Fridays Child: True Story

By Rebecca Jones

How much love exists when a father and his daughter? More than can be imagined, the sad part is that often we don't realize the depth of that love until they're gone. Fridays Child is a tribute to my father, Glenn Goodson. He was born on a Friday and died on a Friday. He was a lot of things, a christen, a son, a brother, a husband, an uncle, a g

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stratton Press
• Release date: Aug 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887644585

Rebecca Jones

Rebecca Jones RVN DipAVN(Surg) qualified in 2000, and has since held various roles at a large referral hospital, including Nursing Manager and Clinical Governance Manager. Currently she is Chair for the VN Futures One Health working party.

Book preview

Prologue

I felt like I was floating up the long staircase. The sun had set, and it was getting dark. The large living room opened out into a balcony. My Father and stepmother were alone room, discussing something. They both looked angry. I couldn’t hear what was said, but neither one looked happy. Then it changed as dreams do.

I was outside talking to a young man, I couldn’t see his face clearly, but he asked me to write down my address and phone number on the paper. I started writing when I felt another presence; Mother was standing by me, grinning.

Then Daddy was there, wearing his army uniform from World War II. He walked up to Mother, pulling her close. She whispered something in his ear as they began laughing. They both looked so young and happy. I had never seen them this happy. I woke up.

The room was dark and quiet. I was thirsty, very thirsty. I got out of bed walking to the kitchen for a glass of water. Afterward, I started back to bed; instead, I opened the door to the bedroom across the hall. As I turned on the light, I saw an old picture of Daddy in his army uniform; beside it was one with Mother and Daddy in each other’s arms, smiling. I felt like someone had plunged a knife into my heart.

Daddy, please don’t leave me! Please come back! I sat down in his recliner, and the tears started flowing. We had buried Daddy yesterday, and the pain was unbearable. I was no longer anyone’s little girl. I prayed for God’s peace, and finally, I realized they were together again, and they were finally happy. I fell asleep in the recliner, hoping the dream would return it never did.

Part

One

Mondays child is fair of face,

Tuesday’s child is full of grace,

Wednesdays child is full of woe,

Thursday child has far to go,

Fridays child is loving and giving,

Saturday’s child works hard for his living,

And the child that is born on the Sabbath day

is. Bonny, cheerful, reasonable, and gay.

—Author Unknown

Friday, August 24, 1923, was hot! Elizabeth was miserable. Of course, everyone who lived in Georgia was hot in August. It was the worst time of the year to be nine months pregnant. Not a breeze was stirring, just heat. Elizabeth wet a washcloth, washing her face and neck with cold water. Then she grabbed the rolling pin and finished rolling the biscuits; Barney loved her biscuits, then she placed them in the oven.

After the biscuits were in the oven, Elizabeth poured herself a large glass of ice water and walked out on the front porch sitting in the swing.

Lafayette, Georgia, was a pretty place to live and a wonderful place to raise children. It was also the only place she had ever lived. But that was fixing to change.

Barney had gotten a job at a cotton mill in Alabama city. The pay was pretty good, and with a fifth child fixing to enter this world, money would surely help. Elizabeth closed her eyes, thanking God for her family then she felt pain across her swollen abdomen. She straightened up, taking a deep breath. Please, God, not now, as another pain hit her, she felt the wetness as her water broke.

Grace! Grace! she yelled. Elizabeth’s teenage daughter came running from around the house with Robert, her brother, followed by his dog, Spot. Grace, go get the midwife, quick! Elizabeth yelled. Grace started screaming, The baby is coming! as she ran down the road to find the midwife.

Robert ran to the field where Barney, Elizabeth’s husband, was picking cotton. Barney was a foreman at the Lafette Cotton mill and hadn’t been home long; he rushed to his wife’s side, helping her to bed just before the midwife arrived. The baby was coming. Barney secretly hoped it was a boy, but whether the baby was healthy didn’t matter. He asked God to help him be the Father the baby needed and asked him to watch over his wife and new baby. This Friday was going to be one particular Friday for sure.

Unfortunately, the long-forgotten biscuits burned. But that was okay. Everyone was too excited to eat anyway. Grace did have trouble finding the midwife. She was visiting her sister, catching up on the latest gossip.

Yes, everything worked out fine. Elizabeth Atkins Goodson gave birth to her fifth child, Glenn Eugene Goodson, a healthy nine-pound boy who looked just like his Father and had all his fingers, toes, and dark hair. The youngest of five children, he was his Father’s pride and joy!

Elizabeth, or Lizzy (her nickname given to her by Barney), was aglow with love and warmth. Friday, August 24, 1923, was a day she would never forget. She snuggled beside her new baby boy and thanked God for her husband, children, and their life in Georgia.

Glenn was a good baby (or, so my Grandmother, Elizabeth, told me). After a couple of weeks, he was sleeping all night. The baby sleeping all night helped the whole family since their mornings began before daybreak. Robert, or RA who stood for Robert Atkins, was always a sickly child. He woke all during the night many times. Barney had slept in the barn to rest for the long day ahead. Grace, the only girl, had been a good baby too. Just like her Momma and being the only girl, she had her Father and brothers wrapped around her little finger. Next was Greenberry, next to the oldest Greenberry, or G.B. was into everything, or G.B. kept Lizzy on her toes. Now ten years old, Greenberry had more girlfriends at school. Last but certainly not least, the eldest child Leonard. Leonard was quiet and shy, staying to himself or with his Daddy. Leonard did not like school and had already told his parents he wanted to farm and planned on quitting school when he turned sixteen. No need to; he didn’t need an education anyway; Leonard already knew how to plant and raise chickens. Barney taught him that. Leonard always vowed to be a country boy.

The Goodson was a complex working family who worked hard, loved, played, and their neighbors any way they could.

The