Almost Arkansas

It’s 1968 My mother had just been served a eviction notice, my Dad was gone with the car and she had no idea where he was. She was alone with a baby (me) and a 1 half year old( my sister) and since my Dad had left she had no money, mainly because he was out of a job. They expected him to show up at a given time every day, do work and collect a pay check at the end of the week. Those Bastards! I can’t imagine the fear and stress this put my Mom under. With no money, no way to pay bills, the utilities began getting shut off. Water, phone, power, fortunately the gas was still on.

            Her neighbors took pity on her, given her situation, and ran a garden hose from their outside nozzle and put it through her kitchen window. She was able to get water that way and boil water to warm my bottles. My Aunt helped out with money when she could.

Then one day the neighbor came over to say that my Dad was on the phone at their house. “Where are you?” she asked “They are kicking us out of the house!” He was in Arkansas an Army buddy had promised him a job. “ I want you and the kids to come down here.”  Now I can’t speak for my Mom, but I believe I would’ve been saying “WTF is wrong with you!” Mom with help of family and friends moved her belongings back to my grandparent’s house. Filling the garage and basement with our meager things, and laying on my mother a guilt and embarrassment of epic proportions.

            All I can guess is that she loved him despite his obvious alcoholic tendencies. How she got it together I do not know, but she bordered a bus in Bloomington Il, with my sister, and me, the colicky baby. Now I don’t know if any of you have ever ridden a bus for any distance, but it is the most boring, uncomfortable way to travel. People just love you when you travel with little kids, especially when one can’t seem to stop crying.  I can see her getting on the cramped bus and feel all those disapproving eyes hitting her all of them resolving in their minds that she better keep that kid quite or else… After 9 hours finally they arrive at the bus depot in Little Rock. There is my dad waiting and he leaps to her kissing her hugging us like nothing has happened. He grabs the suit case and they walk to the curb up to a Chevy. Only it wasn’t the Chevy he left with. “What happened to the Impala?” she inquires. “I sold it.” He says. This was my mom’s car she had it long before they even met: she loved this thing, and now it was gone. “Did you get my camera out that was in there?” she asks knowing the answer. “ I didn’t know it was in there.” He replies.

 Oh fuck! Why would you. No problem, just leave us destitute and homeless. If you can sell shit that isn’t yours without asking and then drink the money you got for it, that would be great!  It would’ve been funnier if he had said “ I traded it for a microphone” But that movie wouldn’t be made fro 12 more years. So he couldn’t even do that right.

 

Do they stay in Little Rock? Will the new car start? Will I ever stop being colicky?

Oh a side note: The camera that was lost had the only pictures of me as a baby. My mom had one picture of me at the age of 6 months. Then you don’t see me again in pictures until I’m 4 years old. Where was I taking a smoke?