STORY COURTESY OF THE WAYNE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
PICTURE COURTESY OF SHUTTERSTOCK
"STORIES YOU WON'T BELIEVE" BY LONNIE E. BROWN, IS A BOOK FILLED WITH SHORT STORIES, THAT I AM SHARING WITH ALL OF YOU, WE'LL GO THRU IT STORY BY STORY.
THIS ONE IS -
"SKIPPING SCHOOL"
"SKIPPING SCHOOL"
CORNFIELDS WERE COMMON HIDING PLACES IN THE COUNTRY. LIKE GRANDMOTHER SALLY, I HAD HEADED THERE A FEW TIMES MYSELF TO ESCAPE FROM AN UNPLEASANT SITUATION. THE TIME THAT STANDS OUT MOST CLEARLY IN MY MIND WAS THE DAY MY BABY BROTHER WAS BORN.
IF YOU WERE A TEEN OR A PRE-TEEN IN THOSE DAYS, THE ARRIVAL OF A NEW BABY IN THE FAMILY WAS SOMETHING OF AN EMBARRASSMENT. YOU JUST DIDN'T LIKE TO THINK THAT YOUR PARENTS HAD CREATED ANOTHER BEING! BESIDES, I HAD ONE BROTHER AND THREE SISTERS, AND I FIGURED ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH. OUR PARENTS INFORMED US, HOWEVER, THAT WE WOULD SOON BE HAVING A NEW ADDITION TO THE FAMILY.
HE ARRIVED ONE NIGHT LATE IN FEBRUARY. BABIES WERE BORN AT HOME BACK THEN, AS A RULE, SO WE WEREN'T SURPRISED WHEN THE MIDWIFE ARRIVED AFTER SUPPER TO HELP MOM WITH THE DELIVERY. DOCTORS WERE ONLY CALLED IN IF THE BIRTH WAS A PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT ONE. WE KIDS WERE SENT TO BED EARLY AND WE SLEPT THROUGH THE BIRTHING COMMOTION.
DAD WOKE US FOR BREAKFAST AND TOLD US WE HAD A LITTLE BABY BROTHER. HE ALSO TOLD US TO GET DRESSED, EAT BREAKFAST, AND GO TO SCHOOL. NONE OF THE THINGS HE SAID THRILLED US EXCEPT THE PART ABOUT EATING BREAKFAST.
"COME LOOK AT YOUR NEW BROTHER," MOM CALLED FROM HER BED.
MY TWO YOUNGEST SISTERS, WHO WERE NOT YET OLD ENOUGH TO GO TO SCHOOL, RAN OVER SMILING TO TAKE A LOOK. MY BROTHER, MY OTHER SISTER, AND I REMAINED AT THE TABLE EATING.
"GO ON," DAD INSTRUCTED.
WE WENT ABOUT MIDWAY ACROSS THE ROOM, GLANCED AT THE BUNDLE BESIDE MOM, SHRUGGED, PUT ON OUR COATS, HATS, AND GLOVES, GRABBED OUR BOOKS AND OUR LUNCHES, AND RAN OUT THE DOOR FOR SCHOOL.
"ANOTHER LITTLE CRYING BABY," MY YOUNGER BROTHER SAID.
"YEAH," I AGREED. "HE'LL KEEP US UP ALL NIGHT SQUALLING!"
"WE'LL ALL HAVE MORE CHORES TO DO WITH MOM IN BED FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS," MY SISTER ADDED.
I HADN'T THOUGHT OF THAT, BUT I KNEW SHE WAS RIGHT. I REMEMBERED THAT IT HAD BEEN THAT WAY WHEN OUR TWO LITTLE SISTERS WERE BORN.
AS WE WALKED DOWN THE COUNTRY ROAD WITH THESE DREARY THOUGHTS IN MIND, WE WERE DEFINITELY NOT THIS BABY BOY'S BEST WELCOMING COMMITTEE.
JUST AS WE CAME TO AMOS SMITH'S HOUSE, HIS DOGS RACED OUT, BARKING FURIOUSLY AND NIPPING AT OUR HEELS LIKE THEY DID AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY. USUALLY, WE PICKED UP A STICK BEFORE WE APPROACHED THE HOUSE SO WE COULD SCARE THEM OFF, BUT THIS MORNING WE FORGOT, THANKS TO THAT BABY. WE TOOK OFF RUNNING AND ESCAPED INTO THE CORNFIELD BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE DOGS LOST INTEREST AND WENT BACK INTO THEIR YARD.
"NOTHING'S GOING RIGHT THIS MORNING," MY SISTER SAID, "WE'VE ENDED UP IN A CORNFIELD."
"IT WOULD SERVE EVERYBODY RIGHT IF WE JUST STAYED IN THE CORNFIELD," I SAID.
"YOU KNOW," SAID MY SISTER, "THAT'S NOT A BAD IDEA. WE SHOULD JUST SKIP SCHOOL AND STAY HERE ALL DAY! LET 'UM WONDER WHAT HAPPENED TO US."
"YEAH," I AGREED. "THE KIDS WILL TEASE US ALL DAY IF WE GO TO SCHOOL. LET'S STAY HERE! THEN THEY'LL BE SORRY!"
"I'M COLD," COMPLAINED MY BROTHER. IT WAS A WARM DAY FOR FEBRUARY, BUT IT WAS STILL TOO COLD FOR COMFORT. "I DON'T WANT TO STAY IN A CORNFIELD ALL DAY! WE'LL GET IN TROUBLE!"
"WELL, YOU'RE GOING TO STAY," MY SISTER TOLD HIM.
"I'M GOING TO TELL DAD THAT YOU MADE ME STAY," HE REPLIED, WITH THE SLIGHTEST WHINE IN HIS VOICE.
"YOU TELL AND WE'LL BEAT YOUR BOTTOM," I THREATENED.
HE SETTLED DOWN AND RECONCILED HIMSELF TO HIS PLIGHT FOR THE TIME BEING, BUT IT DIDN'T LAST LONG. WE WERE BEGINNING TO THINK WE MIGHT HAVE MADE A MISTAKE BECAUSE THE FEBRUARY CHILL WAS ALREADY GETTING TO OUR BONES.
"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ALL DAY?" HE ASKED.
"OUR SCHOOL WORK," MY SISTER ANSWERED.
WE OPENED OUR BOOKS, SAT ON SOME FODDER THAT WAS PILED ON THE GROUND IN ONE ROW, AND WORKED ON MATH AND SPELLING. WHEN MY BROTHER GOT BORED, WE MADE A GAME OF IT. SOMETIMES WE STOOD UP AND RAN AROUND TO GET WARM.
"I'M HUNGRY!" MY BROTHER SAID. WE OPENED OUR LUNCHES AND ATE OUR BOLOGNA AND CHEESE SANDWICHES.
"I'M THIRSTY! WHAT HAVE WE GOT TO DRINK?" MY BROTHER ASKED.
WE USUALLY DRANK WATER WITH OUR LUNCH AT SCHOOL, SO, OF COURSE, WE HADN'T BROUGHT ANY WITH US.
"WE CAN'T DRINK UNTIL WE GET HOME," MY SISTER TOLD HIM.
THAT DIDN'T MAKE HIM HAPPY AT ALL.
"I'M GOING TO TELL ON YOU WHEN I GET HOME," HE MUTTERED AGAIN, BUT A THREATENING LOOK FROM ME SHUT HIM UP.
TIME DRAGGED ON AFTER WE ATE. I DON'T THINK ANY OF US EVER SPENT SUCH A MISERABLE DAY OR A LONGER DAY IN OUR LIVES. WE DIDN'T HAVE A WATCH, SO WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TIME SCHOOL WOULD BE OUT. FINALLY, WE THOUGHT WE HEARD THE SCHOOL BUS BRINGING THE KIDS HOME FROM THE SCHOOL IN RUSSELL SPRINGS. WE FIGURED OUR LITTLE COUNTRY SCHOOL MUST BE OUT, TOO, SO WE DECIDED IT WOULD BE SAFE TO GO HOME. AS SOON AS WE ENTERED THE DOOR, WE KNEW WE WERE WRONG.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HOME EARLY?" DAD WANTED TO KNOW.
BEFORE WE COULD COLLECT OUR THOUGHTS AND COME UP WITH A GOOD EXCUSE, OUR BROTHER BLURTED OUT, "WE DIDN'T GO TO SCHOOL TODAY! WE STAYED IN THE CORNFIELD!"
"YOU DID WHAT?" DAD ASKED.
MY BROTHER, IN SAFE TERRITORY NOW, GAVE DAD ALL THE DETAILS.
MOM WAS FURIOUS.
"YOU LITTLE DEVILISH THINGS!" SHE SAID. "IF I COULD GET OUT OF THIS BED RIGHT NOW, I'D WHIP EVERY ONE OF YOU!"
DAD EVIDENTLY THOUGHT WE'D BEEN PUNISHED ENOUGH BY OUR OWN FOOLISH ACTIONS, SO HE JUST TALKED TO US INSTEAD OF RESORTING TO SPANKING. IN THE END, WE CERTAINLY SAW THE ERROR OF OUR WAYS AND PROMISED NEVER TO DO A THING LIKE THAT AGAIN.
I THINK IT WAS OUR EMBARRASSMENT ABOUT OUR NEW BABY BROTHER THAT BOTHERED MOM MOST OF ALL.
"DON'T YOU LOVE THE LITTLE FELLOW?" SHE ASKED, PULLIN THE BLANKET BACK SO WE COULD SEE HIM BETTER.
THIS TIME, WE ALL MOVED UP TO THE BEDSIDE. HE WAS KICKING HIS LITTLE FEET AND SEEMED TO BE LOOKING AROUND TO SEE WHAT KIND OF FAMILY HE'D BEEN BORN INTO. WE ALL HAD TO AGREE THAT HE WAS SORT OF CUTE.
DAY BY DAY, HE GREW ON US. NOW WE WOULDN'T TRADE HIM FOR ALL THE CORNFIELDS ON THE PLANET!
WE WOULDN'T TRADE THE CORNFIELD EXPERIENCE EITHER. IT MADE US FEEL A LOT CLOSER TO GRANDMOTHER SALLY BECAUSE WE ALL SHARED A COMMON HIDING PLACE.
WRITTEN BY: LONNIE E. BROWN
FROM THE BOOK "STORIES YOU WON'T BELIEVE"
STORY "SKIPPING SCHOOL"
COURTESY OF THE LOCAL LIBRARY I RENT BOOKS FROM.
HOPE ALL ENJOYED IT.
02/12/2022
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