His boss's generosity, enable us to move out of the crowded 2 bedroom apartment
into a small 3-bedroom soon to be 4-bedroom home, (my favorite brother-in-law
helped nd the home and help build an extra bedroom from the garage) I was 11 at the
time...
This particular Brother-in-law (Number #5's husband) would prove to be an
exceptional big Brother/Father gure for me and my younger brother. We were no
doubt closer to him than my two elder blood brothers. Being an only child, he fell right
into place and at home with our family. Dad treated him as his own son.
The front and back yards of our new home had extreme grass, weed and bush
overgrowth, Guess who was going help father with those deeds...not a question.
Everyone pitched in. Yes, girls too.
My daddy watched his 11 yr old struggling to push an old 200lbs 1940's lawnmower
over those high weeds, sweating like a pig; (Do pigs sweat?) Anyway, he saw my
growing physical abilities somewhat limited to his liking.
Dad knew by the look on my face, manual labor was not my stick. In my defense, I was
an 11-year-old city kid.
He laughed out loud, (a rarity) and said “Boy, If you don’t stay in school and work
hard, You will have to do this kinda' work for the rest of your life" I imagine he did
harder work at age eleven than this. Me, I couldn't wait to get back to school on
Monday.
Lesson Learned - Scared Straight
I know there’s nothing wrong with manual work. I did a lot of hard work afterward,
I swore not to do hard labor during college years. but I laid bricks, cut grass, unloaded
50lb. cement bags by hand, washed hotel banquet dishes, sold my plasma, cross pick
lines as a butcher, became a bouncer, did hot warehouse work, all during college.
I needed that bounty to support my Ford Pinto, Sibling #5 & my Bro-in-law would gift
me. My college peers & I still owe them for that. It seems everyone drove my orange &
white, hatchback Pinto during my college years. I also chauffeur for a small fee.