Under the tree.....

None of the women in my family worked outside of the home.  I don't remember my friends moms working either.  They cooked and cleaned, and mostly took care of us kids during the day.  In the evening time when the men arrived home from work, supper was always ready and we sat down at the table as a family to eat.  After supper we would meet all my aunts, uncles, and cousins under my grandparent's Sapodilla tree in their backyard to relax and talk.  There was a lawn chair for each of us, and the grown ups would sit around in a circle and talk about their day, tell jokes, and laugh a lot.  Aunt Louise would make homemade ice cream.  She had to crank the machine manually, and when her arm got tired we would help her.  I loved the peach flavored the best.  It was wine down time for them at the end of their day. 

The brothers were pranksters and teasers, and before the night was over they would pull a prank on someone.  They would discuss all kinds of topics, and everyone spoke and everyone listened.  They laughed.   They would grab us and hug us and tickle us, let us sit on their laps while they talked.  Sometimes they would disagree, and argue their point of view, and tempers flaired.  But no one would get mad and leave, they always stayed and talked it through.  No one went home mad.  That was one of the rules.  Kiss and make up before you go to sleep at night.  Never go to bed mad.   

A lot of times, mostly on the weekends when we stayed up later, they would tell us stories about growing up in Georgia.  Friends and other family would come and spend time with us.  Sometimes really scary ghost stories that scared the crap out of us.  Me and my cousins would all sit close as we could together and hold hands we were so scared.  We would not walk home alone, and home was right next door.  Made us grab on to our parents arms as we walked to our houses when it was time to go to bed, and it was really dark and we would be really scared and we would have nigthmares.  One of the stories they told was about "Bloody Bones"  who lived behind one of my aunts shed who lived about three houses away.  None of us never went behind that shed until we were about ten years old. 

So, this was what we did for many years and as the years went by we all went through the trials and tribulations of life together.  If something needed fixing, they helped each other fix it.  They were plumbers, casrpenters, plasterers, brick layers, electricians, and gardeners.  If someone's car broke down, they helped each other get to work and back, and then fix the car.  Whatever had to be done it was done.  They faced death and sickness together and supported one another.  There was marriage, childbirth, and divorce.  We laughed until our stomachs hurts. And, we cried tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

I Wish You Love,

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