ANOTHER DWELLING

I CANNOT EVEN COUNT---WELL GUESS I REALLY COULD --THE NUMBER OF PLACES I HAVE LIVED SINCE MY FOLKS SEPARATED. THIS ONE REALLY COUNTS AS "BARBARA LEAVES HOME".
I NEEDED A PLACE TO LIVE IF I WAS GOING TO WORK---AND I WANTED TO, AT LEAST FOR A YEAR. THEN I HOPED TO GO TO NURSING SCHOOL. THE HOUSE WAS BEAUTIFUL AND THE LADY OWNING IT WAS VERRRRRRY INTERESTING. SHE WAS FRENCH AND SPOKE RATHER BROKEN ENGLISH. WELL, NOT BROKEN, BUT SHE PRONOUNCED MANY WORDS IN A WAY YOU HAD TO STOP AND THINK ABOUT WHAT SHE HAD SAID. LIKE WHEN I TOLD HER I HAD BEEN TO A SERBIAN WEDDING WHERE THEY CALLED OUT HOW MUCH EACH GUEST HAD GIVEN IN MONEY---AND SOME GAVE LOTS---SHE SAID SHE WISHED SHE COULD FIND A RICH SIR-RIBI-ON.

MY "ROOM" WAS IN THE BASEMENT. AS BEAUTIFUL AS THE HOUSE WAS, THE BASEMENT WAS A BASEMENT. IT SMELLED LIKE A BASEMENT AND FELT LIKE A BASEMENT. I SPENT AS LITTLE TIME IN IT AS I COULD MANAGE.

LIFE IN THE COUNTRY

IT WAS REALLY NOT FOR ME---LIFE IN THE COUNTRY THAT IS. THE HOUSE, THOUGH NICE WAS ABOUT 8 MILES FROM THE TOWN I HAD LIVED IN BEFORE. MY STEPFATHER USED TO DRIVE ME INTO CHURCH ON SUNDAY MORNINGS, BUT SUDDENLY HE DIDN'T WANT TO DO THAT ANY MORE----SO I OFTEN WALKED!!!ONE DAY A LADY WHO LIVED A FEW MILES FURTHER THAN THE "FOLKS" TOLD ME SHE WOULD PICK ME UP ON SUNDAYS. I ALWAYS HAD A RIDE HOME WITH ONE OF THE BOYS AT CHURCH. THAT WAS GREAT AND THE KIDS FOUND OUT JUST WHERE I LIVED SO ONE OR ANOTHER WOULD OFTEN COME OUT TO SEE ME. WITH NO PHONE, SOMETIMES TWO WOULD COME---BUT THAT WAS OKAY. WE WERE MORE OF A GROUP OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND NOT SINGLE DATES.

AS SOON AS MOTHER GOT BACK ON HER FEET AFTER BABY---SHE WAS OVER FORTY---YA KNOW!!! AN OLD LADY, I GOT A JOB IN TOWN AND A ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF A WIDOW LADY'S HOUSE.

TO BE CONT










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