Chapter Thirty

I started to day dream. No, it wasn’t daydreaming. I was remembering, remembering what my brother’s life and mine were like when mama lived with us in our little house. I remember daddy not being there too much and when he was; he was sleeping.

From what I learned as I grew up, daddy worked at a roller skating rink. Hmm, that must be why I was a good skater when I grew up. Grandma told me once when I was about thirteen, that daddy used to take me to work with him sometimes. He put the smallest skates on they rented, and I learned to be on skates at about two.

I do remember a big, glittery ball hanging in the middle of the ceiling. I used to stare at it, as colored lights bounced off the ball. It was real exciting to watch. I don’t ever remember my brother ever being there, but then again, he was just a baby and couldn’t even stand.

I was told that he had two jobs. The other one was setting pins up at the bowling alley. I never got to go there so I don’t really know what setting pins up meant. He always told me when we did have those few moments to talk, that it was a very loud job and he wondered if the balls could come rolling down the lane so fast, that they might hit him, then he would chuckle. I laughed too although I wasn’t sure what I was laughing at.

Daddy worked when it was dark outside and I was always or usually asleep when he got home, so we didn’t see him at breakfast or lunch, and sometimes he ate supper with us. I remember him always having a cold beer with a sandwich.

Sometimes mama drank those cold beers too and when she drank to many, she wouldn’t be a nice mama anymore. She would yell at anyone who was listening and sometimes I watched her throw an empty beer bottle and daddy would yell back at her and I even saw him throw a glass ashtray at her once.

Now that I am looking back, I don’t remember too many good meals. I guess I didn’t think much of it until I started eating at Miss Bea’s house. Now she had great meals. Mama usually had peanut butter sandwiches and sometimes we had jelly on them too.

Sometimes on Sundays we ate hot dogs and fried potatoes. Those were special days because we got red jello too. We didn’t go to grandma’s for dinner unless it was grandma or grandpa’s birthday or it was Christmas.

It makes me sad now that I am looking back because I can understand a lot more what the grown-ups were talking about when they spoke of my brother’s health problems.

To be continued…