Friday, April 23, 2010

Step-Father # 2~Cool Daddy-O

Bill, my second step-father, was cool and we nick named him "Cool Daddy O". He and moma met at the dance studio, so we became dance studio kiddos. I never really knew much about Bill. He traveled a lot with his work. I don't think he liked children.

New step-father and a new house. Things were looking up for us. We lived in a real neighborhood and there was a bayou behind our house at the end of the back yard. It was a nice place to explore. My memories are few here because Bill and moma were not married very long. Maybe two years or so. He did not know what he had signed up for.

Random memories. Once, I caught a catfish and put him in the kitchen sink.I was always doing things like that because it was fun. Bill wasn't around, so my grandfather came over and got him out of the sink. I was a tomboy and loved to fish. I was always making concoctions to get rid of moles and varmint. I would use herbs and spices mixed up with all kinds of sauces, Worchester, vinegar or what ever was handy. I once fried an egg on the side walk to see if it would fry. It did. I painted my bike royal blue and myself as well. It took a lot of gasoline to get it off me and my clothes. I put a wasp nest in my jewelry box only to learn that is not a good thing to do, especially when you hear buzzing. I leaned a lot of things in those few years. Like how to behave.

My sister lived to torment me. She was mean to me. I was even meaner to her. Once she even kicked me in the stomach after my surgery. We fought a lot about mostly nothing. She put a piece of soap in my eye. My response was very in appropriate. I am ashamed to admit it but I did run after her with the first thing I could grab, a butcher knife. I chased her down the hallway until I ran it through the hollow core door of the bathroom. I am so thankful that I did not hurt her. It would take me years to even like her. She was sneaky and was always getting me in trouble. As for me, I was not even good at lying and you could see it on my face if I lied. I found it was better to just tell the truth. I tell you I got in some serious consequences for that incident.

I had a terrible temper. Bill taught me some valuable lessons about my temper. No matter where we were we where, if I had a tantrum he would sit me down on the floor and make me build card houses. If it fell, I had to start over again. I learned a lot about myself, but my sister still did things to aggravate me. She really didn't stand a chance against me because I was tough and she was all mouth and a big sissy. Funny though she pitched fits too, but got away with them.

I was not fat, but she loved to call me fat like Fats Domino, the singer. I don't know why I even let her comments bother me. We were so very different. I was neat and she was a slob. But if anyone tried to hurt her I was there to beat them up.After she came to live with us, my mother spent the next fifteen years trying to make it up to her. If she needed a dance outfit, moma would stay up all night to sew it for her. I know moma loved me, but I always felt slighted.

Bill and moma had lots of interesting friends. We learned all about yatch racing at the country club. We attended lots of dancing parties with all sorts of unique people. Some artists, some gamblers, some newspaper men, and some wealthy folks all made for an interesting mix of friends. It was an unusual place to grow up in. Always dark rooms filled with smoke and the greatest music.

I don't remember too much about their divorce except that our lives changed once again and we moved on.

8 comments:

Roland D. Yeomans said...

I love your blog. And you have my virtual cat. But yours is on steroids!

I was absorbed in your memories of your childhood. My mother, half-Lakota, told me that as long as I kept memories of love about her, she would never leave me. And though her body has gone, her spirit still lingers with me, ruffling my hair at times, murmuring, "Little One, remember when ...."

Come visit my blog if you're of a mind, WRITING IN THE CROSSHAIRS, Roland

Unspoken said...

So many siblings grow up with one feeling slighted...

Finding Pam said...

Roland, your mother sounds like she was very wise. Thank you for stopping by and commenting.


Amy, I sure hope that my sons don't feel that way. My sister just told me last night that she was envious of me because of my musical abiltiy in high school. I never would have thought that of her.

Melissa Lynn Shell said...

I really enjoyed reading about this part of your childhood.

Do you still build card houses?

DeEtta said...

I don't know how I missed this. I love reading about your childhood the lessons in life that you learned. I believe, even though painful, they have made you who you are.

Jean-Luc Picard said...

Excellent and thoughtful answers.

Chickie said...

When I was a kid I was always concocting things to try and kill the red ant colony that lived on our dirt road. Some kind of fancy mustard mixed with some other stuff from the icebox was my most successful thing.

Not getting along with you sister...that sounds like me and mine. We were at each others' throats until she was in her twenties.

Finding Pam said...

Chickie, I can't believe you did the same sort of weird concoctions. We were green even then. LOL!

I am glad to know that I was not the only one that fought with her sister.

It's funny that no one mentions the fact that I put a butcher knife through the door. I was really ashamed to admit it.

Love ya.