We loved the family's trips to the drive-in movies on Friday nights, sunny beaches on
weekends and summer trips to rural Alabama, Georgia, ('The Country'). Sometimes
we'd visit my mother's sister in Daytona Beach en route to The Country.
I would later attend Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach on a football
scholarship. I would never hunger as a college student...In theory...pure theory.
Flashback - I remember my father would open his wallet and let me count his take-
home pay on paydays when I was about 8 years old... His take-home was in the
neighborhood of $115 per week during my childhood. I'm sure his peers at work
earned more doing identical tasks.
As an 8-year-old math wiz, I knew that was not a lot of money. I'm still amazed he was
able to maintain that budget for years.
In that era, our parents' grocery shopped every Friday. Our bills consisted of rent,
food, car payment, insurance, lights. We were never hungry, nor utilities ever cut off.
I would have been lost trying to implement a budget 5 times more than what they
dealt with.]
Flashback: I remember once a friend of ours came to our apartment home. He was 11-
12 years old. He entered our apartment through the front door without knockin’.
Quite common those days...My father accidentally red a gun at him. I'd like to think it
was accidental...it happened so quick...no one was hurt...
Lesson - Everyone learned to knock rst, even when you know the door is not
locked.
My father loved to clean his guns and always seemed to have one nearby, even though
he had a lockable 6-foot high gun closet. He would teach us all about the safety and
usage of rearms.
My father’s wealthy boss admired dad and he once offered to at out buy us a home.
He knew our family size at home was not ideal for 2 bedrooms. He really liked my
father. His boss had a baby elephant and giraffe on his property...(My dad would
landscape for him to earn extra cash) I saw 'em but never went near 'em. He was that
kinda wealthy. 'Ya Think?
While my proudful dad turned down his generous initially full home purchase offer. He
would quickly accept his second offer of a substantial down payment after conferring
with his mindful wife. He gured it out...