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Cement, Oklahoma 1952 After we left Washington we moved back to Cement so that Raymond and I could go to school and be close to Dad's family. I was in 6th grade and Raymond was in 4th. Even though I don't remember the event my Aunt Betty tells a story that illustrates the relationship Raymond and I had. "Aunt Betty tells a story about me and Raymond at Cement. Said we were fighting and one of you hit the other over the head with a hatchet. She couldn't remember which one was doing the hitting. She said Mom came running out to see what was going on. The one that got hit was laying on the ground and about that time set up and said I thought you killed me and started laughing. We moved to Cement, Oklahoma sometime in the first 6 weeks of the 6th grade. I don’t know or remember where we were living in Washington when Mom and Dad decided to make the move. The Elementary school in Cement was on top of a hill in town not far from where Dad had his gas station before WWII and all the moving. We lived in a tourist court across highway 277 from the town.  The country was dry and hilly. Unlike the Yakima Valley where I know we had been living and the dirt was red, red as rust. Years later when the first color pictures were seen from Mars I was powerfully reminded of Oklahoma. In addition to the geographical shock was a cultural shock in the school. The 6th grade classroom was huge with us students only using about a fourth of the space. The room seemed about 40 feet in length and width with 12 foot ceilings. The wall containing the entrance door had blackboards from one end to the other. The teacher, a little old bent woman with gray hair, would write on the board and talk directly to the board. She mumbled. The first time I asked the guy next to me what she said he said "Watch Out." I didn’t know what he meant but when I looked up I found out. One of those big erasers was headed straight at my head. Hit me just in the hairline and exploded. Actually the impact just released the chalk dust. She wouldn’t let you wipe the dust off your face, only your eyes. Then I knew what "Watch Out" meant. She hit me two more times while I was there but I was deliberately testing her aim by moving to a different seat after she turned her back. I never saw here miss hitting a kid. I don’t know if she always hit her target but she always hit someone. I don’t remember any particular bias towards either sex. I think the shock was worse than the impact. During tests or desk work periods she had a different technique. At any moment when my mind would begin to wander or I would just be frittering around instead of writing or drawing this giant scimitar would slam across my knuckles with a sound like a gunshot. Lordy that ruler would sting. Over the years my imagination has equipped that ruler with a metal edge but I doubt that is a true memory. I don’t know how she could move so quietly. She would drift around the room silent as air. She even startled the native kids. Some of those big old farm boys who had been held back, for sometimes years, would jump and rattle their desks when delivered of a stroke from the "Sword of Knowledge". She must have been deeply loved in that town. At the Fall Festival she was showered with gifts and produce from the parents and townspeople of Cement. We made our final move between Thanksgiving and Christmas so I don’t know what her students gave her for Christmas. She, as it turned out was probably my best teacher. I was behind in school when we moved there. She caught me up through her insistence on finishing all work before going home, Yes, no homework. Home time was too valuable to waste on school work in those days in the small hard pressed country towns. I was 6 weeks ahead when we got to my next school.  Markham 1953 When I was 12, we were renting an old ex-bank building, I was attacked by a King Cobra. I was raking leaves and was on my hands and knees when suddenly this King Cobra reared up and started hissing. We all knew that they spit poison into your eyes to blind you so they could then kill you at their leisure. So keeping my eyes firmly squeezed shut I blundered around until I found the hoe and started flailing away. I chopped that poor harmless puff adder into hundreds of pieces. He was too convincing for his own good. Ever since I have looked twice before killing a snake. Sophmore year Tidehaven High School  The grades are terrible and I was miserable this year. I was deep into rebellion and resented working at Orr's Grocery before and after school and full time during the summer. I was also having no luck with girls, I was too damned shy and stupid. I think the term now is "geeky". The only success that year was my attempts to make a permanent red ink the color of fresh blood. I failed to match the color but apparently I did achieve the permanent parameter. After reviewing this report card and the one for my junior year (below) I realized the major change in my grades was Carolyn's age. In my sophmore year she was too young (14) for her parents to allow her to date. Not to young to kiss because I kissed her first when she was still 13 at my 15th birthday party. Junior year Tidehaven High School  Note how the grades have improved. Part of the improvement is the fact that I had Mr. Labay in two classes. I adored that man. The major improvement was that Caro was now 15 and we were dating. She soothed my soul then and she still centers my world. Plus she helped me study. I never was a good student but she helped. San Marcos 1962 I realized how much Caro meant to me while I was in college in San Marcos.  I went there 2 years and was so terribly lonely and missed her so badly that I could not seem to concentrate and only earned 4 hours credit. Almost in the Beginning Living on Pansy street in Pasadena. No job, no prospects, Caro 5 months pregnant. Living up-stairs over a garage in winter. We had hellish fight and I went storming out, was going to go to beer joint. Only had a quarter so just walked up and down the street making Caro think I had left. Miserable! The times you do to keep your wife fed 1963 I had cut off my left hand index finger first knuckle trying to impress a cute girl while working as a meat cutter in a grocery store in Austin. Got to noticing all the older cutters were missing significant chunks of their anatomy. Quit my job and then Caro told me she was pregnant with our first kid. Moved us to Houston by tying everything we owned in or on our 1957 Chevrolet "Moonglow". For some reason we ended up in Pasadena when it was still "Stinkadena". I was out of steady work for 6 months. One of my jobs was at Green Brothers. They were in the Flavors and Fragrances business. Being the new weevil my job was to unpack bales of brown furry things and put them into GIANT industrial blenders. Ran the blenders for 30 seconds and then had to discharge the contents into filter presss and squeeze out juice. Lordy the odor was indescribable. Finally after I got the rythym of the job I asked what I was grinding. Beaver Testicles! Seems the liquid is further processed to produce Musk for perfume use. So, yes, you may be wearing beaver ball juice. Clothespin 1964 Waked up. Great big eyes staring at me. Caro greatly pregnant in a very small strange voice said "I think it is time to go". I think it was about 12:30am. Scared she was in labor but thrilled she was in labor. I finally had a job but we were 30 miles from her doctor and hospital. So we loaded the car. I was truly quite calm since I had everything packed and planned. None of the Ricky Ricardo routine for me. Carolyn was the soul of serenity. About 10 miles from the apartment my mental review of cargo revealed I had left the clothespins on the kitchen counter. The nurse said to have a clothespin to seal the umbilical cord just in case. Now I panic!! For the next 20 miles every sound from Caro filled me with fear. How could I have been so stupid? Since then I have had a clothespin in the glove compartment of every car. Time passes and so do old Cats My old cat Puffy died just before I went to New Orleans. She was over 18. She had breast cancer or something like it. Every day for the last 12 years she has run down the sidewalk to greet me when I got home from work. On the weekends I would have to walk up the sidewalk so she would see me coming home. As part of the ritual I would feed her a different can of Fancy Feast every day. I liked to pretend she was happy to see me even though she was really trained to eat when I got home. I would set her plate on the camper shell of my pickup and talk to her about the day while she ate. She never judged and always listened. She had two different colored eyes and I always thought that explained why she was a touch goofy. We have another cat that is about 10. She has always been aloof from me but since I got back she has been my constant bud. In some strange cat way I think she misses Puff. I buried Puffy among the azeleas where she spent many hours hunting bugs and mice. In her senior years she would just chase them out of the yard. Fancy Feast tasted better! |
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