Good Times & Bad

Mrs. Ollie was one of my best buddies, even though she was an old lady and I was just a child. She used to sit on her porch swing and teach me to patch overalls and socks.

She had six sons and one daughter. When she lost her daughter who had four children, she and her husband, who we all called Mr. Sid, went to Illinois, took care of the details, and brought the four children home to raise. Mrs. Ollie and Mr. Sid were old people with their family mostly grown up, so this was a hard task. But they sacrificed and with much love, raised them.

These kids and I grew very fond of each other. We shared a lot of time together. I still see the eldest daughter occasionally. It always brings back sweet memories and some sad times people shared then. We laughed together and cried together if anyone had sorrows.

We respected the family when there was a death to the point that we did not dare work or even hang out a wash on the line when anyone in the neighborhood died. We always sat up nights with the corpse.