The good old days remembered

 Friday June 24th 2009, 7:30 pm. Wow, I exclaimed as I sank into my chair, I hope I don't have anymore days like today at that lousy job. It wasn't long after I had kicked off my shoes and adjusted the recliner, that the anger started to subside. As I began to relax, I got to thinking about the good old days of my youth and soon dozed off and the dream began again.

 
A peaceful calm enveloped me as I watched myself exit the front door of the house I grew up in. I took a left at the end of the driveway and headed to Mr. Brownstein's Corner Store for the sugar Ma needed to finish a cake. I remember this day now. It's my 13th birthday and I have been looking forward to the party for weeks now. All of my friends will be here and Pa had promised it would be a very special day indeed.

I waved and said hello to the Mr. and Mrs Wilson who lived next door to us. They sure seemed happy sitting there on their porch swing talking. My best friend lived next door to the Wilsons and his name was Bobby Brownstein. We had been best friends for 5 years now. His sister Maggie was the same age as my older sister Susie who was 17. Bobby's Dad and Mom ran the corner store and always gave me a piece of penny candy when I came in. As I passed Bobby's house I noticed that all the lights were on in the house next door where them two brothers Tom and Hank Smith had lived for about 2 years now. The Arnolds house next door to the Smiths sure was looking nice all decorated for the new baby they were bringing home from the Hospital. Them Arnolds sure were rich, Pa said they even had them a colored lady and her little girl that came over and cooked them food and cleaned their house. Ma said she couldn't cotton to someone doing her work for her. She said it wasn't right but I think she was just saying that for Pa to hear.

I turned the corner and slowed down to say hello to preacher Williams sitting on a bench in front of the Millvale Baptist Church we belonged to. He said he was looking forward to this Sunday's bible study classes and asked me to tell Ma, he said hello. As I passed the church and got to the store I met Pa's boss Bubba Brown coming out of the store. Pa said Mr Brown was awful mad about the colored family that had moved into town and boy did he ever look steamed when I saw him. He didn't even see me as he derned near ran me over. That sure was a funny one and I was laughing when I walked in the store. I said hi to Mr. Brownstein and told him Ma needed some sugar for my birthday cake she was making. He had me sign my name just like i was a grown up and everything. Said I was a man now and it was time I started being treated like one. He put Ma's sugar in a bag and gave me 3 whole pieces of candy for my birthday. I was almost skipping as i headed back home to get dressed for my party. Mr. Parks and his daughter Melissa were talking to the preacher when I got back to the church and since I didn't like Melissa I crossed over to the other side of the street before she saw me. Her mom was planting flowers in the yard when I passed their house on the corner across from the church. Mrs, Parks was chatting scross the fence with the little old lady Farmer who lived next door and Mrs. Parks wished me a happy birthday as Mrs, Farmer scurried back in the house. The Frank's house next door was still empty and no one would tell me where mr Franks had gone to or if he was coming back. My other best friend Tim Barker lived across the street from me and he was already dressed and ready for my party. He laughed and said he sure wished I would hurry up and start the party.

It sure seemed like it took forever but we finally got the party started and I was just getting ready to open my presents when Pa came in the front door mad about something.

I sat straight up and started shaking like I always do when I have this dream. I can't figure it out as it is one of the best days or just the last day I can remember from my childhood back in the good old days. You see my memories all seem to stop with my 13th birthday party and don't pick up for almost 15 years.

August 21st 2009, 6:30 am

I hope this trip back to my home town will help bring back some of my childhood, but what Dr North, my shrink tells me is that you have to take what you can get the first time you try this.

August 21st 2009 8:45 am

As I pulled up in front of the church I once belonged to I noticed an old man sitting on the bench in front and the memories of the good old days started to return. The joy that we grew up with and the way everyone seemed to really care about their neighbors was something I was pretty sure we needed to bring back to America. Yes Sir, the good old days were what was missing from this country for sure. I stolled into the church feeling better than I had felt in a long time. As I got to the church office I found an elderly pastor packing up some books and introduced myself. His name was Pastor Gilbert and when I asked him how long he ahd been at Milvale Baptist Church he mentioned he had replaced a Pastor Williams almost 20 years ago. I told him I was trying to get some information about the people from my childhood and to reconnect in some small way with the good old days and he just smiled. I told him I had a list of the names of the people I could vaguely remember and he suggestedwe get started.

I gave him my list and he started with Booby Brownstein and said he thought he had been killed in the war wasn't it a shame how his sister had been raped by an uncle and killed herself right there in their house. He mentioned that Mr. Wilson had died in prison after he had finally beat his wife to death when she failed to get dinner on the table soon enough to suit him. Turns out that the Smith brothers weren't brothersand had been killed along with the Arnold's maid and the Brownsteins in their store. It seems that a local bunch of good ole boy's who belonged to the KKK had been following the maid. They figured they had hit the jackpot with blacks, jews, and homosexuals, all in one spot and they just shot everyone. Mr. Parks and Mr Arnold had been drinking all day and were the only two the police caught. He said that no one had heard from Tim Barker in years but that his dad and Mrs, Parks had run off and got married. Seems they had been having an affair for years and he finally left his wife for good. She committed suicide not long after he left. He told me my sister and Melissa had both been killed for being in favor of womens rights and that my father just could put up with that nonsense in his house and severely beat both of them. Melissa had died and my sister was still being kept alive if I wanted to visit with her. As he got to the name Franks, he said he had died in prison for abusing an old woman who lived next door to him. He stopped when I asked him about my friend Tim Barker. After a long pause, he told me this. Tim was still locked up in the assylum where he had remained since the day after my 13th birthday. it seems that after his father finished sexually assaulted me he did the same to his son before killing himself. The last thought I had before I passed out was that there didn't seem to be all that many good things about the good ole days for a whole lot of people. I decided I wanted no part of the Good Old Days, and if most people were honest with themselves, they would say the same thing.