just stand there and shakes his head back and forth.

A few minutes later Uncle Verl asked Ruby who is this guy you’re going with? Well, his name is Clay Kenderson and he’s from Georgia. We have been going together for about three months now and we have been talking about getting married. Uncle Verl said married! What the hell do you mean married? Ruby told him that she was pregnant again. Uncle Verl look like someone had slammed the door in his face. He looked at her and said; oh my god not again. Boy just waits until mom and dad finds out about this one. Well do you know what I think? I don’t give a damn what they think! This is my life and no one else. Uncle Verl told Ruby that he was going over to mom and dads later. Ruby looked at him and said what so you can go over there and tell them before I get there? No, I want to see the looks on their faces when you tell them. Ruby said you’re a jerk Verl and I hate you. Uncle Verl said so what’s new and turn around and walk away.

Later that day mother and us girls went over to grandma and grandpas. We walk in grandma and grandpas’ we were so excited to see them it must have been a week since we last seen them. I looked over into the kitchen and there was Uncle Verl sitting at the table. He said; why don’t you girls come over here and give me a hug and a kiss.

So we ran over and hugged him and grandma said; well where’s mine? We went into the front room and gave grandma grandpa hugs and kisses too. Grandma asked us if we wanted some cookies that she just made. Uncle Verl just sat there with a smile on his face. Grandma looked over at Verl and asked him what’s so fun what are you smiling about now? Then she looked at Ruby and asked her what’s going on? Mother told grandma and grandpa that she had something to tell them. Grandma said well what is it? Well, I am pregnant again! When grandma and grandpa heard that mother was pregnant again they had a fix. Grandma asked mother well who is the father of this one. Are you going to keep it or are you going to get rid of it like you did all the other ones? Mother said no, no I’m going to keep this one. Grandma asked mother again; well who’s the father of this one? Mother told grandma that his name was Clay Kenderson and that he was from Georgia.

Boy time seems to fly by, the days were like hours, the weeks were like days and months seem like weeks. Leeann and I had to stay with grandma and grandpa a lot more than we usually did. Mother bought us over to grandmas’ real early this one morning. Mother told grandma it was time and I got to get to the hospital real soon. Grandma asks her well do you have anyone to take to the hospital? Yes, Clay will be here any time to pick me up and make sure I get to the hospital okay. Grandma turns around and asks us girls; well has anyone had their breakfast yet? We told her no and we’re getting hungry too. Well lets see what we can do about that. Grandma fixes us some breakfast then after we finish eating grandma ask us well what do think about your mother going to the hospital to have the baby. I thought so that’s where you go and pickup a baby. I was told that a stork brought the baby to you. Boy mother got some explaining to do over this. Grandma told us that your mother will be bringing us a baby home. That sounded exciting! I never could remember having a baby around. Having a baby seems like a good idea; this will give me somebody to play with. When mother came home she had a baby wrap up in a blanket in her arms. She told us this is your baby sister and her name is Sandy. She was born on November 11, 1954. As time went along the guy mother call Clay didn’t come around all that much. I think he might have gone back to Georgia.

Grandma went over to mother and asked her why don’t you check on this apartment about three doors down from us? This way you’ll be closer to where I can help you with the girls and the baby too. So it was about a week before mother had gone down and checks on the apartment for us. Mother came back and told us to start packing all of our stuff up we’re moving in to the apartment that grandma was talking about. It took a couple of days to move our stuff in and get every things straighten out to look like home again.

One day I remember we were all laying down taking a nap. I got up before any body else did and went into the kitchen. I went over and open one of the cabinet doors and peep inside of it and I got out all the pots and pans I could find. I went over to the next door and open it up open and seen a bag of mothers flour so I got it out. I had an idea that I wanted to make a cake for mother I know she’ll be so surprised when she gets up. I know she’ll just love it. But when I started mixing every thing up I got so excited about it that I didn’t notice that the bag had a whole on it side and flour was leaking out every where. I thought to my self; oh on, I’m dead if mother see this. I tried to clean the mess up but it looked like it had snowed all over the kitchen floor.

Then I heard Mother walking down the hall way into the kitchen and she found me on the floor with flour all over the place. The pots, pans and my clothes were cover with it too. Mother walks over and grabs me up and the next thing I knew there was nothing but air underneath me. Mother started screaming at me: what the hell are you doing! She went over and grabs a belt and started beating me with it. She walked me into the bathroom and started running water into the bathtub to wash me up. She got through bathing and drying me off and then she put me back into the bed. I was crying and I just couldn’t stop. Mother told me you better shut up or you’ll wake up the others girls. Then all of a sudden Sandy started crying and Leeann woke up from Sandy crying. Mother got so mad at me she grabbed the belt again and started in beating me again. She told me this is all your fault for waking the other kids up. You’re going into the corner for this and you’ll stay there until I tell you when you can get out. I had to stay in the corner for hours it seemed like. Mother had went into the kitchen and poured herself a full glass of beer. She sat there drinking and cussing me out. I could hear her talking to herself she was saying that she wished that I was never around her. I couldn’t under stand why mother said how much she really hates me.

One morning mother came into our room and told us that she had decided that we were going to take a trip on the train. She wouldn’t tell us where we were going just start packing. Mother packed our suitcases and close up the apartment and we went down to the train station. Mother bought a ticket and we all got on the train. I never have been on a train before. It seemed like we rode for days. I asked mother were are we going? All she’d tell us was that we were going to see Clay. We had lived in Idaho for about a year and it seems strange for us to just pack up and leave like that. We didn’t get to take any of our toys that grandma and grandpa had bought us we try to tell mother we didn’t get our stuff that grandma and grandpa bought for us.

Mother said; oh you don’t need that stuff it’ll just be in our way. A little while later the train Conductor came around and asked mother for her tickets. He asks mother how old are the girls? She told him our ages and he said well you would have to pay for Leeann and me. But you don’t have to pay for Sandy. Mother didn’t like it, but she had to pay him. When we had gotten to the train station in Georgia I can remember we got off the train. There was this man that mother call Clay that was standing there at the station waiting for us. They ran up to each other and started kissed like they knew each other for years. He ask mother where’s your bags at? Mother walks over to the baggage dept. and showed him which ones to get. He gathers them up and took them and put them in his car. We got into his car and we drove off. Boy it seem like we rode forever. Mother turn around and told us you mite as well try and get some rest we got along ways to go yet.

Well we set back and watch the road go by we didn’t have anything else to do. We started getting tried from all the riding so we started getting tired. I laid my head down and before I knew it I fallen a sleep. When we got there mother said okay you can wake up now. I raised my head up and look around and I seen this elderly lady standing on the front porch. I asked mother who was that elderly lady? Mother said you be nice to her because she’s Clay’s mother. We all got out of the car and walk over to the house and introduced ourselves to her. She seemed to be a really nice lady.

When it started to get dark mother told us that we would have to share the bed. But Clay and mother slept in the same bed but in a different room. So when got dark and everybody had went to bed I’d wake up in the middle of the night and I peep into mother and Clay room and they weren’t in they’re bed. I had to go to the bathroom but I was too afraid to go by myself they didn’t have a bathroom inside the house. They had what Clay called an outhouse and it was a good ways from the house. I got Leeann up to go with me to use the bathroom. We walked out side of the house and found a path that went down to the outhouse. We both were so scared about going down that path. We looked around making sure we didn’t see any one. We got to the outhouse and I when inside and Leeann came up and push me on inside with me and she said I’m not staying outside by my self. When I got thru using the bathroom we open the door real slow and then we went out side the outhouse and we ran back to the house as fast as we could.

I went by mothers’ door and I still didn’t see mother and Clay in their bed.

I can remember it would get so hot inside that house and I guess it was because they didn’t have any air condition or running water in the house. I woke up one morning and mother and Clay was lying in bed sleeping but neither one of them had any clothes on all they had was just a sheet laying over them for cover. I ask mother later that day how much longer are we going to be staying here? She said I don’t know yet we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Mother told me you mite as well get use to calling Clay’ mother Grandma Kenderson. I didn’t know what to think about that but if that’s what Mother wanted us to do who’s to argue with her. So we did as Mother told us.

Leeann and I would go with Grandma Kenderson down to the river and help her carry water in buckets back up to the house we did that just about every day. Grandma Kenderson would make our breakfast and our lunch for us every day. Mother and Clay would talk about Leeann a lot. Clay told mother that it wouldn’t be long before Leeann will have to start to school and she could go to school here. Mother said that she wasn’t too sure about that yet and she wanted to wait and see how things go between Clay and herself. Clay asked mother again if she would marry him and she said no not right now. Clay wasn’t really too happy with Mother’s answer but he just let it go for now.

Mother got up one morning and told Clay that we were going to go back to Idaho. Clay said well wait a minute I’m totally confused here. Mother told Clay that he was a good man and she liked him a lot but I can’t stay here.

Clay was shocked but he knew he couldn’t make her stay there if she didn’t want to. So Clay told Mother I’ll take you and the girls back to the train station in the morning. We got up early the next morning because we had a long ride back to the train station. Mother went inside and bought our tickets while Clay went to get our bags out of the car. Ruby told Clay; I do want you to come and visit us at any time. Clay gave her a hug and a kiss and then turns to us girls and gave us a hug and a kiss too. We said our goodbyes and got on the train. We didn’t know if that would be the last time we’d ever see Clay again. But after we were on the train and we got into our seats Mother look at us and said; don’t any one of you ever mention his name ever again in our house whole so I guess that answer that question.

1955

Well we moved back to Idaho and stay with grandma and grandpa again while Mother was back to her same old self. She asks grandma if she would look after us for a little while. She said that she had some things to do and see if she could find a job so she could get us a place to live. Grandma thought that we were all asleep that night but I could hear everything that they were talking about. They talk about how Ruby was always dumping us girls off on whoever she could find. Then she’d go running around and get some guy to buy her all the beer she could drank and stay drunk all the time. Now that was right up her alley.

The next day mother came back by to pick us up and Grandma asks Ruby why do you always buy your self- clothes but you never buy anything for these girls? Mother said; well how do you think I’m going to get a job if I don’t look good! Grandma said well I can under stand that. Ruby came back with; they’re not the one who’s making the money. Grandma told her well you haven’t made any money either that I can see. The girls need things too, well they’ll have to just make do with what they got for now.

When Easter came around grandma and grandpa had made us some Easter eggs and they had hidden them outside so we could have fun trying to find them. Grandma had also bought each one of us girls an Easter dress. Then grandma said; I want to take some pictures of you in your dresses. So mother said I got to go and see about a job.

We spend the night again with grandma and grandpas. Grandpa told grandma this is getting old news with Ruby.

A few days later Mother came by to pick us up and she said we’re moving into a house. I don’t remember where it was but I do remember that it was a small house. There was a man standing in the door way of the house. I don’t know who he was. Mother said girls I want you to meet your new dad. Boy mother pull another quick one on us. I don’t know if I can get use to the fast changes of mother moving or getting married.

One day dad had gone to work and there wasn’t anybody there but just mother and us girls at the house. We were playing in our room when somebody came up and knocked on the door. I went to answer the door but mother told me to go back into my room and stay there. We peeked out of our bedroom to see who it was. We couldn’t see anyone there but we could hear some voices in the kitchen. So I went to the kitchen door to see what was going on.

Our kitchen door was the kind that swung back and forth. I pushed the door open just enough to see who was in the kitchen with mother. There was this man sitting at the table with a bottle of beer. He was talking and drinking with Mother then they started kissing and rubbing around on each other. I heard the guy tell mother that he wanted to be with her and mother said that sounded good to her then they started kissing again. I couldn’t under stand why he was asking mother that when she’s was suppose to be married to dad. That didn’t make any since to me so I turn around and took off running back into my bedroom. I told Leeann what I had seen and heard. We stayed in our room until mother told us that it was okay to come out now.

That same afternoon Uncle Verl just happens to come by our house with his wife. Mother let them in and asks Uncle Verl wife if she would like some coffee. They went into the kitchen and I ran over to Uncle Verl and ask him if he would come in our room so we could talk. He said yes I’ll be there in a few minutes. Uncle Verl came into my room and he asks me what can I do for you? Well Uncle Verl please don’t tell Mother what I’m going to tell you or she’ll beat me into next week. Okay, but what can be that bad? Well, I saw mother and a man in the kitchen and that they were drinking beer and kissing. Uncle Verl got up and went into the kitchen where mother was at. He got into the biggest argument with her and told her that she was doing Daddy wrong and he was going to tell him what she was doing. Well when Uncle Verl had finished talking mother laughed at him and told them both to leave. She went and slammed the door behind them. She turns around and grabbed me and started beating me with her fist in my face and then pushed me down on the floor. The next time I have someone over you’ll stay in your room like I told you to do. She never slow down she just kept slapping me in my face and then she grabbed the belt and started in beating me on my back. I will beat you to death if you ever do that again. I didn’t think she’d ever quite. I was so scared of her and she made it her business to make sure we all knew it. I guess I must have been going on four years old because Sandy had just started to learn how to walk. I don’t remember my what my real dad look like at all, now all I can remember is seeing his feet and hearing a deep voice.

1956

Mother got up one morning and said we’re moving to Oregon. She said I have met this man at the bar where I work at and he asks me if I’d move in with him and his mother. Mother told him yes, why not. We asked mother who is this man? She said his name is Harley Daniels and his mother’s name was Bernice. Mother left us girls with Bernice (that was Harley mother name) for three days and three nights. We didn’t know where they had got off to.

When they finally showed back up mother said that they had gotten married and that he’s your new dad now.

Mother can get married more times than I can change my shoes. We stayed with his mother for about 6 weeks.

Then after that dad told us that he had gotten us a bigger house to live in. I can remember Leeann getting to start school in Yamhill, Oregon. She would come home from school with lots of books that she had to read in. I would sit down beside her and listen to her read. Mother would take Leeann to school and Sandy and I would stay home and play in our bedroom while she was gone. Mother would come back home and sit on the couch and read books all day and that why she wouldn’t get any of her house work done. Then after she would get thru reading her book she would go around the house and put out candles in all the rooms. Then she’d go back and light them up. I ask her what’s with all the candles. She said that’s to make the rooms look pretty. But it was strange because when it was time for dad to come home she would go around blowing them out and putting them back in a box. And when dad was home she wouldn’t do anything with the candles. I wonder why she didn’t light the candles when dad was around so I ask mother why she didn’t put the candles out when dad was home. Oh your dad doesn’t understand how pretty it made the rooms look I guess it made sense.

One day mother said we were going to move again to another house. So I want for you to go and get all our toys up and put them into a box. Mother started packing everything else in boxes. I think we still lived in Yamhill but this house was much nicer house than the other one we just move from. The thing I liked about this house was that it had a big back yard. I could imagine us being able to go out side and play in the glass. But that was something Mother would never allow us to do. I ask her one day why can’t we play like all the other kids do? All she’d ever said was, you have to stay clean and never get dirty. I think what she meant to say was if you get dirty than I’ll have to wash and clean you up and I’m not going to do that! So you can imagine how many times we actually got to play out side when we were kids.

1957

I can remember this one day that Dad asks Mother if he could take us girls fishing with him. Mother said no I don’t want them to get dirty. Be sides me and Leeann and Sandy have the flu. Dad said well I’ll take Andrea with me and you and the girls can stay here. I was so excited that I’d get a change to go with dad and do something with him. I never got to go any where with Dad but just to spend time with Dad like this was something special to me.

While we were fishing Dad put the bait on my hook for me. I look at dad and told him I can do that. No, I better do it because if you go and get the hook stuck in you and we have to go to the hospital to get it out and I’ll never hear the end of it. I told dad no, I don’t want that to happen so daddy baited my hook for me. We got our hooks baited and started fishing.

We were sitting on this big rock that went out into the water. I had never got to do something like this before. I was enjoying doing this. Then all of a sudden I got a sudden pull on my fishing pole. I had a fish on my line. I got so excited that I jump up and started reeling in my fish in. Dad had to grab on to me before I fell into the water. I never had so much fun. I ask Dad if we could do this again. He looks at me and said you don’t like this do you? Oh yes I do. Daddy just set there and started laughed at me. Yes we’ll try and get away from your mother again. That meant so much to me that I’ll remember this moment all my life.

When we got back home I had to slip back into the world that I hated to be in. There was mother just like we left her. She started in on Daddy just as soon as we walk thru the door. She told me: now you can go to your room. Then they started arguing about me going with dad and then she’d change the subject to something else. I couldn’t get any sleep that night at all I kept thinking about the wonderful moments that I had that day with dad. But then I had another thought about what that happen today that I’d like to forget too. It was the arguing that seem to go on all night.

The next morning Mother comes into our room and told us to get up you’re going to stay up with me so don’t even think that you’re going to stay in bed all day. You’re going to stay up and I don’t care how sleepy you get. It was all we could do to try and stay awake. I think that was the roughest night I can ever remember to try and get any sleep.

When 11:00 a:m. came along mother started in on fixing dad’s lunch. We knew dad would be coming home soon.

Okay you can get into our rooms and stay there. Mother hauler at us when we got into our room you better not be making any noise back there. But you know sometimes it was hard not to make a little noise. If she heard anything at all she’d grab a bar of soap out of the bath room and come straight into our room. She’d grab us up and push a bar of soap in our mouths and wash it around and told us now you can go to the bathroom and wash the soap out of your mouth. This was something a little different than what we usually would get. We’d normally would get a beating until she’d get tired beating us with the belt.

After dad got thru with his lunch he’d go back to work. Sandy and I would get in the hall way and run up the hall way on our socks. We found something that was fun to do that was until mother heard us. We looked up and here she come down the hall way. We didn’t have a chance to do anything. She started in on Sandy and I could see she was saving the best for me.

When she got thru with us she told us now you can take those dirty socks off and go to the bath room and wash them. She said since you like to get them dirty you can wash them out by hand and they better be clean and not one spot on them. Mother gave us a bar of soap and said get started. We wash them so much that our knuckles started to bleed. After we finish with them mother came in to check and to make sure that they met her approval. She said now you’re thru with that you can take them outside and hang them on the clothes line.

When I came back into the house mother grab the belt and started beating on me again. Now get into your room and stay there. But I notice when I got back into the house she didn’t do anything to Sandy. I ask her why didn’t you give Sandy a spanking too. Because you’re her older sister and she looks up to you to tell her what’s right from wrong. I knew right then my life was going to be rough and Leeann and Sandy couldn’t do anything wrong.

1958

Now when I turn six years old I knew I that was going to get to start to go to school. I was so excited knowing that. I thought now I can go to school with Leeann now. About a week before school was to start Mother took me down to get registered. I knew I was going to like this. Mother had to go to the store and buy both of us our school clothes. Mother was gone for about four hours. I couldn’t imagine what kind of clothes she was going to buy for us.

Mother pulls into the driveway and gets out of the car with three large bags of clothes in her arms. Leeann and I were in the front room waiting on mother to come in. She came in and said well this is your school clothes for the whole year so you better take care of them. We both got three dresses each and one pair of shoes and six pairs of shocks and panties. Mother told us now every evening when you get in from school you take your socks and shoes off. And you take your school clothes off and put them at the foot of your bed. That way when you get up to get dressed for school all your clothes would be right there were you can find them. So every morning when I had to go to school I know where all my clothes were at. I was so excide about going to school the next morning I could hardly sleep that night. When the next morning came I got up put my school clothes and shoes on I was ready to go to school. Mother took me down to my class room so I could meet my 1 st grade teacher for the first time. She seems to be a nice person at first. But later on that day she wanted every body to lay there heads down on there desk and rest for a little while. But I wasn’t tired and I thought well maybe this is a game she wants every one to play. So I decided that I would play along and see what they’d be doing later.

I didn’t like this game that they were playing it wasn’t any fun. So I decided to sit back up in my desk. My teacher seen me so she came over and told me you’ll have to do like every one else dose and lay your head back down. Well I got right up out of my seat and started taking all the pencils from the other children I could see laying on they’re desk. I started running all around the room saying ha—ha you can’t catch me. Needless to say she call mother and she came right down to the school. They started talking about guess who? Yea it was about me. They talk about what she wanted me to do while I was in her class. Mother agrees with her on every thing that I had to do while I was in school. Mother told her that I was a problem child and she had her hands was full with me. She told the teacher that she’d go home and have a long talk with me about everything I had done at school. But when I got home it was a different tail than what they talk about at school.

When I got home and walked thru the door I was greeted by mother and her old fateful belt. She told me; you make me look like a fool down there at that school. Now I’m going to give you something to think about for a long time. I tried to tell mother what I thought was going on. The more I try to talk to her the more she’d beat me. I decided right then and there I had no opinion and I could never win with mother. She told me if I ever have to go back down to that school again it better be for some good news.

So when I went back to school I tried to do everything that my teacher asks me to do. I started reading the books that she had for me. But they were so easy that they were boring to me. So my teacher called mother back down to the school and told her that the school work that I was doing was too easy for me. She told mother maybe it would be better for me if she put me in the second grade. But I would still be staying in the 1 st grade in her class. Mother said what do you mean? She told mother that I would still be in the 1 st grade but I’ll be doing 2 nd grade work. So mother agreed to it and my teacher brought me my school work. I’d doing the 2 nd grade work that was better. It wasn’t so boring and I like it better.

I would study all day long in school and then go home and I’d study even more. I started really getting down with my school work and enjoyed doing it. I was always one grade ahead of myself that was because before I started school I’d sit down with Leeann and listen to her do her homework. She would show me how to read and spell and do math. I guess that’s why the first grade was so easy for me to do. When daddy found out that I was doing so good in school he came into my room and told me I’m so proud of you. But Mother didn’t like the idea that dad was paying more attention to me than to her.

Now the only ones in the house was Sandy and mother. So while dad went to work and Leeann and I were in school that meant Mother was able to practice her witchcraft. That way no one would know anything about it. She had a box under they bed and Daddy didn’t know it was there. In the morning she would drag her box out right after dad left for work. She’d get her candles out and light them up and then she’d start saying all kinds of different words. When Leeann and I came in from school Mother would be still doing her witchcraft. She told us that this is your religion and it runs in our family for many years. Mother would not allow us to have a Bible in the house.

One Sunday morning Daddy goes in and asks mother if he could take us to church with him and mother told him no. Daddy didn’t understand why she’d said no for him just to take us to church. So the next weekends roll around and daddy thought he’d asks mother again. This time mother said okay and daddy couldn’t believe that she said yes.

So dad told us to get dress in our school clothes we ask him why? He told us so he could take us to church with him.

We had so much fun there and I got to sit down and listen to a lady tell us a story all about Jesus. The story told all about the time when he was a little boy and how he grew up and the things he had to put with. When we got back home from church I told mother about what I learned about Jesus. Boy did she jump up and down saying don’t you ever speak of his name in this house ever, he doesn’t exist! Our father is Lucifer he’s the one that made this world for us and he’s the one and only one that loves us and cares for us. I didn’t know what to believe after mother goes and blows up like that.

When I went back to school we had recess and the kids would all talk about Jesus I’d tell them that he does not exist and that Lucifer is our father. They’d go and tell me that Lucifer was the devil. I told them that they were all lying. I’d get into an argument with them and then it leads me into fighting them. I wasn’t the one who would always start the fights but I’d never run away from any of them. When ever they’d start a fight with me I’d always win. The teacher’s would have to come out and break the fight us up. I was the only one that they made to go to the principal’s office. Then I’d have to go home and tell mother what had happened at school. She’d tell me that they all were lying and that Lucifer was our father. So I just got to where I wouldn’t talk to the other kids and I’d just stayed away from them all and go off by my self and stay there. This way I knew I wouldn’t end up back in the principal office. The school year had finally ended and I was so glad that I made it thru all the ordeals. I look for the next year to come up and I hoping it would be a much better year than what this one was.

1959

Now I had turned seven and I was going to start into the second grade. I couldn’t wait to get back into school.

Mother had gone down to the store and bought Leeann and me some new clothes for this school year. Mother came back from the store and came into the house with all the stuff she had bought for us. I asked mother how come

Leeann has gotten more clothes than what I have. Leeann got more shoes, socks and underwear than I did? Mother said that because she has to have a purse to go with each outfit that I have bought for her. So I asked mother; well where is my purse at? Mother looks at me and said oh you don’t need a purse; your sister is older than you are. But Mother did buy me one skirt with two blouses, one pair of shoes and five pairs of socks and that’s what I had to wear for the whole year.

On the weekends a lot of times we would just sit around the house and watch TV. But on occasions daddy would take us girls and mother over to Betty’s Lake. They had bought each one of us girls one of those plastic boats that you blow it up with your mouth. Then we’d get in the water with our boats water but the water depth only came up to our knees. We had plans to have a picnic and play in the water all that day. We had a blast that day playing in the water because we only get to go to Betty’s Lake twice that year, and we make the best out of it when we can.

But during the winter month’s mother and dad would ask some of their friends to come over and get together to play their guitars. They’d sit around in the house and drink until they’d all get drunk and pass out. Sometimes there’d be eight or nine men sitting around in the front room playing their guitars. Before they’d get started we ask mother if we could go to the bathroom. Mother told us no, I know you can wait. She told us to go up to your rooms and stay there. There’s going to be to many people in the front room drinking and you don’t need to be around them.

Mother told us just go to bed but we told mother that we haven’t had anything for supper yet and we had to go to the bath room. So mother made us a peanut butter sandwich each and we had to eat our food in the bedroom and then go to bed either. I don’t care get into your beds and I mean now. They would be playing their guitars so loud that we couldn’t sleep. But we had to go to the bath room really bad. So that when I snuck downstairs into the front room and got three empty beer bottles. I brought back upstairs so we could pee in them. Then when we got thru with them I took the bottles back down stairs and put them back in the front room where I got them. I went right back up to our room and I hope that no one saw me. When I got back up to our room and Leeann and Sandy started laughing about what we had done that they wouldn’t stop. They just kept on getting louder and louder. I told them Mother’s going to hear you. Just about that time we could hear footsteps coming up to our room, it was Mother.

She swung that door open and said alright what’s all this laughing about up here? We told mother softly what we had done. Boy did she get mad, but she had this haft crack grin on her face. Okay you keep your mouths shut about this and stop laughing. Now go to bed and don’t make me have to come back up here. We couldn’t sleep at all that night. They played so loud that after awhile they’d gotten so drunk we couldn’t tell who was singing the worst them or the dogs outside howling.

The next day we all got up and when down stairs and looked around, their was bodies lying all over the place.

We’d have to step over them just to get to the kitchen. I didn’t think that all the drunks would ever wake up before we had to go back to school on Monday. But they did. I think they were burn out from playing all night. We didn’t say a word about going to bed early that night. The next morning it was all mother could do just to drag her self out of bed. She came into our rooms and told us alright get up it’s a school day. We got up and got dress and made it off to school okay but we knew mother was going back to bed right after we left. We went on to school that morning even though we were tired too. We knew it didn’t make any different to mother she just wanted us out. But when Leeann and I came home from school mother told us that she had to go out and get a job. We ask her why would you have to do that. Well that’s daddy doesn’t make enough money to buy the little extras things that we need. So I’m going to have to find a job to make the extra money that we’ll need. So I had to go out and hired a woman to take care of you while I work. She’ll fix your supper and make sure you go to bed then she’d clean up the house. But when we finally got to meet this woman Mother had been telling us about. It seem like she had left this little detail out. She was an old lady not what we had pictured her to look like.

So one night we sneaked back down stairs and saw her scrape food off our plates and putting it on one plate. She sat down at the table and ate everything that she put on it, we couldn’t believe it. Then she’d get to where she’d take food off of our plates while we were still eating. I told mother what the old lady was doing and mother told me to keep my mouth shut. She just and old lady and don’t pay her no mind.

One evening Leeann and I had gotten in from school and Sandy told us that the old lady had sent her to bed without having anything to eat. I told mother about what the old lady was doing and mother told me to keep my mouth shut. So that night when we were eating our supper, Daddy was home with us. The old lady reached over with her hand and took a piece of meat off of Sandy plate. So daddy reached over with his fork and stabbed the old lady in back of her hand and told her to leave Sandy’s food alone. He told her that he wasn’t going to put up with anybody sending his kids off to bed without anything to eat. I went to daddy after we ate supper and told him what the old lady was doing to Sandy. Daddy got so mad at the old lady that he went in to the kitchen and told her you’re fired.

When Mother got home and found out what dad had done she went nuts. She turns and look at me; it all your fault for telling your dad about how the old lady was treating you. She blamed me for being a troublemaker and now I’ll have to quit my job now just to be home to be with you kids. She told daddy that she wasn’t going to stop working and then they got into another argument. Mother kept screaming and telling daddy that it was all Andrea fault and dad asks her how do you know that for sure? Well I think Andrea could be lying about the whole thing.

Daddy told her no, she won’t lie about anything like this. Daddy told Ruby that he had caught the old lady taking the food off of Sandy plate him self and he stabbed her in the back of her hand with his fork. By God she won’t want to take any more food off of any body else’s plate ever again.

Mother said; well I’m not going to stay here with these girls. This would mess up her plans on what she wanted to do and that was to run around on daddy. Mother had it plan for dad to go to work and then she’d leave out. But she didn’t have it plan for daddy to go out and find her and bring her back home. She lived only to party and nothing else counted. When mother left out that morning after dad went to work Sandy was left in her room and was still in her room when we came in from school. She told us that mother had left her here all by my self all day and I’m scared.

Daddy