And Then

We go on our vacation. It was a time of renewal. We visited family I had not seen in over 40 years, My Aunt Corrine, My Cousin, Dorothy Brown, Danny Brown, Aunt Mary Ella, Aunt Polly, Lena Belle, It was amazing to see how we had all changed.
From teen age girls and young moms to older women and grown women.
They all knew me, Dorothy just happened to be in Bearden visiting Aunt Corrine. What a treat to see her.
We ate at a cafe that sat right in the spot of our familys Gas station. We always stopped there. I think it belonged to the Carol's. As I sat, waiting for my Bar-B-Que, I had been telling David about the store and how it looked in 1954, Suddenly I  turn and see a painting on the wall.
The painting is an exact replica of that little store. Round Gas pumps and all.
I walk over and question about it, The waitress says, "Someone said that was the store that used to  sit here, the family lived in the back. "
I assured her, They were right as I drank Many Chocolate Cokes from their slide and serve Soda Machine. This was Part of my life when I was just a small child.

When we arrived in Louisiana it was if we had left the United states. The air was thick, The Ponds had green scum and you could see the trails of Crocodile or something and I did not want to be out on those bridges, Walking, What if they could jump up and grab my legs. SCARY..

Oh Louisiana, What a place to visit. The trees hung with Spanish moss and the pink air, well we were in awe. Our plans had been to go further down but we  had made a promise to be back at a certain time.. We have wished a million times we had just kept going.

However, We arrived at a little town with a Home Straight out of "Gone with the Wind"
We thought it was the City Court House., Imagine our surprise when a beautiful colored gentleman walked out and told us, "No this is our home, We are fixing it up." It was Magnificent.
In the front yard was a Magnolia tree every lower branch dipped to the ground and re rooted into another Magnolia Tree. It was the most beautiful tree I ever saw.
This was in the middle of Bienville Parish.
We had looked and looked for a sign that said, Bienville parish. We drove down a long country road, Suddenly we came upon a sharp curve in the road. Right beside it stood an old Railroad Station. The railroad was still there but not in use. My heart almost stopped.
That was it, That was the station My Mom told me she stepped off in when she was 18. Her very first trip away from Sparkman, She was with Daddy and a fresh young Country Girl, with Strawberry Blond hair, weighing 112 lbs and a body made to work hard.
My Mama was a tough lady.
She told me that summer she worked with Grandma Brown putting in gardens and canning and daylight to dark she worked with the brown family. She was now a Brown, she had to pull her weight.   Grandpa Brown had been injured in a Log roll accident so he was not any help, and  some of the boys were pretty young. Daddy was in Louisiana working for the CC Camp. He was stationed near but lived in a camp. Mama said, "I was their work horse"
Later in the fall when Daddy came home on leave, She told him, "I am nothing here but a work horse, If I am going to work all time, I am going home to take care of my Own Mama and Papa"
And She Did.

Anyway back to our story. As we passed this station, I felt like
" Kathy Bates in Fried Green Tomatoes"
 I could almost sense the past, see and hear the trains, I told David to stand really still and listen to laughter of a time past.  A light breeze filtered through, It was amazing. (He thought I was nuts)

As we drove on further we passed many signs for Bonnie and Clyde days. That celebration was   quickly to follow. (However we would be on our way back to California)  They were killed (more like slaughtered)  on the road we were traveling.  Wow! How Ironic, My Daddy had told us he knew of that and he had seen "Pretty Boy Floyd" Wow!!!! Again!!! History in the making.
I felt as if I had gone back in time.
We finally stopped at a little side store and asked,"Where is Bienville Parish?"
"Sir you are standing right in the middle of it"
OK now we get it a Parish is like a county to us. HUMMM
Back to the Little town we go. We park and begin walking, It was tough, My chest hurt so we stopped often. I turned a corner, Suddenly the sidewalk fell away and crumbled. Buildings were in great disrepair, This is it, This is the street my Mama and Daddy walked on when they were 18 and 25. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
We dropped into a little care and ordered Tea. Imagine this,
Sue "Excuse me do you have any unsweetened tea?"
Waitress, "UN sweetended?
No Mam We only serve sweet tea."
'How about Decaf Coffee?"
 We only have that in instant."
OH that is OK I will have water.
As we sit, we have a small town " Mare"  (mayor) come in, He is out pushing for votes.
We are eyed continually, After all we are not familiar faces and maybe he has some new " Constituents" (You must say that southern) Taken from "Brother Where Art Thou?"
We took another tour through town, to a motel and rested for the night, Then we  headed back to Arkansas. We felt Sad leaving History behind us, but our Hearts were dancing in our chest for knowing we had walked on the streets my ancestors walked on.

I was walking where angels walked, Where Love began, Where Sweet Tea is a Necessity and Where My Dad enlisted for CCCamp during WW2.
He was sworn in, in Monroe Louisiana.


Part 3 to follow.