Another trip

My car trip post reminded me of one of my dad's stories.

When he was about five years old my dad was in the back seat of his father's Ford. A friend was with them and my grandfather had his window down, making it rather hard for my father to hear the conversation taking place in the front seat. Not being satisfied left out of the conversation he decided he wanted to sit up front with the men but he wasn't allowed to climb over the seat.

He was very resourceful and decided that what he would do is open his door, walk along the running board and knock on the passenger window. His father's friend would open the door, certainly, for such a clever five year old and he could slide in up front, problem solved.

My father opened his door, eased out and the next thing he knew he woke up on his parent's couch with a doctor leaning over him! His father, his mother, his grandmother, everyone wanted to know why he had leapt from a moving car! A car moving rather fast! My grandfather hadn't even heard the door open and close it had happened so fast, he and his companion were talking so much and so loudly to make up for the wind rushing in (I think the window was broken) so it is unknown how long my father laid in the ditch but it could have been as long as 20 minutes before it was noticed that there was no talking coming from the backseat! Can you imagine the consternation as the two men tried to figure out what had happened to the little boy who had just been sitting there when they knew they had not made any stops? An alien abduction? That wasn't much of a theory yet back then!

It was weeks before my father remembered why he ended up outside of the vehicle! When I was little I wondered why he hadn't been anxious for his parents to understand his intention wasn't to jump out of the car but what his plan really had been. He wasn't concerned about that. Either his parent's knew him or they soon would, either way it was their loss or gain. And that, pretty much, has been the both of my parents. Neither one of them have ever and will never explain themselves to anyone.

One time we got an anonymous letter to our home signed by a "good christian" and addressed to my eight or nine year-old little brother, who has the same name as my father. The letter was extremely crude and whispered rather nasty gossip about family! When we asked if it was true, after my brother read it aloud to us girls and we brought it to our parents, we were told we shouldn't believe anything about someone else, especially what didn't directly affect us and that we didn't see with our own eyes. This letter was an example of both. Didn't affect us? Good grief, what more evidence did we need? Good christians were telling us, after all, and in very graphic language that, somehow, it did affect us!

About ten years later we found out our parents were divorced. Yes, found out. When we asked when the divorce had happened we, their children, were told it was none of our business. Laughter! Extremely private people, our parents. Owing no one an explanation of their lives. Aggravating! My children say, "your just like grandma," "your just like papa." I love it!