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Little Bit More

By Virginia GreenPublished 4 years ago 11 min read
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Hey there! Your friend Gin is back!

I look at things in life as half full - yes I am an optimist. I tend to be a happy soul most of the time. I enjoy entertaining people and making them laugh. I love all animals, horses are my favorite. I have two favorite colors, purple and aqua/teal; they look really good together; I like to add some pinks in it too. I like to be colorful. I like to make people happy. I tend to "mother" people; see a tag out so I put it back in; there is some lint on a piece of clothing - I will pick it off. I have learned in life it REALLY IS BEST to be truthful; yes it may be very unpleasant at the time but it is better than lying because you will not have to remember what you said to someone.

Ok back to my story. I left off where Hector and I lost touch when momma and I moved. I went to Smith Elementary; we lived close enough that I walked to and from school. I remember a Gulf gas station that I would stop by and visit "Uncle Bill and Aunt Irene". They were not really related to me and I am not positive about this, but looking back at it now I think they probably helped her in her times of need. I would stop by there and get an after school snack and drink, visit for an amount of time (not really sure how long maybe 20 minutes or so) and then I would walk home. As time went by I remember a postal worker that would come into the station and drop mail.

We would have small talk on a daily basis. Then one day he came into the station and he had a gift for me; it was a white vest with tassels and a white purse with tassels to match; I was SO EXCITED; but there was NO way I could tell my mom this man gave me these gifts. Time passes by and he asks me if I want to meet his dog, Pal. He was a collie; he was BEAUTIFUL; he truly was a Pal! I loved that dog so much!! As time went on I was calling the postal service worker "Uncle Robert". Well I kept my gifts hidden and I didn't tell mom that "Uncle Robert" took me to his house to play with Pal; you see this was VERY taboo at the time, Uncle Robert was considered a black man; back then biracial relationships were a major no no. You see it turns out that this man was half indian, quarter african and quarter irish. He had dark skin, dark eyes and his hair was baby fine but would curl at the end. When he would grow a beard it did come out as an african beard.

So time goes on. One day my mother stopped into the Gulf gas station and while she was there "Uncle Robert" came and delivered their mail. Momma was talking to them about how much of a pain in the butt that it was to peel off the registration sticker and replace it onto the license plate (back then they got a tiny sticker with the last two digits of the year when it would expire; there were two stickers, one with the month and one with the year). So when momma quit talking to say Hi to him, Robert asked her about her sticker. She explained to him the situation and he offered to take care of it for her; he told her that if she didn't have a jealous husband he would take care of it; she told him she didn't have a jealous husband, but she did have a jealous daughter, LOL. Well one day she was cleaning and she came across the vest and purse, still in the box not used. When I got home from school on this day, she asked me "Virginia Diane where did you get these"? I explained to her about "Uncle Robert" she was LIVID; she just could see this pedophile preying upon me; I was so naive and gullable; I still am to a certain extent.

Well, it was BOUND to happen eventually; "Uncle Robert" and momma were about to meet and was I going to be surprised! Momma and I pulled into the Gulf station so she could get gas in her 1973 Rambler...

She and I walked into the .and I said "Uncle Robert"!!! then slapped my hand across my mouth; my heart sank; we were busted! Momma looked at him and said "Uncle Robert, huh?" and grinned; he looked at her and said "I didn't even know Virginia had a mother" and he grinned; then we all found out everything that had happened in the months previous to this; we were all laughing. As time went on we would go over to Uncle Roberts frequently. I remember one night after supper I was in the living room on Greer St in San Antonio, laying on the floor listening to an album momma had bought called Goofy Greats, it is a FUNNY album! I had fallen asleep laying on the floor this particular night; I started waking up and I heard "Uncle Robert" and momma talking. This is what I heard them say:

"Do y0u want to wake her up and tell her or tell her tomorrow?" he asked. My momma told him, "no lets let her sleep we will tell her tomorrow". Robert said "do you think she will be ok with it?" Momma said " I think she will be very happy about the decision we have made"! Well that decision was for us to move in with him. He had a 3 bedroom 2 bath house. There was a little apartment type building attached to the house. He didn't have very much furniture, he was divorced and his ex wife took everything she could.

The kitchen had a couple of cabinets that were Lazy Susans - oh my how I loved that kitchen, I loved the way the house was layed out. The house is still there...looks different; I have often wondered if the people that live there would let me walk through the house just to see it one more time.

So that my friends is how Hector and I lost touch with each other; or so we thought! Now we are living with Uncle Robert - I started calling him daddy, he was so sweet, so gentle and so loving. He was patient and kind! When it was mine or mommas birthday he would cook us whatever we wanted all day! He would clean house and do laundry. He would brush my hair for a long time sitting in front of him while he was in his rocking chair (looked like Fred Sandfords chair but it glided) LOL

What happened to my dad you ask, here is a twist you will not see coming...here it is....

He was still in the Kerville VA Hospital when we moved in with Robert. Momma and I would go visit a couple times a month. I am not aware how much time had lapsed from the time that we moved in with him to the time that all 3 of us went to visit daddy in Kerville. I wasn't worried about it, seemed fine to me. Well when we get there, we go up to daddy's floor and let them know we are there to see him, Bryce Ohern is what he went by. So momma, Robert and myself are in a waiting area. Here comes daddy in his wheel chair just a singing "boy oh boy oh boy" he was happy he had visitors. When he got to us he looked at me, momma and then Robert; he got this look on his face, I didn't understand.

Momma bent down to daddy and asked him " do you know whom this man is?" and daddy replied with tears in his eyes, "yes sir" (he learned a few more words over the years but never could really hold a good conversation until the day he died). He looked at Robert and started pinching his skin "boy boy, boy boy?" Come to find out they were in WWII together! When they served together Robert was as white as daddy; he couldnt understand why Robert was dark. Robert explained it had to do with something he was exposed to.

I guess we were there for a couple hours; then we left. I fell asleep on the way home so I do not know what the conversation was like between mom and Uncle Robert and how they took the visit. Looking back on it now I am sure they felt somewhat akward; you see momma was "married" to daddy; she was now in love with Robert and wanted a divorce so they could get married. Daddy just had to write an X since he couldnt write, talk etc.

He granted mom the divorce; she was so happy; Robert made her the happiest she had ever been! I was so happy for her; after seeing the hard times that I remember after my dads stroke she certainly needed it! I was happy too because Robert spoiled me rotten!LOL I reminded him of his daughter, Greta. She had given birth to his grandson; they had to do a emergency C section; she ended up getting an infection and died. My big smile, full cheeks and silly personality would remind him of his daughter. He MISSED her so much.

Momma and Robert started planning the wedding, it was going to be very small, just with close friends and family at the house. Well next thing I know the wedding is being put on hold; I was told momma was having female issues. I didn't really know anything about anything at this time so I shrugged it off. Guess what her "female problems" were? She was pregnant! She was 40 years old and pregnant; I was her baby...15 years old. I was shocked and happy; I was FINALLY going to be a big sister! I wasn't going to be the only child anymore! I knew about my big sisters in Whichita Falls TX.

but momma never went to see them and she never called them; I didn't ask why; momma didn't even tell me about them until recently before all this happened. She told me back in the house on Porter St. after daddy was put in the geriatric ward in Kerrville hospital and before the sitution happened with Robert. I do remember going to see them after daddys stroke; I remember meeting my grandmother (my moms mom) and my two big sisters. I always felt akward around them and didn't understand why; the explanation will be deeper within my writing. I never did know either one of my grandparents; my moms dad died when she was 12, he had a 10 lb tumor in his stomach - when they opened him up to operate it spread and killed him quickly. My mother did not like her mother at all, therefore she didn't want me to have anything to do with her, she kept me away. I am sure she had her reasons, I really do wish she would not have done that.

So, back to the pregnancy. I do not remember the original due date the doctor gave her; by the time they caught it she was 5 months pregnant; she had started menopause so her periods were irregular; she had NO CLUE that this is the MOST fertal time for a woman!

I remember that Mothers day we were out on the back porch, Robert was BBQing, MAN WAS HE GOOD AT THAT! momma and I were just sitting in chairs talking...I would go back and forth from the back porch to the little outside BBQ area that Robert had. Well we are just sitting there and all of a sudden a snake drops out of our pecan tree!!! It like to have scared mom into labor!!! LOL

July 1st, 1977, Edward Lee is born; he was SO TINY. Momma was a heavy smoker and didn't take care of herself. She ate MAYBE once a day, drank beer (if I remember correctly a 12 pack a day) she did cut down when she found out she was pregnant, but she did still smoke heavily with him, as she did with the four of us girls. I was so happy to be a big sister. I asked her why didn't I have any siblings before this, she looked at me and said "honey there's something I need to tell you".....this is when I found out about my big sister "Jana Lou". Momma told me that daddy made her give the baby up; she told me that he told her that it was him or the baby; so she gave the baby up. I will extend on this subject later.

Sometime between the time that momma told Bryce (my dad) she wanted a divorce from him so she could marry Robert and having Eddie they decided to sell the house on Greer st. Even in my adulthood I never asked my mom why did they sell; I am guessing they couldn't afford the mortgage, taxes etc....so they hired a moving company, Schneider Moving & Storage, to move us to a town home on Pecan Valley St.

extended family
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About the Creator

Virginia Green

I am honest, loyal, caring, loving and my heart is bigger than me! My passions are my family and horses; I love ALL animals but horses are my passion! I am hoping my stories can help people realize they are not alone.

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