When I was growing up it was just me & 3 of my older brothers, and my mom. I remember my father because we kept up with each other. Me and my father would keep in touch by talking on the phone. I'm a constant reminder from my family how much I'm reminded of my late father. My father was introverted-extroverted like I am. My father always remembered me on birthdays, holidays, and when there were events coming up (My father made sure he give me money to buy me food which he would always tell me). I'm going to tell 2 occasions when my father came thru for me.
My 2nd oldest brother, his wife, and their 2 children came to stay with my mom and my older brother and I in Hartford in 1985. My 2nd oldest brother was going through some marriage problems to his wife and they needed counseling in a major way. My 2nd oldest brother decided that he should keep in touch when my mom, my 2 older brothers, and I visited him the months that my 2nd oldest brother was in jail when he came to Hartford from Detroit, MI (1984-1985). My mom never knew that my 2nd oldest brother was married until they chatted on the phone. My 2nd oldest brother was in a backslidden stage & he thought that if he came for a visit that my mom can help my 2nd oldest brother & his wife marriage problems. My 2nd oldest brother was a leader but the influence of drugs would cause my brother to backslide after doing good. My mom had been through 2 divorces from (my 3 oldest brother's father 1958-1970 and my father 1974-1981). My mom said these very words to my 2nd oldest brother, "When you were a child I made sure I raised you up in the way that you should go and when you were old you would not depart from it but when you became grown I prayed that the Lord will reveal himself to you whenever you strayed away from the Lord." My mom felt that there was nothing she could say to my 2nd oldest brother who was a natural leader. My 2nd oldest brother knew he was running from a calling in his life while living in Detroit (4 years at the time). My mom took us to a tent meeting I remember & I remember we all watched the 700 Club (that was the very first time I watched that Christian Program on TV). My 2nd oldest brother felt like he missed being in church because he had rededicated his life to Jesus Christ when he came to Hartford. The 700 Club was a powerful program I remember watching back in the 80's where people was being saved and delivered from all types of sin and addictions (some things really never change). My mom went to The Sunshine State of Florida and that was when my 2nd oldest brother and his wife was only supposed to watch my older brother, me, and their 2 children for a week but wound up staying an extra week. My 2nd oldest brother had went down to the state and told the people at the state my 2nd oldest brother, his wife, and his 2 children all live in Hartford and my 2nd oldest brother had Food Stamps come to address on Pembroke Street. My 2nd oldest brother's wife got the Food Stamps from the mailbox.
Meanwhile, my sister-in-law used up all of the spices in my mom's pantry cooking up all of the food in my mom's kitchen. My sister-in-law wouldn't feed me while she was cooking the food & sent me to my room after I yelled, "I'm Hungry!" It was hours until I had something to eat (about 2 or 3 hours). The landlord found out what my 2nd oldest brother had done and told my mom it was either my mom, me, and my older brother could stay in the house & my 2nd oldest brother, his wife, and their 2 children leave or my 2nd oldest brother, his wife, their 2 children, my older brother, and I can stay in the house and my mom would have to leave. My mom called 211 and told them that my 2nd older brother, his wife, and their 2 children do not live in Hartford, they live in Detroit and was supposed go back to Detroit a week ago (My 2nd oldest brother, his wife, and their 2 children stayed 3 weeks instead 2 weeks like they had promised. When my father heard how I was crying because I didn't eat anything my father was very angry at had happened.
My father came to the house on Pembroke Street and said to my sister-in-law, "Why you never feed the boy?"
My sister-in-law responded, "I'm sorry I was going to give him food when I was finished cooking."
My father answered, "The boy crying saying he hungry and you couldn't give him anything to eat Nigger!" (Blacks sometimes use this term to each other when they are very angry at each other but it's never okay to use it because if everyone said something like this when they got upset with each other and said that to people of the same race people think that that's the norm)
My father came and got me out of the house, my 2nd oldest brother, and his 2 children came out of the house and we all walked up the street to S-Less (now CVS) and we got something to eat. That was also a funny moment too because after my father told off my sister-in-law, my father went in the back yard where the landlord's brown Doberman pinscher (Kelly) was tied up at and my father petted Kelly and Kelly licked my father (Kelly was trained to bite you if he didn't know you and to not bother you if he knew you). My 2nd oldest brother, his wife, and their 2 children all stayed with my oldest brother, his wife (at the time), and their daughter in Hartford after my mom called 211.
Food Stamps looked like this back in the 80's.
Doberman Pinscher's are very active dogs. Very loyal and housebroken to advanced trainers. They also can be vicious if not properly trained. Doberman Pinscher's are cousin's to Rottweiler's.
Pembroke Street is about 6 minutes walk to Branford Street & the same from Branford Street to Pembroke Street. S-Less (now CVS) used to be on Branford Street.
The incident between me and these 2 boys happened on Blue Hills Avenue/Greenfield Street
Where my father walked from.
That was where I was coming from
It was the summer of 1989 and my father & I chatted on the phone. The plan was for me and my father to meet each other on Albany Avenue/Adams Street at the Jamaican Bakery in Hartford. My father would walk from Magnolia Street (where he lived at the time) to Adams Street (16 minutes walk) and I would walk from Pembroke Street (where I used to live at the time) to Adams Street (20 minutes walk). Everything was going smoothly up until I walked up to Greenfield Street area. These 2 boys didn't like me & they had beef with since we went to Trinity College summer program. Every time they tried to cause trouble I would get away every time.
Meanwhile, these boys were giving me a hard time and I tried to get away from them but they were on their bikes. I couldn't get away from them because they were a lot quicker on their bikes than I could run and try to get away. So as I tried to get away from these 2 boys they had me jammed to where I couldn't move. The 2 boys proceeded to give me a hard time. My father observed what was going on about a couple blocks or so away from them.
My father yelled and said, "Hey, what you think you doing messing with my boy!"
Those 2 boys took off so fast that they left their bikes behind when my father came. My father took one of their bikes and slammed it on the ground. My father had seen a police officer drive by on Blue Hills Avenue/Greenfield Street area.
My father said to the police officer, "Officer arrest those 2 boys for messing with my boy!" My father really came thru for me and that reminded me how much my father really cared about me. If you grew up in a single parent home & you have good memories of one of your parents who was not there to help raise you (whether it's just mom or just dad), it's important to remember the good in that parent because that will help you forgive mom or forgive dad for not being there when you were growing up. Those 2 incidents helped me to remember how my father was there for me & my father wished he was helping my mom raise me when I was growing up.
