Consequences and Such

Summer 1982

Yeah, that's your father and me - a few years back.  It was one of the best summers I can remember.  We spent several weeks with our grandmother, Sarah Agnes Mullennax.  Sometimes we stayed with her in her little apartment.  Sometimes we stayed with our cousin, Karen.  I think you've been to my Uncle Regene's house in Baltimore, not sure if you remember him.

Over the years, your father and I had a rocky relationship.  When we were little there was some good old physical abuse betweenst us.  Yes, the spell checker doesn't like that "betweenst" word, but that's ok - it exists.  We got in trouble more than once for fussing at each other in rather loud voices and with rather fast fists.

But we knew when to stand up for each other while out and about in the neighborhood.  I remember once at my cousin Karen's old house in town when a bunch of kids wanted to beat me and Karen up.  Little Wesley took them all on and ran them all off.  Karen and I were quite grateful.

When we were real little, your father called me - Sissy (for sister).  Sometimes late at night he would call for me if he was afraid.  I can still hear that little voice - "Sissy, Sissy, I'm scared."  Sometimes I acted like I was asleep and hoped Mom (your Grandma Beckner) would hear him instead.  More often than not I went to see what was the matter.

When you are the "big" sister or brother in your cases - sometimes you really should set a good example and be a help to your little siblings.  Many times I was not.  Today I'm going to tell you about a time that I was not...

When we moved to the road where Grandma and Granddaddy live now, we didn't live in the same house.  We lived in an old house near the beginning of Spradlin Road.  You can't see it real well from the road but it's close to the third house.  Sometimes we called it the house on the hill.  We were allowed to ride our bikes on the road, but we had a limit.  We couldn't go down that Big Hill just before Uncle Bill's house.

My best friend lived at the bottom of that Big Hill.  She could come to our house but we couldn't go all the way to her house.  One day we were all riding bikes back and forth and one of the big kids said something about going all the way to the creek - way past the Big Hill and past the house where Grandma and Granddad live now.  Well, we went.  And we all got in the creek and swam and splashed and got all wet.

Then we took our time going back home so we could dry a little.  There was just one small problem.  Little Wesley crashed his bike on the way back up the Big Hill.  And we went back to my friend's house at the bottom of the Big Hill for a band-aid.

We were good and dry when we got home, and full of band-aids.  I made up some story about the crash and the fact that my friend said her mother had lots of band-aids so it was okay to go there to help Wesley.  Problem is my friend's mother had called my mother to tell about fixing up Wesley's knee after we all got back from the creek.  Oops!  I was caught.  Lying, disobeying and hauling my little brother off to "no good end" and getting him hurt in the process.

I was not a good example that day, but I did learn a few lessons.  I had let down on my responsibility as a big sister.  Take care of your brothers.  Uncle Byron and I always told our boys that friends will come and go, but brothers are for a life time!

And remember consequences will catch up with you every time - sometimes later than sooner, but every time.