What Might have Been (continues)

From a loyal reader of the blog. she asked me to expound on my Father! here is more of my Daddy:


I so loved my Daddy! I have been told by others that he was mean when he was drinking but I don't remember any of that, just his fun loving way with us smaller children.
We grew tobacco on the farm where we lived and once it was harvested and placed in the barns to cure; it had to be watched so the men and older boys took turns. I always wanted to help with the tobacco but I was told to "stay out of the way", I didn't listen. When I was seven, I wanted to loop the tobacco on the stick and I twisted my neck so bad I was screaming in pain. My Daddy had to leave the field and take me to the Doctor; he was not happy with me about not listening but once in the car, he was kind and loving.

At another time, I begged and cried for my Mama to let me go to the barns at night with Daddy and her brother, My Uncle Lon. She always said no but after begging and asking Daddy she said okay; I was so excited because I knew they were going to have fun! They did of course have some "moonshine" and they were doing their job but laughing, singing and once they even danced a little jig! I asked if I could taste the drink and my Uncle Lon said to my Daddy, "Ruf. you better not give her that or Lizzie will be mad!" Lizzie was my Mama! I swore I would not tell so he poured some in a lid and let me sip it; oh my what an awful taste! I never wanted to do that again.
That night as we lay on the pallettes made on the tobacco trucks, they starting talking about the flying horse they were seeing and how beautiful and white it was so I looked and looked for that horse until I was told that "you could only see it if you had more of the drink", I decided I did not care about that old flying horse.

My Daddy; as I said earlier passed away just before my tenth birthday. I was so much in shock that morning in August. As usual it was very hot even at 6 or 7 AM, can't remember now. Mama woke us to say that Daddy would not wake up. My little Brother Jerry was lying in the "crook" of his arm so she reached over and picked him up and I guess she laid him on another bed. She said that someone needed to go and call Annie and Punch; our Sister and Brother in law.
We did not have a phone and the nearest one was about three blocks away (on a country highway) at the Brock Country Store. I was told to go and in my shock and haste, I ran all the way there in my petticoat (or slip as we called it). I yelled for the Brock Sisters and told them what happened and while one called my Sister, the other one drove me back home. It was a sad day at the Carters.