| Biographical Non-Fiction posted August 11, 2012 | Chapters: |
...11 14 -15- 16 
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My first train and adventure, back in the forties.
A chapter in the book Viewing the World With Fresh Eyes
Riding the Rail
by BethShelby
Four a.m. and I was being dragged from bed and dressed. My sleep-clogged eyes blinked trying to adjust to the light. I remembered why I was awake in the night. This was to be my first great adventure. I'd looked forward to it with eagerness, but now it hurt to be awake when my body was crying out for more sleep.
"Be still, Honey! Let Daddy get your shoes on. You can go back to sleep on the train."
My mother and I were leaving our little town of Newton in east-central Mississippi and heading for Texas, so she could try to talk her wayward brother out of divorcing his wife for another woman. Divorce was a disgrace in the 40's, and she was sure he would listen to reason.
Excitement was starting to build again as the big engine pulled into the station with a bellow that all but drowned out the voices around me. The black smoke was barely visible in the darkness of pre-dawn. The smell of burning charcoal mixed with damp night air invaded my nostrils.
Daddy kissed us goodbye, before we made our way through the train along with a small group of other boarders. I shivered from the anticipation of adventure. We walked through several cars until Mother found us a seat. She settled me down and told me put my head in her lap. She threw a shawl around my bare legs.
"Now you try to get some sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us."
Sleep? How was that possible? I was awake now. I wanted to see, feel, and hear everything. At age six, I'd never been out of my sleepy little town before. We lived in the country. Nothing ever happened. It was a whole different world out there, and I wanted to be a part of it.
The train shuddered and whistled and started up with a jerk. Obediently, I tried to close my eyes, but sleep escaped me. Even the train's rocking motion and the rumble of the wheels weren't successful in benumbing my senses. I was aware when someone came through asking for tickets, but I tried to pretend I was sleeping as Mother fished in her purse for our tickets.
I managed to pretend sleep for about forty minutes, until a big man in a blue uniform came bellowing through the car, shouting out the first station stop. I sat up abruptly and looked out the window. The first light of dawn had turned the sky pink. I saw small group of people on the platform of a shack-like building waiting to board. No amount of persuading on Mom's part was successful in getting me to lie down again. She gave up trying.
Someone pushed a cart through selling breakfast items, and Mom purchased milk and a sweet roll for me. For hours, I peered out the window until my eyes ached from staring at the passing scenery. The train stopped often. The big buildings we sometimes passed filled me with awe. It was August and air-conditioning was almost unheard of. Occasional puffs of black smoke drifted through the open windows causing my eyes to burn and my skin to feel gritty.
Passengers got on and off, and our almost empty car began to fill. Sometimes people in other seats would strike a conversation with Mother and would ask me if I was enjoying riding the train.
At one point, a group of soldiers got on along with an MP. They were rowdy, and one of them staggered and almost fell on top of us. Mother whispered she thought they were drunk. As the day wore on, I began to tire and started asking how much longer. I was anxious to see my cousins, but Mother said it would be after dark before we arrived.
About 2 p.m., we had an hour layover in a big city. Mother decided we would walk to a nearby shopping area. She wanted to clean me up and buy me some new shoes. The time passed quickly, and we nearly missed the train. I remember her urging me to hurry. We ran almost all the way back.
Our seats faced each other and Mother persuaded me to lie on the one across from her, hoping I'd be able to get a nap. By evening, the train became very crowded. Two soldiers got on and asked if they could sit by us. Almost immediately, they started a conversation. The one by me put his arm around me and called me his girlfriend. I thought he was handsome and managed to develop my first crush on an older guy within minutes.
Mother was having problems with the other one, who was attempting to hold her hand while she talked to him about God. Both smelled of liquor. It was the same odor I sometimes detected when one of mother's brothers kissed me. The soldiers helped make the time go by faster, by entertaining me with silly songs and knock-knock jokes.
I was still awake at eleven that night when we finally arrived at our destination. Aunt Aline was there to meet us. She picked up our luggage and whisked us off to her house. In almost no time, she had us settled for the night. She put me in a twin bed adjacent to my younger cousin, Dave. He was already sound asleep. I drifted off to sleep staring at a glow-in-the-dark picture of a cow jumping over the moon.
The next two weeks brought many new experiences to a little country girl, like riding from Port Arthur to Houston, Texas in the rumble seat of Aunt Aline's Chevy, and eating chocolate ice cream cones which we bought for a dime from street vendors with the musical carts. My first trip to the beach in Galveston was almost too wonderful to believe. The gulf waves and white sand were more than my young mind could have imagined.
The oil refineries of Texas had drawn many of my Mississippi uncles to uproot their families and move to Texas to find work. I met a lot of cousins whom I'd only heard about before.
It was a time when parents felt it was safe to let their children roam the neighborhoods even in the late evening without fear. Near dark, mothers could be heard up and down the streets shouting for their children to come home. The houses were small and close together. Back in Mississippi my own home was built on acreage, with no other children's homes within walking distance. In this neighborhood, kids were everywhere. Dave, my favorite cousin, near my own age, was my guide on this grand adventure. Is there any wonder, I didn't want this to ever end?
When the two weeks were over, we didn't ride the train back home. Aunt Aline drove us back in her car. She was also a Mississippi girl, with brothers and sisters in our little town. The fact my cousin Dave was with us made the long trip home by car more fun.
The only thing unpleasant about the trip was the Texas' giant mosquitos, which seemed to be drawn to my tender flesh, unused as it was to the late evening exposure. Telling me not to scratch was pointless. To this day, I have white spots on my arms which I'm sure are scars from me digging into my skin with sharp fingernails trying to stop itches that wouldn't quit.
Mom's attempt to stop her brother's divorce was completely unsuccessful. Uncle Newman went on to divorce and remarry three more times. Still Mother's good intentions provided me with happy memories that would last a lifetime.
A Childhood Memory writing prompt entry
Four a.m. and I was being dragged from bed and dressed. My sleep-clogged eyes blinked trying to adjust to the light. I remembered why I was awake in the night. This was to be my first great adventure. I'd looked forward to it with eagerness, but now it hurt to be awake when my body was crying out for more sleep.
"Be still, Honey! Let Daddy get your shoes on. You can go back to sleep on the train."
My mother and I were leaving our little town of Newton in east-central Mississippi and heading for Texas, so she could try to talk her wayward brother out of divorcing his wife for another woman. Divorce was a disgrace in the 40's, and she was sure he would listen to reason.
Excitement was starting to build again as the big engine pulled into the station with a bellow that all but drowned out the voices around me. The black smoke was barely visible in the darkness of pre-dawn. The smell of burning charcoal mixed with damp night air invaded my nostrils.
"Be still, Honey! Let Daddy get your shoes on. You can go back to sleep on the train."
My mother and I were leaving our little town of Newton in east-central Mississippi and heading for Texas, so she could try to talk her wayward brother out of divorcing his wife for another woman. Divorce was a disgrace in the 40's, and she was sure he would listen to reason.
Excitement was starting to build again as the big engine pulled into the station with a bellow that all but drowned out the voices around me. The black smoke was barely visible in the darkness of pre-dawn. The smell of burning charcoal mixed with damp night air invaded my nostrils.
Daddy kissed us goodbye, before we made our way through the train along with a small group of other boarders. I shivered from the anticipation of adventure. We walked through several cars until Mother found us a seat. She settled me down and told me put my head in her lap. She threw a shawl around my bare legs.
"Now you try to get some sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us."
Sleep? How was that possible? I was awake now. I wanted to see, feel, and hear everything. At age six, I'd never been out of my sleepy little town before. We lived in the country. Nothing ever happened. It was a whole different world out there, and I wanted to be a part of it.
The train shuddered and whistled and started up with a jerk. Obediently, I tried to close my eyes, but sleep escaped me. Even the train's rocking motion and the rumble of the wheels weren't successful in benumbing my senses. I was aware when someone came through asking for tickets, but I tried to pretend I was sleeping as Mother fished in her purse for our tickets.
I managed to pretend sleep for about forty minutes, until a big man in a blue uniform came bellowing through the car, shouting out the first station stop. I sat up abruptly and looked out the window. The first light of dawn had turned the sky pink. I saw small group of people on the platform of a shack-like building waiting to board. No amount of persuading on Mom's part was successful in getting me to lie down again. She gave up trying.
Someone pushed a cart through selling breakfast items, and Mom purchased milk and a sweet roll for me. For hours, I peered out the window until my eyes ached from staring at the passing scenery. The train stopped often. The big buildings we sometimes passed filled me with awe. It was August and air-conditioning was almost unheard of. Occasional puffs of black smoke drifted through the open windows causing my eyes to burn and my skin to feel gritty.
Passengers got on and off, and our almost empty car began to fill. Sometimes people in other seats would strike a conversation with Mother and would ask me if I was enjoying riding the train.
At one point, a group of soldiers got on along with an MP. They were rowdy, and one of them staggered and almost fell on top of us. Mother whispered she thought they were drunk. As the day wore on, I began to tire and started asking how much longer. I was anxious to see my cousins, but Mother said it would be after dark before we arrived.
About 2 p.m., we had an hour layover in a big city. Mother decided we would walk to a nearby shopping area. She wanted to clean me up and buy me some new shoes. The time passed quickly, and we nearly missed the train. I remember her urging me to hurry. We ran almost all the way back.
Our seats faced each other and Mother persuaded me to lie on the one across from her, hoping I'd be able to get a nap. By evening, the train became very crowded. Two soldiers got on and asked if they could sit by us. Almost immediately, they started a conversation. The one by me put his arm around me and called me his girlfriend. I thought he was handsome and managed to develop my first crush on an older guy within minutes.
Mother was having problems with the other one, who was attempting to hold her hand while she talked to him about God. Both smelled of liquor. It was the same odor I sometimes detected when one of mother's brothers kissed me. The soldiers helped make the time go by faster, by entertaining me with silly songs and knock-knock jokes.
I was still awake at eleven that night when we finally arrived at our destination. Aunt Aline was there to meet us. She picked up our luggage and whisked us off to her house. In almost no time, she had us settled for the night. She put me in a twin bed adjacent to my younger cousin, Dave. He was already sound asleep. I drifted off to sleep staring at a glow-in-the-dark picture of a cow jumping over the moon.
The next two weeks brought many new experiences to a little country girl, like riding from Port Arthur to Houston, Texas in the rumble seat of Aunt Aline's Chevy, and eating chocolate ice cream cones which we bought for a dime from street vendors with the musical carts. My first trip to the beach in Galveston was almost too wonderful to believe. The gulf waves and white sand were more than my young mind could have imagined.
I was still awake at eleven that night when we finally arrived at our destination. Aunt Aline was there to meet us. She picked up our luggage and whisked us off to her house. In almost no time, she had us settled for the night. She put me in a twin bed adjacent to my younger cousin, Dave. He was already sound asleep. I drifted off to sleep staring at a glow-in-the-dark picture of a cow jumping over the moon.
The next two weeks brought many new experiences to a little country girl, like riding from Port Arthur to Houston, Texas in the rumble seat of Aunt Aline's Chevy, and eating chocolate ice cream cones which we bought for a dime from street vendors with the musical carts. My first trip to the beach in Galveston was almost too wonderful to believe. The gulf waves and white sand were more than my young mind could have imagined.
The oil refineries of Texas had drawn many of my Mississippi uncles to uproot their families and move to Texas to find work. I met a lot of cousins whom I'd only heard about before.
It was a time when parents felt it was safe to let their children roam the neighborhoods even in the late evening without fear. Near dark, mothers could be heard up and down the streets shouting for their children to come home. The houses were small and close together. Back in Mississippi my own home was built on acreage, with no other children's homes within walking distance. In this neighborhood, kids were everywhere. Dave, my favorite cousin, near my own age, was my guide on this grand adventure. Is there any wonder, I didn't want this to ever end?
When the two weeks were over, we didn't ride the train back home. Aunt Aline drove us back in her car. She was also a Mississippi girl, with brothers and sisters in our little town. The fact my cousin Dave was with us made the long trip home by car more fun.
The only thing unpleasant about the trip was the Texas' giant mosquitos, which seemed to be drawn to my tender flesh, unused as it was to the late evening exposure. Telling me not to scratch was pointless. To this day, I have white spots on my arms which I'm sure are scars from me digging into my skin with sharp fingernails trying to stop itches that wouldn't quit.
Mom's attempt to stop her brother's divorce was completely unsuccessful. Uncle Newman went on to divorce and remarry three more times. Still Mother's good intentions provided me with happy memories that would last a lifetime.
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Writing Prompt Write a fun story about an event that happened to you as a child. Let's keep this light and fun, please no death or suicide tales. |
 Recognized |
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I'm reposting some earlier things because nerve damage in one of my hands is making it hard for me to type right now.
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