I was not a troubled child; but, somehow, I was always in trouble. My older sibling, a perfect child, was never in trouble, didn’t talk back, kept his clothes clean, did not scribble in books, was not “hard on shoes,” saved his money, and minded his elders. It was unreasonable to think I could live up to him with any degree of success.
We lived in an apartment over Burrell Motor Company that adjoined the apartment where my grandmother, aunt, and cousin lived. My grandmother was officially in charge of me, and I was in and out of both places all of the time, wreaking havoc wherever I went. That poor lady caught me doing so many things she determined were “naughty” that my mother said she dreaded coming home from work to listen to the litany of what all I had accomplished during her absence.
My Daddy worked away from home for weeks at a time while I was young, so it was mainly Mama who had to contend with trying to raise me. I wore her out, along with all the relatives on that side of the family fairly quickly. But when Daddy was home there was a whole set of relatives to visit who lived in a wonderful place called Nantahala.
Now, you know getting me across the mountain to Nantahala took some doing. Out of everyone I knew, I was the only one who ever was “car sick.” It was a true ailment. No matter the weather, I had to sit in the front seat with the vent glass pointed inward and a steady stream of air hitting my face. Those precautions would get me almost to the top of Wayah before the driver had to pull over for me to walk around for a few minutes.
On the visit still so vivid in my memory, I was wearing a favorite dress that was ordered from Sears and Roebuck. I was allowed to choose five dresses, and one of those would be my Easter dress. Of course, I picked my favorite to wear at Easter and then lived with deep regret, since I couldn’t wear the dress until then. That’s the dress I remember wearing. It was coral and had stitching on the bodice that I really admired.
Our first stop in Nantahala was at my great-uncle’s house. He had gravity water — delicious, icy cold water that ran down the mountain from a spring right into the kitchen. The water poured into the sink continuously, and the faucet was never turned off. What a wonder to behold.
But, best of all, his barn cat had a litter of teeny-tiny kittens.
My cousin, Candy, loved kittens as much as I did, so we stayed at the barn, playing with the cats while the adults visited on the porch. Those kittens were so much fun to hold and cuddle, I didn’t realize their little claws were picking the stitching on my favorite dress until my mother, who could be one of Job’s comforters, pointed it out to me. That took some of the shine off the whole experience.
So, in summary: I hogged the front seat, froze all riders, forced a delay, and ruined my very favorite dress without putting forth any extra effort. All in a day’s work.