THE LITTLE GIRL
Penny For Your Thoughts By: Nancy Whitaker
We will start this column with the words, “Once upon a time…”
Years ago in the late 40s there was a little girl. Her mommy and daddy all living in a light green house. The house was not a bad place to live, but not too many neighbors were aware of what went on in that house.
The daddy was drunk most of the time and while he did work, most money went to the bars and his ladies. No money for anything to eat.
Little girl was always hungry. Mother had breast fed her until she was about 4 when little brother was born. Well, baby brother got the little girl’s place on breast feeding and so going hungry was a normal feeling to the 5 year old girl.
One night the little girl felt a gnawing in her little belly and said, “Mommy I am hungry.” The mommy sighed and said, “Well sweetheart, all we have in the house to eat is dry Rice Krispies.”
The little girl said, “I will take them.” And she ate them all.
The little girl had a little friend at the end of the street and one late afternoon decided to go see if she could play. The neighbors had just finished their supper and had gotten up from the table.
Yum! They had ate pork chops before and oh did those pork chops smell so good. She wondered, “I will check and see if there are any leftovers.” There was some meat left on the pork chop bones, so the little girl continued to eat all the meat she could get from those leftover pork chops. Did the neighbors ever tell the Mama? I don’t think so, but one night our little family got lucky and we were going to have pork chops for dinner. Being very happy and excited, little girl hollered out to her daddy as he got out of his gas truck.
She lifted her voice and yelled so happily, “Oh Daddy. We are having pork chops for supper tonight!”
Daddy opened his mouth and with a loud yell screamed, “You bad girl (except he cussed). Why not just tell all the neighbors what we’re having?” Why was daddy so mean?
One Christmas Eve, Mommy and Daddy told little girl to sit down at her little play table. They also put a blindfold on her and told her to put both hands downward and her hands were guided to something musical. It was a little red toy piano.
Before her baby brother arrived, little girl was abused, went hungry and was bullied. The little frame on her body showed every rib bone she had as food was almost non existent.
One evening the Mother had endured all the pain, heartache, beatings and other women she could take. So, we loaded up our few little belongings and went to Grandma and Grandpa’s house to live.
For supper that night the Grandma had fried bacon and succotash, which was creamed corn and red kidney beans mixed together and warmed up.
That night the little girl, the baby brother and Mother went to bed with a warm full belly.
Grandma’s beds were warm and soft and smelled wonderful.
Well, the little girl and the family had obstacles in life, but I just told part of the story.
Would you like to read Part 2 and see who, what, and where it happens next? Let me know and I’ll give you a Penny For Your Thoughts.
