all about.
Charlie and Mark tried to stop him from hitting her anymore, but I think what really stopped him was sheer exhaustion. He did as much damage as he could, and went to bed. We all tried to console Lyda,but she just laid there, staring straight ahead. Only God knows what she was thinking.
The next morning, we were all up early. We had planned the day before to go to the zoo, just to see if we could get in. Helen and Mark had to work, but the rest of us went, Betty, Margie, Charlie, Joey and Lyda, and I.
We lived about twenty miles from the Philadelphia Zoo. So what if we did not have money to get inside? We never let that stop us. Charlie and Joe brought their shoeshine box, and that is all we needed to make some money. Charlie was the hustler of the family, and would get people to get a shine; even if they did not need one. I guess one look at us, coupled with Charlie’s sweet talk, and they would give money even if they did not want a shine. Charlie charged a nickel a shine.
The girls' job was to look for empty soda or beer bottles to take back to the store, kind of like recycling today. Two cents for small bottles, and a nickel for big bottles. People sat out on their steps in the summer, and at the end of the night, some would forget to take in their bottles. These bottles were like gold to us. With our time spent shining shoes and taking back bottles to the store, it would take up most of the day just to earn enough money to get into the zoo.
We met families, got meals, and made some friends along the way. The only person we feared was our father. Most of our food came from days like this, when we would go off on our adventures. We found all the missions in the city and visited them almost daily. The people that worked at the missions were great to us. If we said a prayer, we would get a box of donuts. Looking at us, they could tell we really needed food. But I could never get used to the way people looked at us. Either with sadness, or pity, or sometimes with just plain disgust.
Our shoes were old and came apart at the seams. Our clothes were either too big or too small. And since we only got a bath once a week, I guess we were pretty dirty. Still, when people pitied us, we did not like it. On these days, we did not have anyone worry where we were. We had no one to check in with. Our mother knew; when we went out we would not be home until it was dark.
We finally did make it to the zoo. We had made enough money for everyone but me. Since I was the smallest, my brothers and sisters figured they could squeeze me through the bars on the fence that surrounded the zoo. Charlie paid to get in, and went around the side where I was waiting. Margie and Betty positioned me sideways, up against the fence. My body could fit through easily, but my head was another matter. Betty and Margie pushed and pushed until I cried. Lyda said,"If her head gets stuck we are in a world of trouble." I calmed down, and they pushed one more time until I fell on the ground on the other side. I think I still have the dents in my head, but we made it. Everyone else paid and we were so happy. On the way home, we laughed and talked about all the animals we saw, and which were our favorites. It was not long before we were back in our neighborhood, though. What a great day that we had.
About a block from our house was a corner store called Mike’s. As we neared the store, we noticed John, a man from the neighborhood. Every time he got drunk, he would buy all the kids in the neighborhood popsicles. He paid for them by putting them on the tab at Mike’s Store. He was a number writer, and at least once a week he would get drunk. The next day he did not look as happy, being thay he had to pay the tab at Mike’s. I always wondered why this man was so happy when he was drunk, especially since our father was so nasty when he drank.
By the time we got home, it was late. As we walked up the court, we noticed Helen scrubbing something on the scrubbing board in the big metal bucket we used for our baths. Joe and I ran up to her and told her we went to the zoo. I was going on and on until I realized there was trouble just by the blank look in her eyes. Lyda and I asked her what was wrong, and she said, "It’s over. Dad is asleep and please do not wake him up." Helen was scrubbing his pants. I guess he had messed them again. I could tell by Helen’s face she did not have a good day like we did. Helen, as the oldest, went through so much more than we ever knew. We stayed out in the court until our mother came home with a big pot of potato soup from Gram. We went to bed with our bellies full that night.
Thank God our dad slept through the night. Helen and Mark did not tell us what he had put them through. I guess they wanted us to keep our happy thoughts of our trip to the zoo. Helen’s eyes told the story. How could our lives be filled with so much happiness and fun, and within minutes, just revert back to misery? There were a few days of fun, and just so many nights of sadness.
We had nights when we went to bed, and I would tell my siblings a continuous story of my shiny red car. I would expand on the story a little each night. I would take them on a different trip every night, sometimes to the country or other times, to the city. We would really become absorbed in these stories. Everyone joined in, since fantasy was our outlet, and we went all over the world in that red car. I never remember having any dreams for my self as a child. We just went day to day, never thinking of the future. I never heard anyone say, " I am going to be a nurse or a doctor." no one even spoke 0f graduating high school. College was not even a word I even heard in our home. I guess our dreams were all about our little red car and wherever it could take us. Far, far away.
Another one of our adventures was Soupy Island. In the summer, we would walk quite a few miles from Lawrence and Girard Avenue to Penn Treaty Park, only to get on a boat they called the Elizabeth Monroe Smith, and travel across the river. There was a place that poor children could get a cup of pepper pot soup, two graham crackers, and a cup of milk. We loved it there.
None us liked the soup, but we would get in and out of line repeatedly for the crackers and milk. All our time in the summer was spent running down Girard Avenue to catch the boat. These were the times we loved. I was not old enough to go in the pools, but they had a sliding board that filled an entire room. I would wait in there the whole day, just sliding, waiting for Lyda or Betty to come for me to get back on the boat. If anyone had wax paper, the ride down the slide was even better. However, I went home with a red butt all the time. Soupy Island also had a huge caurosel with beautifully painted horses, but I always preferred the slide.
We learned fast where to go for food. We lived right near a Baptist church. Every Sunday I sat in the pews. The only white person in the church, but it did not matter. I loved the people who went to that church. They were amazing singers, and they would always give me a tambourine to play. They wanted to baptize me, but Lyda would not let them.
On Sundays, I always had a full belly thanks to those kind people. They did not seem to judge me, or my clothes, or how dirty I was. They accepted me. Even though I was a little girl, I knew they cared. They truly did God’s work. I was devastated when the church moved. Sundays after that were spent at the missions, which were very boring, but at least our bellies were full. Say a prayer, and get a donut. That was basically the motto.
My brother Joey loved Superman, and he really believed he could fly. He tied a piece of material around his neck, and before anyone could grab him, he jumped out the window. He landed on cardboard that was outside of our house. Superman must have been with him that day, as he was fine and did not even have to go to the hospital.
I remember one day, when Joe and I were out playing, there was a laundry cleaner on our block. Trucks would pull up and unload huge laundry bags and throw them onto a laundry shoot. A conveyor belt would drop the clothes into huge containers. I was leaning over, looking down the shoot, and accidentally fell and landed in a huge laundry basket. I was so scared that I was going to land in one of the big washers. I was crying in the basket when a worker found me and took me back out to the street. Joey got in trouble that night. I tattled on him for letting me fall, but I felt really bad. Being the youngest, I was fearful.
Joe, and I would go off on our own sometimes when the older ones were busy. We saw Charlie and Betty at the
