The Chronicles of Jay South: Two Tales of One Birth

By James Southern

Mr. Radcliff was flung halfway through his window, caught by the broken glass and dragged about fifty feet along the pavement under his truck with who knows how many tons of pressure grinding his upper torso and head like he had been in a mechanical cheese grater.

Shorty said, "This is pure holy hell, Aerol. It could be Radcliff's truck, but I am gonna have to go over and look inside to see if it looks like him. I am not sure that will help either, though. Uh, I-I don't know if there is an upper body left on the person..."

"Anna, we aren't going to make it in. This baby is breaching right now. What the hell do we do?"

"It feels like I'm being ripped in half and the burning is getting horrible from the infection!"

"Awe, Dr. Kramer, our Vivi is about to have her baby in the ambulance..."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9798885057424

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

1: Oh No, I Am Pregnant

2: Now What?

3: Time to Get Things in Order

4: It's Hittin' the Fan

5: What a Complete Jerk

5: Just Desserts

6: Balls to the Wall

7: Time to Pay

8: Here He Comes

About the Author

cover.jpg

The Chronicles of Jay South

Two Tales of One Birth

James Southern

Copyright © 2023 James Southern

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2023

ISBN 979-8-88505-741-7 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88505-742-4 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

1

Oh No, I Am Pregnant

Isuppose as with anything else you might expect in life that you'd think the details of a baby being born would not normally be something to be disputed or disagreed upon, but for some reason in my case, there are two tales of how it happened, and neither one is so outrageous or unbelievable that you wouldn't think it could have happened. In fact, with my family, it would be more of a surprise if neither one had happened because so many odd things do happen in my family and in my life.

Since the two tales both start out pretty much the same, let's just start with this. My mother was sixteen, and it was 1965. She had been dating a guy named Gary Friez, and well, even though it wasn't as common back then as it is today, she found herself pregnant and wasn't too thrilled about having to explain herself to my grandparents.

Grandma and Grandpa had driven her to the hospital because she hadn't been feeling right, so while they were in the emergency room, they took some blood tests, and well, it soon became clear that she was about three weeks along. No one even knew she had been, well, active in that way, no one but her and a few special friends, that is.

Vivian, would you like to come with me for a second? asked a nurse as she stepped into the curtained area. Mom looked at Grandma as if to ask Is it okay? and Grandma nodded, so she went with the nurse, who was trying to be as discreet as possible. Mom followed her into a room out in the hallway, and the nurse asked her, Do your parents know that you have been having sex? Mom's face fell to an astonished look because she now knew what the issue was, and for a few seconds she just stood there in utter discombobulation.

Hey, are you all right? Did you hear me? the nurse asked gently as she placed her right hand on Mom's left shoulder. Standing there in that buttless robe, feeling the cold draft of the old hospital kiss those cheeks must have felt like a wind tunnel during those moments before she acknowledged the nurse's request. With a chill crawling up her spine from below, she also must have thought to herself, Dad is gonna kill me! What am I gonna do?

After some very icy silence, Mom finally lowered her head and replied, No!

The nurse asked, Would you prefer I leave you in here while I tell them that you are pregnant? the nurse caringly enquired. Or maybe I should be there with you and have the doctor tell them? she continued. Overwhelmed and scared, Mom's head was now swimming or more likely drowning inside the confines of her skull, and she broke down in tears without saying a word.

The nurse stood there with her and tried to comfort her, but she was inconsolable and wasn't interested in hearing anything. From down the hallway, someone else heard Mom's blubbering and thought she recognized the voice, so since she was finished in that patient's room, she made her way to the room where the crying was coming from.

With a gruff old German voice, Anna stepped into the room and took Mom in her arms, saying, All right, Vivian, Why all the tears? Are you trying to make enough water to scrub the floor? Mom lifted her head and gave a slight laugh as Anna took a towel and wiped her eyes. Tell me what is wrong, Vivi. It can't be all that bad! she reassured with her strong demeanor and a smile.

As they embraced, the other nurse interjected, Anna, since you know her, maybe you should handle this.

Anna replied calmly, I know the whole clan. What is the problem?

Through the whimpers and whines, Mom choked out, I-I'm pregnant.

With an exasperated sigh and a nod of her head, Anna put on a fake smile and questioned, Is that all? I thought someone had died with all those tears. We can take care of this, can't we, Vivi!

Mom looked at her with a look of What the hell are you talking about? in her eyes and questioned with about as much unassuredness as can be possible, We can?

Anna was a heck of poker player; she had Mom thinking they could do this and have Grandpa smiling all the way home in just a few minutes. The other nurse filled Anna in on all the details as Mom tried to get hold of herself and prepare to hear the fallout from Grandma and Grandpa. After Anna got the full report, she thanked the other nurse and turned back to Mom. Well, sweetheart, are you ready to go to war? she queried.

Now that reality was setting back in, she timidly told Anna, Not really, but let's go? Anna wrapped one arm around her, and they walked back into the ER.

Eeerrrrippp went the curtain as Anna slid it out of the way and hauled Mom back inside where my grandparents were waiting. Surprised to see Anna instead of the other nurse, Grandma offered her a hug, and Grandpa offered her his hand. Anna graciously obliged then backed up next to Mom again and put an arm around her. With a quick peek at Mom, she began with this to say, Aerol, Ellie, I'm just going to say it plain and simple, and we can discuss what needs to happen next. Is that okay with you?

Uh, yeah, Grandpa said with his slow Okie drawl.

Grandma just curiously said, Sure.

With a gasp, Anna uttered, Alright, paused, then put it on the table. Vivian is three weeks pregnant, and we need to figure out what we are going to do now.

Grandma's face suddenly took a very bewildered look, and if you'd seen it, you'd think she was trying to say Doe Doe or something like that. Grandpa just sat there with only an extremely small hint of disapproval in his eyes, trying to be calm and figuring out what to say. Mom started to sob again.

Anna looked at the faces and noticed that they were all avoiding any eye contact with each other and shook her head. Okay, so here's the issue. There is a baby coming, whether you like it or not, and we have to figure out how to get the little thing to grow up healthy and strong, so Vivi, do you know how to feed and change a baby? asked the very well-practiced Kraut.

Mom looked at her and nodded. Anna continued, Okay, Aerol, Ellie, do you have room at the house for another screaming monkey? They both looked at her and nodded. She gave them all a stern look. Come on, people, am I the only one here who can speak? Talk to me! Are we going to take care of this little one or adopt it out? Jees!

You have to be able to picture this whole scene. You see, Anna was only about five feet, one inch, very thin, redheaded (I never saw her with long hair the whole time I was growing up). She had a very square head, very stern jaw, piercing hazel eyes, blond eyebrows and weighed maybe a hundred pounds. This tiny thing commanded attention though because she was one of the most take-charge people you could ever have met.

Grandpa started to say something but couldn't get his first word out before Grandma said, It's 'er baby. She'll 'ave to get a job after school and 'elp pay for it.

Mom said, A job? After school!

Grandpa replied, Yep! A job after school. That'll be a good start.

Now with her hands on her hips, Anna was still shaking her head. Okay, people, and what about the daddy? Are you gonna get him involved? she questioned with one of those are you people ever gonna wake up looks in her eyes.

Mom looked at her and with a blank look replied, Uhh, I don't know. I don't even know if he—

Grandpa spoke up, Yeah, uh, if he helped you get here, he should be able to help you take care of the rest.

Grandma just sat there waiting to hear some kind of response, but there wasn't too much sound slipping from Mom's mouth. Anna interrupted the lack of conversation and asked, Okay, so who is the young man, and how do I get in touch with his parents, Vivi'? Everyone's head snapped into position as they stared at Anna with their mouths wide open. She was scribbling something on a page that she was holding on a clipboard and for a moment didn't know she was being stared at. When she lifted her eyes from the page, she immediately said, Close your mouths before you all start catching flies. Really. What is the big deal? Someone has to talk to his parents!

Grandpa replied, Okay, Anna, we'll take care of that tomorrow if we can get her to tell us who it is. I think it's more appropriate if I do it.

Grandma was still a bit stunned and just mumbled, Yeah, 'e'll do it.

Anna looked at Mom and said, Okay, Vivi, all you gotta do now is tell 'em, and they can do it. If you don't, I'll come to the house and bother you until you do. She handed the clipboard to Grandpa and said, Sign here, and you can all go home. Just make an appointment with an obstetrician soon so she can be monitored, okay, Aerol?

Grandpa gazed over the rim of his glasses and signed then replied, Yeah, Mama will help her find one.

Anna gave Mom another hug then smiled at her as she left the room saying, All right then, you have a good night, people. Bye-bye.

Grandpa peered over toward Mom with a weary and slightly unimpressed look for a moment then slapped his hands down on his knees before standing and muttering, Guess there's nothing left to do but go home.

Grandma had a blank stare as she stood up and reached over toward Mom and said, I'll wait for ya in the 'allway while you get y'ur cloths on. Grandpa scooted out the door to go and bring the car over to the emergency entrance. Most of the parking for the old hospital was spread out through the Oregon State campus, where it sat on the edge of the property, and there were a few shared parking lots with a couple of churches and in the housing area that was across the road from Good Sam. He had parked quite a trot off, and it was far enough he didn't want to make Grandma walk too far.

After Grandma went into the hall, Mom began to get herself together first by getting out of the drafty hospital gown then dressing herself as quickly as she could. A peek in the mirror as she tidied up her hair a bit and wiped off the runny mascara, then she was almost ready to face the world again, but she stopped just before taking her eyes off the mirror and asked herself, So what have you done this time, Vivian? No way to back out of this and keep people from finding out. Gonna have to deal with this one for a long time. Way to go! She dipped her head a bit and shook it side to side as she stepped away then took a deep breath before opening the curtain and trying to sneak out of the hospital as unnoticed as possible.

That did not even have the slightest chance because as they passed the nurses' station, Anna and the younger nurse that had seen her both said, Have a good night, Vivian. Good night, Ellie.

Then out of Anna's mouth came this, If you need any help looking for an obstetrician, Vivian, come see me. That made the exit awkward for Mom because right there in the waiting room were two of the biggest mouths in the whole high school. It was the two Duckworth sisters; they knew all the gossip before it happened, and this time they were there to hear something they were sure to tell the whole school. Mom was now sure that she might as well just fold herself up and mail herself to Antarctica because the first day of school was just around the corner and everyone would know before the day ever came.

Oh no, she thought, then she had an idea. Mom, give me a second, she said, then she slipped back around the corner and motioned them to come over to her. They both had a look like the cat that just swallowed the canary on their faces as they skipped over to her. With sarcastic smiles they said in unison, What can we do for you, Moose?

Now Mom knew she had them, or at least she thought so. I know what you two just heard, and I was gonna ask you to keep it to yourself because I need to tell the father and deal with that before anyone else knows, but since you brought my reputation up, let's do this. If either of you says a word to even one person about this, you get to see firsthand why they call me Moose. Do you both understand what I mean? she quietly scalded with a very pissed-off look on her face. The sarcastic grins suddenly changed to looks of worry because Mom's reputation was well-known, and she didn't just cast idle threats; she backed them up. With the silence from both of them and the fearful countenance each displayed, she was satisfied that they had gotten the message and headed back to Grandma.

Well, that is one crisis averted, she thought to herself as she and Grandma exited the building and stood on the curb waiting for Grandpa, who was just about to pass through the light that used to be just to the west of the hospital. Grandma stood there looking straight ahead with the same blank face and softly said, I'm a bit disappointed in you right now, Vivian. I thought I taught ya better. They were not said with a mean tone or disrespect, but those words resonated and struck to the bone in my Mom. She was never the most respectful child or the most emotional, but for some reason, having Grandma say that just tore at her like a cat had scratched a deep gash in her heart. The feeling in her soul now was somber, but now she was feeling the disappointment also. Now her head really hung low.

When Grandpa pulled up in front of them, they both grabbed a door handle and let themselves into that Oldsmobile wagon and planted themselves into a seat. Neither said a word. Grandpa could feel that there was something going on but let them be to see if they would work it out. Not knowing exactly what it was, he knew better than to step into a minefield without something to sniff out the mines. He had done plenty of time in WWII and knew that an explosion was not something he needed to deal with right at the moment.

The way Grandpa drove, it was about a thirty-nine-minute drive. It was actually about a fifteen-minute drive. He just drove like a turtle. It was about a thirty-minute drive into Philomath, and they didn't say a word until they got into town. Grandma asked, Daddy, can we stop at the In & Out? I could use an 'amburger and a shake about now. He slowed down and waited to make the left turn across traffic where he would need to go behind the gas station to get to the drive-through and gingerly pulled up to the window.

The tiny drive-in only had room for two people to work inside the building, and one was making an order for the other window while the other was taking the order so they patiently waited for one of them to come to their window. It gave Mom time to decide what she wanted if Grandpa asked her, and Grandma had a second to decide if she wanted strawberry or vanilla. Grandpa always ordered the same thing if they stopped in, so his order was predetermined if he wanted to eat. Most of the people who worked there knew it when they saw him.

After a couple of minutes, a young lady stepped to their window and said, Oh, hello, Aerol, do you want your usual?

He smiled and replied, Oh, not today. I am just here to get somethin' for Mama and maybe Vivian too.

The lady said, Well, okay then. What would they like today?

Grandma began, I'll 'ave a single with all the fix-in's with fries and a large strawberry shake, I believe.

Mom sighed and said, I think I want a double with bacon, large fry, and a large Coke.

The young lady repeated the order and added it up on the register as she did so then told Grandpa, That'll be $3.97, Aerol.

He looked a bit unhappy at the price, being a seriously frugal shopper, so he asked, What if I just got the drinks? Mom and Grandma gave him a couple of pretty evil looks for being so cheap, so he pulled out his wallet and reluctantly gave up four ones. He told her to keep the change too. That was something he never did, so the girl put the three pennies in a dish on the counter to share with the other at the end of their shift.

In about three minutes, the order was ready, and they were back on their way to the house. As they left, the two ladies laughed a little about him being a big spender and giving up three cents, but they knew he was really cheap and appreciated the thought anyway.

There were only two stoplights in town back then, one next to Dairy Queen and one on Thirteenth and Main. Since Grandpa had come in the back way, he skipped the first, but since he was on Main Street, he would have to pass through the next and follow Highway 20 out to Blodgette before taking a right and heading out to Summitt. The house was about forty or fifty miles out of Philomath, so they still had a good spell to travel.

The two South ladies chowed on the burger baskets most of the way out to Blodgette, which kept them from talking to each other, which allowed the tension that had been there earlier to begin to slip away. Nothing like a bite of food to calm things down, but a little ice cream really does the trick. The drive and the meal put Grandma in a better mood, and after she opened the window to cool off, the fresh air seemed to wisp away the perspiration and the uneasiness that had been stifling the cab of the car.

As Grandpa took his right turn to head out to the house on the Summitt highway, he quickly made a left to stop at the train depot so that he could find out if anything special was going on since he would need to be there in a few hours. He pulled into an open spot and told them, I'll be back shortly, then he sauntered inside to talk to the day supervisor. Mom had not intended to say a single word but about that moment Grandma broke the silence with something that Mom was not expecting. Well, I guess we will 'ave to look through the phone book tomorrow and see if we can find a baby doctor for ya to start seeing. Maybe if I call Dr. Kramer, he can recommend someone. Do you want to see a man or a woman doctor? she asked.

Mom tried to avoid it, but that question meant she had to at least say something, and though she would have rather chewed off her own arm, she put a defiant look on her face and just swallowed her anger enough to think about it for a minute and asked, Why can't Dr. Kramer do it? At least I already know him.

Grandma thought about it for a couple of seconds and finally replied, Well, 'e is a general practice doctor, so maybe 'e can do it too. I'll ask 'im tomorrow. Mom said nothing else, but about that time she noticed Grandpa making his way back to the car. He was almost there when Big Brother pulled in and stopped right in front of him. The huge black fellow rolled down his window and greeted Grandpa with a big smile, asking, Any good news, Aerol?

Grandpa leaned over, resting his hands on the window gaskets, and smiled back with a friendly Nothing bad to report. We got a few extra cars to deal with this ev'ning and may have to fix a transfer link tonight, but nothin' we can't handle.

With a grin and a sweet disposition, Big Brother just reached out and shook Grandpa's hand and replied, Sounds like a pretty easy night then, boss man. Let's knock it all out and play some dominoes.

Sounds like a pretty good plan, big man. I'll see ya tonight, Grandpa said as he stood up straight and backed away from the car. Big Brother spotted another space to park and moved gingerly into it as Grandpa stepped to the wagon and sat down inside.

He shoved the shifter into gear, and they backed up far enough to make a turn and go back out to the highway. Time to twist and turn their way to the house, and it was not an easy drive, even if you were careful. Grandpa had made the run oh so many times, and he was not likely to falter. Besides he only knew one speed as long as he could see, and that was slow and steady.

Mom sat there wishing she didn't have to deal with all the issues she knew were going to be coming up now that she knew she was pregnant. Her head was a jumble with What are people going to say? What am I gonna do? How am I gonna pay for this kid? I'm still in high school. Is Dad gonna kill me? What about Mom? Is she gonna want me to leave? What the heck am I gonna have to do to get by? You know, the what if, why me game. Talk about heaviness; she was now just letting it all settle in, and it was suffocating. She just closed her eyes and pretended to fall asleep for the rest of the ride home.

*****

You rotten little twerp! Give me back my dress before I crack you in the head with the iron! Eillene screamed as Jake ran out the kitchen door with her dress in drag. She took off after him still carrying the old cast-iron iron that she had just picked up and was planning to iron the dress with until she turned around and saw her youngest brother sneaking out the door with it. Now it was the two tiniest things in the house out in the yard in a tussle for her dress. He was still only about to be four years old, so she caught him fairly quickly and tackled him right in some dog poop.

Awe, man, that's nasty! You got crap all over my pants, he protested as she snatched her dress out of his hands.

With a look of satisfaction, she replied, Serves you right, ya little brat. What was you gonna do with my dress anyway?

As he was standing up and looking at the excrement on his clothes, he answered, I just wanted to see how it would look on the scarecrow since you are about the same size and the scarecrow is prettier. That was just about enough in her mind, so she whacked him in the back of the head with a hearty wallop, knocking him back into the feces. You stupid witch! Look at me. Ya did it again. Now it's on my shirt, he complained loudly as he got back up. No sense in staying in those clothes, so he just took the shirt off then stripped his pants, and as she was about to open the door to go back into the kitchen, he smashed the poopy side of the pants on her back and grounded it into her coveralls. The push shoved her off-balance a little, and she hit her chin on the rusty screen door and scraped it a little. In retaliation, she never spoke but stuck her foot back in a donkey-kick motion and pushed him into the tree a few feet from the door, where he hit his head and fell onto the damp ground in his underwear, soaking them with rich dark soil.

Looks like you pooped your pants, ya little jerk. Guess you'll need to go change them, she said sarcastically as she went inside. Now he had poop on his shirt and pants and looked like he had pooped in his underwear like a baby would in his diaper. Now he was gonna get razzed by Robbie when he went inside, and he knew it. Guess I should've left the dress alone, he mumbled to himself as he slowly opened the door to go inside.

What's that smell? Robbie asked as he walked past. Oh, it's the little turd. Wow, you even smell like a turd. I think you need a bath, butt boy, Robbie chattered as Jake dragged by. Then Robbie turned just before he slipped into the living room and saw the stains on his underwear. No wonder you smell so bad. Hey, everybody, the little baby pooped his pants. Look at the little baby. Baby gonna get his diaper changed. Go on, little baby. Go get your new diaper.

Infuriated and embarrassed, Jake turned around as Robbie returned to washing the dishes, and while the older brother's back was turned, baby boy slung one end of the soiled shirt up around his face and caught the opposite end then rubbed it back and forth as fast as he could three or four times then pulled Robbie to the floor and slapped him in the head a few times. Dazed, Robbie lay there complaining about the stench on the shirt as Jake snagged the shirt and walked away, saying, Now who is the stinking baby?

By the time Robbie got up, Eillene and Kenny were laughing hysterically at the two of them, and as he started to go after Jake, Kenny grabbed his shirt and said, Just wash your face off and get back to the dishes. No more time for all that.

But he got dog crap on my face, Robbie hollered.

And I will knock it out of you if you don't do as I said. Now get on it, Kenny insisted sternly.

Eillene finished ironing her dress for school and hung it up then changed into some other clothes before picking up Jake's smelly laundry and taking them all outside and put them in the washbasin so that she could go inside and get a little hot water to wash them with. She grabbed a bucket and dipped it into the tub where some warm water had already been poured in preparation for the bathing cycle of the night. Once it was full enough, Jake and Robbie had to share a bath, then they would get it ready for Mom and Eillene. Kenny and Ray would bathe last before they went to sleep.

After getting the bucket of water, she poured half in the basin and added some soap then began scrubbing the poop out on the washboard. Grandpa had screwed in a stand with hooks so she could hang a couple of things while scrubbing the others then dump the dirty water and use the clean water to rinse the soap out after running them through the wringer. I know it wasn't all that sanitary, but back then, it was all they had, so they made due.

Ray was still above the tree line picking some wild strawberries and blackberries. He had already dealt with the cows and fed the dog, but he was trying to find a little something to add to breakfast for morning, and who knows, maybe there was enough that Grandma would bake a pie or something. He could see Eillene slaving on the washboard from where he was picking berries and hear the old station wagon crawling up Summitt Highway toward the house, so he decided it was time to tromp down the hill and check the raspberry bush in the yard. Since it had to be close to dinnertime, it was the better part of wisdom to be close when they call.

That Oldsmobile floated up like a big old boat as it pulled into the shed, and Mom was still pretending to sleep as it gently came to a stop. No one seemed in too much of a hurry to be the first to get out. In fact, all of them just stayed put for a good thirty seconds or so without a twitch. After a tired sigh, Grandpa finally opened his door and took his still stunned self into the house. Grandma was waiting for Mom to get moving and patiently sat there. After a few good minutes, she softly said, Come in when you are ready. I know you aren't sleeping. Then she let out a huff and went inside.

Now all alone in the back seat, Mom refused to open her eyes, as if she didn't open them, then this would have to be a dream, but she knew it was far from a dream. She sat there eyes closed and tried to clear her head for quite a while. Soon she heard Kenny yelling out the door, Dinnertime, come and get it. This is what convinced her to finally go in the house. If she missed dinner, she would be starving till morning. Although she really wasn't very hungry after the burger and fries, she thought it best to at least get a small bite to be sure she wouldn't wake up hungry in the middle of the night.

Ray had noticed that she had not gone in either with Grandma or Grandpa, so he was taking a line over to the door on the back of the shed when Mom eased it open. He was carrying his bucket of berries as he approached her unnoticed. Her eyes were half closed, and her chin was pinned to her chest as she stepped onto the first few old stones buried in the grass as a walkway. Ray was coming from her blind side because he was obscured by the outhouse, so when he softly asked, Hey, Viv, you okay? Mom jerked with a start.

She realized instantly who it was by the voice but was still surprised. He strolled alongside her as they inched their way to the porch. She didn't say anything, though; she just sulked all the way into the house.

Once inside, Ray kicked off his shoes then took the bucket into the kitchen, where Grandma had taken over the dinner dance. She told him to set them inside the cabinet at the end of the counter as she began serving up the food on plates so that they could all take them into the living room, where the dining table had been moved to because with the bathtub in the kitchen, there just wasn't room for all eight of them and the table. Shoot, there wasn't room for the table.

Mom had gone straight to her room and sat on her bed while taking off her coat. She still hadn't said anything and had no intentions to do so, but Eillene came barging in and almost tripped over Mom's feet as she passed her by. She did, however, accidentally give her an elbow to the left side of the head. That brought out a stupid little midget! and the Moose's palm grabbed her shirt and dragged her tiny frame up close to her face. Do you wanna get tossed through the window? she added.

Eillene flashed her eyes toward the window, then with disdain focused on Mom's eyes, she retorted, Even if you tried, the window is too small, so get your pregnant paws off me.

With a look of astonishment mixed with horror, she let go and stuttered, Ha-h-how did ya—you know?

Eillene stepped back and gave her another look of disgust as she asked with malice, Don't pay much attention in health class, do you? Read the chapter on pregnancy. Maybe you will figure it out. Then she turned and headed back to the kitchen.

Now shaken a bit, Mom shed a single tear before she tried to pull it together. From the kitchen, Grandma called out, Vivian, come getchya plate. With much hesitation, she stood up, took a deep breath, and headed for the kitchen.

2

Now What?

Now I am not gonna draw this out too much longer, so let's just say that the dinner was not Mom's favorite thing that ever happened. After everyone had their food, Grandpa decided it was time to announce the news that Mom was pregnant and that everyone was going to pitch in and help whenever he or Grandma said to. Now everyone knew, and there was no living it down with that lot. Anyway, I just said this to skip ahead a ways because there is no reason to just ramble on about the needling and bickering because all families have their share of that, and you can imagine how it was within the house alone, but thankfully Grandpa had told them not to tell anyone else until Mom started to show, so for now, at least she hoped that would be kept under wraps.

That was the '60s, and it wasn't all that common yet for there to be teenage moms. The shame and embarrassment that often came with it was not something too many young ladies would have wanted to deal with. Mom did get a short reprieve with Grandpa's warning to the others of what they'd get if they blabbed, but not too long. She was showing before school began, so the cat was well out of the bag before her first footstep into those halls. She had been quite busy and had not seen Gary since she found out she was pregnant, so imagine his shock to see her walk in with a bun in the oven. Grandpa had forgotten to talk to his parents, and Grandma had not asked, so it was a bit of a shock to find out he might be becoming a father.

When she walked in through the main doors of the building, she had to walk right past the front desk of the office, and the secretary immediately noticed her belly as she said, Hello, Vivian. Mouth now wide open and needing to be picked up from the floor, she hesitated before asking, How was your summer? Mom looked down at her stomach with an exasperated look then peered back at her before just walking on without a word.

All the whispering was already starting, and by the time she got to her locker, likely half of the school knew. Always the smart-mouth, Benny Hazerton noticed her protrusion from across the hall and couldn't resist jabbing at her, Dang, Viv, pull that basketball out of your shirt before you fall on it and knock the wind out of yourself.

Not amused, Mom strutted over to him with hands on her hips and head down as she began to say, I really ain't in the mood for small boys smarting off right now, and she bumped into him hard then shoved him into his locker and leaned in with her stomach to block him in. After he was inside the locker and already embarrassed, she whispered to him, Not a good time, Benny. You might want to keep your comments to yourself for a while until I can get my bearings with this new problem. Then she stepped over to her locker as the rest of the hall was laughing vigorously at Benny as he tried to get out of the locker.

As he finally emerged, Ween passed by and snickered as she watched him squeeze his way out. One of his friends grabbed his hand to help pull him from the locker, and now it was Willimena's turn to get a sarcastic start to the school year. Having a hard time pulling your head out, Benny? Maybe you should sew your lips shut if you haven't learned not to mess with the wrong woman by now.

As Mom and Ween ambled down the hallway the other kids broke out in hysterical laughter aimed quite obviously at Benny, but all the laughs and the feeling of getting the best of him just didn't seem to be all that much of a comfort to Mom. She had a lot more responsibilities and other issues to learn to deal with and was just not all that much in the mood for any games at that time.

Willimena just followed along like some silly dog trying to catch some scraps from their owner's table but didn't notice Mom's lack of satisfaction over shoving Benny into the locker. She wasn't paying attention to the concern on Mom's face, I guess, but Mr. Marion did and asked with some concern, Vivian, are you all right? Mom didn't really acknowledge him, and as she walked by, he touched her shoulder and said, If you need to talk… She looked up and saw the concern on his face and gave a seriously fake smile then replied, Maybe another time, before heading into his classroom.

That was the simple beginning of the school year for her. By lunch, everyone on campus knew that she was pregnant, and all the whispers were multiplying fast. Most of them figured they knew who the father was, but that was something only her and Gary would have been sure of. She had been with others before him, but he was the only one who fit the timeline.

3

Time to Get Things in Order

This type of thing went on for the next few months as was to be expected, and Gary got cold feet. He didn't want to be held down by one female and figured he was safer in Vietnam than with Mom. She could get too ornery for his taste, and he decided to join the military and go to war to get away from the problem. So as soon as he turned eighteen, he signed up for the draft and filled out paperwork to join the Army after graduation. He didn't brag too much about it until the end of football season, but he did have the stupidity to let his mouth slip one day after lunch, and it was not a very good outcome for him.

Sometime toward the end of October, he was yakking about it with his head in his locker. He even had the audacity to say, Hey, I'm too much man for one woman, and I don't need any kids right now. I figure if I go to Nam, by the time I get back, this will be someone else's problem. She can't keep her pants on. Then he laughed a sarcastic laugh, still with his head deep in his locker. He didn't realize that Mom had silently stepped up to his locker and was on the other side of his locker door, but that was about to become very clear to all around except him.

As he pulled his head out of the locker, still with his face turned away, in total rage, Mom grabbed his locker door and slammed it as hard as she could into the back of his head. Then as he fell forward, she jumped on his back and bashed his head on the floor. Now with a large gash on the back side of his head beginning to bleed out and a lump the size of a grapefruit starting to rise on his forehead along with an abrasion on it beginning to bleed, he just lay there out cold as a snowman at the south pole. Never knew what had hit him. He was definitely lying there with a concussion, but as Mom picked herself up and looked around, she gave the rest a message they likely remember to this day, Anyone else wanna start something or talk more crap, take a look at him and be my guest! then she turned and walked to class. He ended up at Good Samaritan most of the day.

FYI, to truly understand why that was a hard warning, you have to understand, my biological father was six feet, four inches; weighed around 230 pounds; and was the guy no one wanted to mess with in the school. Shoot, even the police didn't want to mess with him. He was known for whooping on eight of the biggest guys around the area in one fight. He knocked out five of them and beat the other three to a bloody pulp. Nobody messed with him, except Mr. Marion, who had been a Green Beret in Vietnam but was now their civics/history teacher and basketball coach. Gary didn't bother playing games with Mr. Marion for that reason.

After the warning, the rest of those who witnessed it stood there silently freaking out about what they had just seen with unbelief all over all their faces. One finally got down next to him and tried to wake him up, and another ran to the office to get help. In a few minutes, the secretary and the PE teacher were there asking questions and telling everyone to get to class as they tried to revive him. Now this was before there were paramedics at fire stations, so the secretary had one of the kids go to the office and tell someone to call a nurse that lived up the street to see if she could help. It took her about twenty minutes to get there, and by then, the ambulance had come and they were placing him into the back end. She took a look at him and told the drivers to call ahead on the CB to let the ER know he was unconscious, had a large gash on the back of his head from a locker door and also a large swollen lump on his forehead from hitting the floor face down, and that he was bleeding slowly from both. He also had dilated pupils and likely had a concussion. Then she asked the secretary to call her house and have someone come to the school and pick up her car because she was going to ride in the ambulance to see if she could help him. That was the last anyone at the school saw of him for a few days. The lump, however, was seen for weeks.

When he found out later what had happened, he decided to stay as far away from her as possible for the rest of the year. It was kind of hard, though; the halls were only so wide, and they still needed to get their parents together to deal with their end of the matter. She had Willimena tell him after he came back to school to have his parents call Grandpa at the depot some night soon because they needed to talk. She also told him he better not take a week doing it either because she was already pissed off and things needed to be dealt with. His arrogant reaction was You can tell Vivian I will get around to it when I am good and ready.

Willimena stepped over close to his chest. She looked up at him then with a taunting tone asked, Maybe you'd like another one of those, then swung like she had a tennis racket in her hand, swatting for the big purple lump on his forehead. He caught her hand as he quickly leaned back to avoid getting smacked. Then she struggled with him for a moment growling, Let go of my hand or I'll—

He cut her off with Or what? as she thrust her knee firmly between his legs. With a severe look of pain and shock, he once again ended up on the floor, although wide awake and extremely embarrassed this time. But this time, he was able to reach out and grab Ween's ankle and hold it too tightly for her to get away, and he squeezed it so hard he left a huge bruise as she struggled to yank it loose.

Gary was not even close to being known as a gentleman. He had no quarrels with hitting or hurting a woman, and the whole school knew it. So when Ween started to squeal like a scared pig, the others in the hall started to wrestle his hand off of her. Good thing too, because he probably would have held on until he got the rest of his strength back, and who knows what he might have done then. It was just down the hall from Mr. Marion's classroom, and he had heard the noise. By this time, he had emerged and was just coming upon the scene when they got her ankle loose.

Okay, so would someone like to tell me what the heck is going on, or should I take everyone's name and have you all go see Mr. Granger? Mr. Marion calmly asked with his raspy cigar smoker's voice.

Ween angrily blurted out, Yeah, this jackass won't take care of his responsibility, and when I asked him to have his parents talk to Viv's parents because they need to talk about this pregnancy, he smarted off, and I put my knee between his legs. Then the jerk grabbed my ankle and bruised it, and if it weren't for these guys helping me get his hand off me, he probably would have broken my ankle!

After a slight pause, Mr. Marion gently said, All righty then, Willimena, I need you to get Vivian and meet me at the office in a few minutes. Now go fetch her. Gary, when your big dumb ass is ready to get up, you can meet me there too. Now I am only gonna wait about five minutes before I come lookin', so don't be messin' around, you got me? From the floor with a dejected look, Gary nodded, but Mr. Marion demanded, I can't hear you. Say something so I know you heard me.

With a twinge of scrotum tenderness in his voice, he groaned, Okay, Mr. Marion.

Willimena scooted over to the sophomore hall to start looking for Mom. Mr. Marion strolled over to the office and began talking to the principal and a counselor to decide what to do next. Being the take-charge kind of guy he was, he argued for a few minutes about what needed to be done and finally just told them, If you do not call Gary's parents and tell them to call Vivian's, I will drive his young hardheaded ass home and tell them face-to-face. If we can't do the right thing, then why the hell are we here? Aren't we supposed to help these kids? he asked.

Mr. Granger snapped under his breath, Damn it, Marion, stop the foul language. You know we aren't supposed to talk like that here!

Mr. Marion simply looked at him with a look that said it all then replied, Yeah, like the word ‘damn'? Give me a break, Harvey. These kids are cussing as much if not more than the soldiers I left in Nam when I got out. Be for real. Then he walked over to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup while shaking his head at the irony.

About then Gary dragged himself into the office and sat on the bench to await the uneasy conversation to come. He splashed down on the hard wood and spread his legs wide in an attempt to keep the soreness from throbbing so much as he laid his head back and closed his eyes, hoping that no one would say anything to him.

Mr. Marion turned and saw him sitting there and mumbled to himself, Well, there's one, as he sipped the coffee.

After hearing all the prior discussion, the secretary realized it was about to get very uncomfortable in there and told the counselor, Hey, Anna, I think I am gonna go to the break room for a bit. I am all caught up and don't need to be involved in this.

Mrs. Jenkins agreed with a simple I understand, Janet, as Mrs. Wilson left the room.

The silence was quite deafening in that little office while they all awaited Mom and Ween's arrival. It must have been a good ten minutes of intense static in the air before they all heard Willimena's big mouth echoing out in the hallway and then blabbering through the door into the office. Willimena had a habit that sometimes got her into trouble or made folks avoid her. She had a mouth that had no Off button. Both of them just stood inside because neither wanted to sit down next to Gary, but Mr. Granger finally uttered, Okay, Willimena, let's get you dealt with before we get the other mess cleaned up.

Willimena heard what he said and momentarily the verbiage stopped, then she asked, What do you mean? I didn't do anything!

After a deep sigh, the principal questioned, Didn't you put your knee into Gary's groin area?

Little miss hyper lips sputtered, Uhh, uhh, but well, I am in trouble for that? Why would that be an issue? It was self-defense. He is a huge jerk. I had to protect myself. He—

Mr. Granger held up his hand and motioned her to stop as he gasped for a large breath then asked, Didn't you do this before he grabbed your ankle, Ms. Bayless?

She looked confused as if she didn't understand the question. You see Ween, Willimena, was ADHD decades before the term even existed, and her brain and mouth moved so fast that the rest of her rarely kept up with either one. As she stood there and retraced the incident in her head, Mr. Granger waved his hands in circles with an exasperated look and asked, Well?

But just before she opened her mouth, Gary answered the question with one hand on his crotch, one on his forehead, and his eyes closed, I grabbed her ankle after I hit the floor from her shoving her knee into my—

Mr. Granger interrupted, Yes, Gary, we get the picture. You don't have to finish. He knew the next word was not going to be clean because that also was something Gary was known for.

The principal stood there looking at Willimena for some sign of agreement, which took another ten or fifteen seconds, then she finally whined, Well, yeah, I wasn't gonna wait for him to smack me first. Look at him!

Mr. Granger waved her off again then told her, Since you started the physical altercation, you are getting three days in-school suspension, and it starts right now, so go get your books and your assignments from your next class and go to the little room right next to the office. I will get Mrs. Jenkins to get the rest of your teachers informed, and they can send their work for you.

But-but I-I am claustrophobic, she pouted.

He once again sighed and spouted out, Fine, Mrs. Jenkins, have someone set up a private area in the library where she can be left alone and tell Mrs. Allerby to make sure no one talks to her except teachers and staff. Willimena smiled and thanked him as he grunted, Go, just go.

Now all of them except Gary became a bit more serious, and the tension was stifling. Mr. Granger looked at Mom and asked, Won't you sit in Mrs. Wilson's chair, Vivian? Seems we have something very important to take care of.

Mom gave Gary a contemptuous look before she stepped over to the secretary's desk and sat down. It had no effect, though, for his eyes were still closed. Mr. Marion kicked his feet and muttered, Sit up and listen, Gary. This is kind of important, and you need to catch it all.

Gary slowly straightened up and sat bowlegged, but as he sat up, he pridefully said, It's a waste of your time. My parents are just gonna tell you the boy is enlisted, so unless you can do something about that, it ain't their problem.

He still had his hand on his forehead and eyes closed at least until Mr. Marion pulled back his leg and kicked one of his legs so hard it spun him around and made him whack his head on the high back of the oak bench he was sitting on. Then as he opened his eyes while trying to protest, Mr. Marion bent down over him, placing one hand on each of Gary's shoulders, and with all his 268 pounds on him, he growled, "Now you look here, you consternate, disrespectful, sorry sack