Now You See Me, Now You Don't

...continued from the previous post

Dear Boo and Bubble,

As much as it seems that parents have eyes in the backs of their heads or a sixth sense or an impenetrable intuition, there are times when none of that makes any difference. Children have a way of making some situations like a chapter out of Alice in Wonderland – where up is down and down is up.

We were driving down the highway the other day when a Ford Tunderbird passed us. This had Captain reminiscing about how great granddaddy Cot bought the very first four-seater Thunderbird model way back in 1958. Anybody who knew granddaddy would also know that the car was white – to deflect the hot Florida sun – and had a hard top since he wouldn't have a convertible. At the time, Captain was eleven, but older brother Cot, Jr., had attained the magical age threshold of fifteen which meant he could drive. The T-Bird was his first car.

For Cot, Jr., the car proved to be like a double-edged sword. With it's classic, sleek lines and sporty interior, the T-Bird gave him an edge when it came to the girls, but because of those very same characteristics, the car could easily be spotted anywhere. One Saturday night, he pulled out from 7070 Salamanca Ave. in Jacksonville to go pick up his girlfriend for a date. The house sat on a piece of property separated from the St. John's River by a wooded bluff that had a dirt road running its length, but was not yet developed except for periodic street lamps.

Around 10:00 granddaddy Cot got out of bed and came to the kitchen to get a drink of water. As he passed through the den, something caught his eye out the window overlooking the bluff. He went out on the back patio for a better look. There, in the beam of one of the lamps, sat a white car – a very familiar car – with wide whitewall-tires and pointed tail fins – parked. (You boys will have to ask your dad what this means!)

Granddaddy monitored the car from a chair in the den. Cot, Jr., was due home by 11:00. About 10: 45, the headlights came on and the engine cranked, its sound carrying from the bluff across the yard to the house. Granddaddy sat patiently in the chair, waiting.

On the stroke of 11:00, the T-Bird pulled into the driveway. Cot, Jr., gingerly opened the front door, trying not to wake anybody. He noticed the stream of light coming from the den.....not a good sign.

Granddaddy came into the entrance hall.

“Son, I saw a white T-Bird over on the bluff tonight,” he said sternly, no hint of question in his voice.

“Really....that's amazing, isn't it?”

“What is?”

“That there is another car like ours around here. I didn't know that, did you?”

“No.....well.....” Granddaddy found himself stuttering.

“Well, goodnight.....oh, and thanks for waiting up for me. Means a lot.”

With that, Cot, Jr., slipped down the hall and into his room, leaving Granddaddy a little flabbergasted that his certainty of the situation had been so swiftly and deftly dismantled by his son. Until the day he died, Granddaddy never doubted what he knew......but he was always on the lookout for another white T-Bird....just in case.

She Can See You Even When She Can't See You

Dear Boo and Bubble,

Captain and I were talking the other day about your great grandfather Cottrell and his two brothers, Emmett and Sidney. I remarked how I had never heard a negative story about any of them to which Captain replied, “But, they were boys, you know......and boys will be boys.”

I guess since I'm not a boy, I can't fully grasp this concept – that just because you happen to be a boy, you're predisposed to getting into mischief. I surely hope that's not the case with the two of you! It got me thinking about great granddaddy Schaefer and I can only remember one story he told on himself about such things.

When he was little, your great, great grandmother Mattie found herself to be a single mom. She took granddaddy and his sister, Katherine, and moved in with Mamie Peninah - your triple-great grandmother about whom I've written in previous posts. Mattie enrolled in secretarial school to learn shorthand and typing in hopes of find employment.

Every morning, she left the house after breakfast and walked a little ways down the street to the bus stop to catch a ride into town for her classes. Granddaddy watched her until she made it to the stop, then he sneaked out the back door of the house into a field behind where he met up with the neighborhood gang. They spent their time gathering up Rabbit Tobacco and smoking it.

In the evenings, Mattie returned. Upon taking one look at Granddaddy, she'd say “Schaefer.....you've been smoking Rabbit Tobacco. You get upstairs right this minute and stay there. No supper for you tonight. And I better not catch you doing it again!”

This totally befuddled granddaddy. How could she know? He saw her walk all the way down to the bus stop. It was impossible that she saw him.....unless for some reason she didn't get on the bus.

After a few days, when Mattie headed out the door, granddaddy decided to employ a new tactic. Feigning a desire to spend time together, he escorted her personally to the bus stop and waited with her until the bus came. The driver swished open the doors and Mattie stepped on board. Granddaddy stood on the curb waving to her as the bus pulled away. He watched her take a seat and then skedaddled back through the house and into the field.

Confident that he was home free, Granddaddy met up with his buddies and they smoked some more Rabbit Tobacco.

That night, he eagerly waited for Mattie on the front porch. The bus came to the stop and she got off. Granddaddy greeted her as she came up the steps. Before even saying “hello,” she lit into him.

“Schaefer Kendrick, you've been smoking that Rabbit Tobacco again. I warned you not to......you get on up to your room and stay there until I've had a chance to figure out how I'm going to punish you so you'll get the message.”

“There is NO WAY she knows,” granddaddy thought to himself. “I saw her get on the bus this morning.” He was totally perplexed, but that didn't matter. No more Rabbit Tobacco for him.

Years later, he asked Mattie how in the world she knew that he was smoking Rabbit Tobacco. It was a mystery he had to solve.

“Simple,” she replied. “The hairs above your lip were singed.”

There's a lesson here for the two of you. You may think that you can get ahead of your mom, but you never will.....even if you're just being boys.

Giddy-up

…..continued from previous post

Dear Boo and Bubble,

The next morning – Sunday – we gathered around the kitchen table and great Granddaddy Schaefer plied Eizo with another Kendrick breakfast. This time it was pancakes and bacon. Our conversation revolved around the football the day before, with Granddaddy continuing to search for some rational explanation of the game that would make sense to Eizo. The harder he tried, the harder we laughed until all talk devolved into a series of giggles and gasps. The time totally slipped away.

“Oh, my Lord,” Granddaddy shouted when he saw the clock. “Church starts in 45 minutes. We're going to have to get on our horses and go!”

We all scooted back from the table in a loud clatter.

Eizo stood up, confused.

“You have horses?” he asked. “We will ride horses to church?”

Granddaddy shook his head and chuckled.

“No, no......that's just an expression we use when we need to get moving, Eizo.”

“An expression? I thought that was like a smile.”

“Oh goodness,” Granddaddy responded. “I hope I can explain this better than football!”

After a mad scramble, we made it to First Baptist on time. Eizo observed intently everything about the service. He took his cues from Granddaddy on when to do things, like stand up, sit down or bow his head in prayer. Granddaddy was very grateful that this was not a Sunday for communion or – heaven forbid – baptism. Trying to explain those would make “football” and “expression” look like a piece of cake.

We spent the rest of Sunday introducing Eizo to family, neighbors and friends. On Monday morning, after many hugs and final laughs, he boarded his flight back to Washington. We stayed in touch regularly over the years. Every year, we received a Christmas card from South Korea. And I still have the two beautiful Geisha dolls he sent me. As so often happens, though, time and space intervened and we lost track of Eizo.

In recounting these stories with you boys, I've realized something. Eizo Shindo was my first exposure to someone from another culture - someone worlds apart in just about every way. His willingness to come stay with us as virtual strangers and immerse himself completely into our lives showed me that we, too, should be open to the world...that we should go places and explore different cultures. It doesn't mean that we have to change....it just means that we grow.... in understanding and appreciation for others.

Eizo, if you're out there and happen to run across this blog while Googling yourself.......thank you!