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June 26, 2004 [The early years - l953-55] at about the age of five and a half years old, my mother took me and my brother from what I called: the foster-farm to live with her and grandpa at 109 East Arch Street, in St. Paul, Minnesota. The farm was in North St. Paul. Back then it seemed quite a distance, I mean, it seemed like it was between the Earth and the Moon, she'd come to visit us with her boyfriend, Ernie and take us to grandpa's house on weekends. She was working at the time in South St. Paul, at Swifts, as a meat packer; she loved the job, and the women she worked with. She'd worked for them, some twenty-two-years; I suppose you don't forget such things, friends and all, and she never did, nor did I for her; when I was oh, let's say, seven-years old - I'd run three blocks, it was 4:35 PM; I'd run and stand at the top of the hill that led into Mont-airy Park. There were houses on the side, houses, old condemned houses we'd play in during the long hot summer days, as she hired a babysitter to keep an eye on us. As I was about to say, there on top of the hill I stood, stone-still, waiting, waiting to see the Jackson Street bus, "there, there it is," I'd say, "the bus," and my mother would get off it. She'd walk up a little slope of a hill, not big at all, take a left hand turn [I'm still watching her], then she'd kind of look up, up and see me standing, and I'd run down the hilly sidewalk, as fast as Superman. And then I'd stop right in front of her, look up to her; put a smile on my face, she was coming home. I think I duplicated this a hundred times each summer, maybe more. For some reason it sticks in my mind. Maybe it was that I had her all alone now, she was all mine for that brief walk up that hill that was my moment. The farm was in the past now, and I wasn't going to let her go - or go back to it. I was safe at present, she was visible. Plus I'd share my day with her a bit, just a little bit; boys don't like telling all, it's not good, so I can't tell you everything; how else can you have secrets. I suppose now that I think of it, she was the only one I had at the time, besides my brother, who was on the farm with me. Maybe she was my serenity. It's funny what we remember, like when I was hiding under the bed and she sat there in the living room in a sofa chair, my eyes looking at her [from under the bed], her hands busy - they were always busy, knitting, or sewing my brother and I shirts, she'd say: "I'll just sit here and wait, I got all day, and sometime you'll have to come out, you'll get hungry," that's what she'd say, and it made sense, so much so, I thought about it, and then I came out for my licking, it wasn't half as bad as that dusty, dirty old floor underneath that bed. And the time I lit the hill on fire in our backyard, it was - the embankment that is, our embankment, which led into government property and it was lit - I let it. My mother, brother, and I ran crazy bringing buckets of water to put it out. Oh well, that took a while to calm everyone's nerves down, I think I was eight then. At that age, I didn't know about the Mighty Mississippi yet, it was not part of my life - yet I know it was not far from my school, lets say about five blocks. You may be asking why my brother and I were on a farm, well, it was because my grandfather - a Russian immigrant, I should say, everybody back then lived with my grandfather, in an extended family environment - there simply was no room for us, so she took what money she made, and had us stay up to my fifth birthday on a farm called "Kiddy-Korner," there I'd meet, Clancy the Clown, and Casey Jones, from the TV series. But that's another story in itself. I stayed there for about three and a half years, between my 18-month of life to past my fifth year on this earth. Then at six I went to St. Louis School, at 10th and Cedar streets. ------------ About the author: Mr. Siluk is a world traveler, a lover of the mysteries around the world, and has visit many World Heritage Sites, the most recent being Easter Island and the Galapagos. His most recent book: "After Eve," and his 26th book thus far, can be seen on/at Barns and Nobel.com, Amazon.com, Walmart and several other sites. He spends his time between Lima, Peru and St. Paul, Minnesota, and is wroking on two more books: "Stay Down, Old Abram," and "Curse of the Abyss Worm," the second being a suspensful mystery. Visit http://dennissiluk.tripod.com Email: dlsiluk@msn.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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