...In The Beginning

One day I was walking past the shed to get to the side of the house where the concrete yard was ground level when Mr. Tom Cat appeared in the door of the shed. The shed was built on concrete, which was about four feet high. My head just reached slightly above the concrete where the shed structure base began. There I was with Mr. Tom Cat in my face with the fur raised on his back crouched in an attack position screeching at me. He launched at my head and landed on my back. I could feel his claws through my shirt. Screaming, I ran to the back door whaling my arms towards my back to get him off. Joyce came running to the back door to see what was wrong. In tears and whaling I said, “The cat tried to get me”. I had managed to get Mr. Tom Cat off of me before she came to the door. She wrapped me in her arms and said, “You’re ok, baby. Mommy’s here.” From that point on I never went in the yard or walked past the shed by myself again. I always took my little sister. She was a rough and tough Tomboy.


My little sister, Jacqui, was my shadow. Everywhere I went she went. Whatever I did she had to do. It really got to be a nuisance. "Ma, can I go outside?" "Take your sister." It got so bad that I would sneak out, knowing that if I got caught I would be into trouble. Once, after a rainy day, I went to the back yard. Pinky and Tony were outside playing. They were sliding down the wet banister. It looked like they were having fun and I thought about trying it. Remember, I was a scary cat and something about sliding down the banister which started on the second floor was a little to scary for me. Jacqui wasn't afraid of anything and before I could stop her she managed to straddle the banister and began sliding down. Half way down the banister she slipped off and hit her head on the concrete split her head open. She began to scream and Joyce came running outside to see what happened. She was horrified to see her little girl lying on the ground bleeding profusely. It must have brought back memories, but she didn't faint this time.

Jacqui was rushed to the hospital, stitched up and kept for observation. The trip to and from the hospital was like walking the plank. I knew I would have to pay for my disobedience and negligence; just what the payment would be for this terrible incident would be at the sole discretion of Joyce. You see, I was told that we couldn't go outside because it was too wet from the rain. I knew that if we were caught outside I would have to face the consequences, but I was willing to take the chance. Mommy would think that I wasn't watching my sister because she fell off the banister; I would be punished for that also. I did tell Jacqui that she couldn't slide because it was too slippery, but how could a little kid control a toddler? Jacqui never listened to me. The punishment was a butt-naked extension cord whooping and grounded for a week. Joyce was partial to the extension cord in those days and this wouldn't be the last whoopin’ I'd get. I received quite a few before my hard head got wise.