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    Ron and Me: I Am Six
    Ron and Me: I Am Six
    Ron and Me: I Am Six
    Ebook190 pages3 hours

    Ron and Me: I Am Six

    By Robert Smith?

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    The year was 1943. The Great Depression was over, and yet it was a time of war and hardship. It was a time when two brothers would leave an orphanage with their birth mother and stepfather. A sister in the infirmary would be brought home a week later. None of the children knew their birth mother or even each other. This story is about two boys one seven, and the other five and a half and their bonding and growing together. It's about the roads they traveled at t

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPage Publishing, Inc.
    Release dateNov 13, 2020
    ISBN9781643507842
    Ron and Me: I Am Six

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      Book preview

      Ron and Me - Robert Smith?

      cover.jpg

      Ron and Me

      I Am Six

      Robert Smith

      Copyright © 2018 Robert Smith
      All rights reserved
      First Edition
      Page Publishing, Inc
      New York, NY
      First originally published by Page Publishing, Inc 2018
      ISBN 978-1-64350-782-8 (Paperback)
      ISBN 978-1-64350-784-2 (Digital)
      Printed in the United States of America

      Table of Contents

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Chapter 12

      Chapter 13

      Chapter 14

      Chapter 15

      Chapter 16

      Chapter 17

      Chapter 18

      Chapter 19

      Chapter 20

      Chapter 21

      Chapter 22

      Chapter 23

      Foreword

      This is a story of my early childhood, from which I base all my writings on. My early history is true events, but the stories I write are based on things that happened or might have happened. They are embellished to make a readable narrative.

      I was born at the end of the Great Depression, and times were hard. I know nothing of this but through things I was told later by my mother. Ron was going on three, I was about a year and a half, and Nita had just been born. Our father left that morning a few weeks after Nita was born and never returned. What happened, no one knows. He never returned, never was heard from, and we three ended up in an orphanage. We spent the next four years there, and I never knew or remembered seeing Ron or Nita or Mom. Several years after being in the orphanage, our mother had remarried and moved to another state. She had a baby girl, Baby Lou, and our stepfather-to-be had arranged guardianship and brought Ron and me home. Nita was in the infirmary with chicken pox, and Mom took a train back to get her a week later. Baby Lou had a dog called White Joe, and there were two homeless men living with us. Bob T. for several years, until he got back on his feet, and Andy D., who would live with us for about five years before he passed on. Andy was elderly, and I think he had found a home and never wanted to leave.

      I don’t write about the hard times, or the effects of the depression, or even the war, as I really don’t know much about them except what Mom told us years later. I just remember those days, and for me they were good.

      Ron sure called me a dummy, but I also noticed he watched over me but didn’t like it if I mentioned it to him. Ron was different, but in my early years, he was a great brother. Back to sic and even seven, I lived in two different places, but in my stories, I don’t differentiate from them, and I use the events freely at either place. I can say for sure there was a White Joe and there was a Big Red! The meanest Rhode Island Red Rooster you would ever see. Most events happened, but I added a lot of story to them to bring those events to life. I freely say I take all the liberty I feel necessary in putting these stories together. They are some of my memories, and if they are glossed over a bit, well, you’re just going to have to overlook it.

      I call Mr. R the widow farmer, Mrs. S. the store owner, Sister M P and the kids, I gave names to because I really don’t recall their actual names nor the farmer, the bus driver, the store owner. This is basically my start, and I’m writing mainly about when I was six. A time when air was clear and clean and a kid could go about anywhere and didn’t need to worry. It was a time when others watched out for folks and, for sure, the kids. It was a time when most kids had a dog. It was a time of no traffic, yet as we walked about, Ron made sure I always walked facing the traffic. I guess you can say it was a time when little brothers listened to their older brothers, even if they did call you dummy. God has blessed me, and sometimes there’s been hard times and sickness, hurt feelings and a few tears shed. Okay, a lot of times, but just like when I was six going on seven, Nita was four going on five, and Ron was seven going on eight, together we became a family. This is about us as a new family and our early years of bonding as best we could. Nita was still living, as was Baby Lou, and it was a time before the twins and Kay would be born. Ron lived to be in his seventies and is gone now, and sometimes when I’m thinking back, I sure do miss him. The twins are gone, and we miss them all. Wonder if any of you ever think of a sibling and wish you had told them more often how much you loved them. Yes, I wonder. The three brothers are gone, so I make sure to tell my sisters I love them every time I see them.

      Chapter 1

      I am six, and I don’t recall much of the ride to our new home. Just two boys sitting in the back of a car and sometimes staring and sometimes ignoring. There was a lot of whatcha a-looking at and shrugging all the way to our new home. It didn’t last, and by the time we got home, we were not staring anymore, and in a couple days, we were actually a talking. It was a morning, and I was wondering how come every doggone day started with me being in a pickle over something. Ron was a-calling me a tattle tail. Honest, I didn’t even know what a tattle was, and once I did, I didn’t remember it a having a tail. Ron must have me mixed up ’cause he seemed to be the only one knowing what a tattle tail was. I was playing with baby Lou, and she done clamped down on my finger and was see-sawing away, and I thought for sure I was a goner. I done held my finger together so it wouldn’t fall off and ran to find Momma to see if she couldn’t sew it back on right.

      Momma said, Bobby Joe, ya just get a grip on yourself, your finger is okay.

      I sneaked a peek, and Momma was right, but the way Lou was sawing, I’d a-thought for sure it was a goner.

      I was thinking Uuuh-oooh when I was hearing Momma saying, Bobby Joe, just what was your finger doing in Lou’s mouth? Did ya know a six-year-old could learn to stammer with no practice at all? I was having trouble getting my first word out when Momma said, She’s cutting teeth, Bobby!

      I was telling Momma she had it all wrong as Lou was cutting my finger. Darned if my Momma didn’t sometimes look at me the way ole Ron did, and I never figured out what it meant. Much as I didn’t wanna, I reckoned I’d better talk to Ron.

      Ron said, Cutting teeth just meant her teeth starting to come in like ours.

      Once again I was at a complete loss for words, so I said, Oooooooh!

      Yep, Ron said, Lou’s teeth are a-coming in, and you’ll be a-losing some of yours. Ron didn’t know me ’cause I’d be keeping an eye on ’em, and ’sides, they were already fastened in. He done went and had me worried again. To be safe, I went and talked this problem over with Momma. Can you believe ole Ron was right again! Second time I could remember it ever happening!

      Momma said, You’re a-gonna lose your two front teeth, Bobby Joe, and that’s the way it is.

      I didn’t think I’d be showing my award-winning smile much when that happened, I was thinking.

      Momma said, They’re your baby teeth, and they have to move out of the way ’cause your permanent ones will be coming in. Momma must have me mixed up with Lou, ’cause my teeth seemed right solid to me as I could bite real hard when I wanted. I’m not bragging, just ask Ron! Ole Ron, being right twice, I figured to go check it out with him.

      Darn if he didn’t say, Yep, Bob, two front teeth, uppers and lowers will a-be a coming out. There sure is a good side though, Bob, ya take and put them teeth under your pillow, and the tooth fairy comes and gathers ’em up and leaves you a dime."

      I was a getting anxious for my ole teeth to fall out and quickly said, Did you leave your teeth for the tooth fairy, Ron? How much did she leave ya, huh, Ron? Betcha ya got a lot of candy, huh, Ron?

      Boy, when you’re on a roll like this, someone has to stop ya, and sure enough, ole Ron did. Naaaa, he said, we was still in the orphanage then, and I don’t think the tooth fairy went to the orphanage.

      I was wondering if tooth fairies were a bit picky when Ron said, The important thing ya gotta know, Bob, is ya never a-swallow them. Ron could get me all happy and just as quick get me all worried! Ron went on. Ya know how Mr. R puts seed in the ground to grow his veggies?

      I said, No.

      Ron said, Well, he does, and them seeds are kinda like your teeth, and if ya swallow them, they will be a-growing in your tummy just like the seeds a-growing in the ground.

      See, Ron had me worried again! Ron said, Bob the best thing for us to do is when they start a-getting wiggly, we go and pull ’em out so ya don’t swallow ’em. See, Ron done got me happy again. Then I was thinking what was this we he was talking about?

      Not knowing any better, I said, What’s this we you’re a talking about? I was fast, for sure, and a quick learner even at six.

      Ron said, ’Cause you’re a big scary cat and will never do it by yourself.

      See Ron done hit his noggin good for sure thinking I was a cat, and even if I was a cat, I for sure wasn’t scary!

      My wiggly teeth day came, and we was in the bedroom, and Ron done tied a heavy thread around my teeth and tied them to the doorknob. Now, Bob, here’s a-where the help comes in. All ya do now is yell Momma, and she’ll come a-running, and when she opens the door, the string will get yanked, and Bob’s your Uncle, teeth all gone.

      I was wondering if this plan wasn’t wrong? It was thunk up by Ron ya know. ’Sides, Ole Something was a-telling me It ain’t a-gonna work, Bob, it ain’t a-gonna work. Have I told ya for that ya always want to listen when Ole Something is talking to ya? Good ole Ron done figured I was too scared to yell, so he done up and yelled Momma! What can I say, the door opened in, and Momma came in, and the threads went down, and Momma was gawking—that’s what Ron said later. My momma was German and didn’t mince her words. Boy, this time, she didn’t say anything. She just reached down and grabbed them ole strings and before anyone knew it, gave ’em a yank. It’s nice to have help, but I was wondering why everyone was always helping me.

      I lost two of my teeth that day, and the other two would come out a couple days later (by themselves). I told Ron later that We must still be in the orphanage as I didn’t get any fairy tooth money either. Wonder where my ole teeth went? Wonder if Ron’s figured out our bedroom door opens in yet?

      I went to bed that night still six and going on seven. Big Red was crowing, and I was stretching. I was feeling real good, and a whole life still ahead of me. Yep, things were good. I looked over at ole Ron in the moonlight and was thinking how lucky I was to have such a brother. Our window was opened a bit as Momma believed in fresh air. I snuggled down under my covers and went to sleep. I don’t know when it happened, but I woke up and was lying real still. Momma always said to keep still when something was happening and try and figure it out. I was trying to figure out what had come over me as I could wiggle my toes and my feet about a bit, but I couldn’t a lift them up. I was feeling bad as I was doomed to be a burden on Momma forever. I said, Ron? He sighed real loud and was out of the bed, heading for the bathroom and I said, Help!

      Ron said, Help yourself, I gotta pee. And as he headed for the door, the weight on my feet done lifted, and as fast as it came, it was gone. Could Ron be a miracle worker, I was wondering? I was already asleep when Ron got back. I remember hearing Ole Big Red crowing, and I was stretching and coming awake when it up and hit me, I couldn’t raise my legs again. Ron, I said, I need help a getting up.

      Darn if I didn’t hear him say, Ya need help, period, Bob. He headed toward the door and, mercy to heavens, just like that, the heavy weight was gone, and I could lift my legs. That was twice now, and ole Ron had performed two miracles. Momma said if a person performed three miracles, they would declare him a saint. I was sure pondering this and thinking it can’t be right. Ron, a saint? Momma can’t be right and must have got the story mixed up. Ron a saint!

      I made it to the kitchen table and had just buttered me a biscuit and was a-ready to drink my half cup of coffee with a half cup a milk when it happened again. I couldn’t raise my feet! I looked at Ron and could tell he knew I was in trouble. He grabbed a biscuit, got up, looked at me, and said, Not again, Bob, and promptly left the table, and honestly, just like that, that ole weight done lifted off my feet. Ron had sure went and done three miracles! Wonder if he’d be expecting me to call him Saint Ron now? I can say for sure I’d always be thankful for his help, but no way I’d be calling him Saint.

      Ron came back and was sitting at the table, eating another biscuit, when Nita came in and sat to the table. Boy, that girl could sleep forever. She was waiting for someone to serve her, and Ron wasn’t about to, and I done had a bad night and not a good morning, and I was catching up on my biscuit eating. I hadn’t even had one drink of my milk coffee. Momma got to her and put some cereal down before her and went to the stove. Nita quickly pushed aside the cereal and reached for the biscuits. When it came to eating, Momma never raised no dumb kids. Nita had done put away a whole biscuit when I was noticing her squirming in her chair, and I was a figuring, ants for sure. She was looking

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