I walk into my grandchildren's room, they look at me and ask "Grandpa Goob, can you tell us a story about your childhood please". So like the grandfather I am, I sit down and I begin to tell them my story. "Now children this story begins my first day of high school in the year 1961.". My high school years weren't the best, I'm very ashamed on how I was when I was a teen. Back then your great grandfather my dad was deployed in the army over in Vietnam war, I started high school and I was angry and full of hate because, how could he have left me all alone, even though I had my mother. My mother was a very abusive person, I would try to tell people but nobody would listen. I remember this one day I had came home and it's the middle of the semester and i walk into the front door of my house with my mama waiting in the parlor for me. She says "Goob Robert Williamson, you have some major explaining to do!" at that point my stomach dropped to my butt. Mama looked at me and said "Why did I get a call from your home room teacher today?". I tell her the truth "Mama I have no clue why my home room teacher had called home.", mama says "i can tell you why he had called me". As i'm standing there sweating, but on the inside my mind is going through as many possibilities on how I could have messed things up. I was also thinking about for each thing that I could have done was how long I was gonna be grounded for or how my mom was gonna hit me, maybe even if I was gonna eat dinner that night. Mama looks at me and says "Mr. Muller had said that you have been picking on the younger kids in your class." Nervously I look over and tell her the truth saying I have been picking on them. If looks could kill I wouldn't be here right now. But mother proceeds to get up and rushes at me and slaps me. Now in my head I was thinking oh god what else is she gonna do. After that mother didn't talk to me for a whole week, it's understandable that she would be mad at me any mother would if they found out their child was a bully. That following school year was my junior year of high school and I remember this year so clearly because it changed my life. I remember walking into school and seeing the new group of freshman and remembering all of the rude and nasty things I would say to them. I would tower over them and just nit pick every single move that they would make. There was this boy named Johnny and he was in the same grade as I was. He was 5'2", he was a 4.0 mind of guy. There was no doubt in my mind that he was gonna go places. Johnny and I had a couple of classes together, everyone in the classes hated me and my group of friends. Johnny was the only one who wanted to help me and see that I graduate. Me being the hard head and the hop head I was, I never truly realized that he was actually trying to help me out and not do wrong by me. There where so many times where I would throw wads of paper at the back of his head and write on his desk. The things that I would say haunt me to this day because, he was the only true friend I had at that school. I may have been the leader of my group but Johnny was something else. But the event that made me realize that was that within that school year my mom would get diagnosed with cancer. There was a point in the school year around my birthday. The date was November 1, 1963, I had driven my mother to the ER because, she was pale as a ghost, she wasn't eating, wasn't drinking water and I was getting worried so I decided to wake her up and take get her dressed. It was the least that I could do. My mother may have been a rotten person to me but she was still my mother and I couldn't stand but see her like this anymore. As soon as we get to the hospital they get her into a room and have me wait in the waiting room while they run some tests. I fell asleep while in the waiting room and the dream gave me an idea of the events that were about to happen. I fall asleep and in the dream I open my eyes in this strange room with my mom in a bed on life support. I looked at her charts and it says that nearly 3 months ago she was diagnosed with cancer and she went into cardiac arrest. It said that she was on life support because, when they revived her, her lungs weren't working properly and she couldn't breath on her own. When I woke up I looked at the time and only 20 minutes had passed. at that point I have to walk outside for a couple of minutes to take a breather. In my mind I could not believe what was going on. As soon as I walked back inside the doctor came out looking for me. He walks up and says " Goob? Margaret's son?" I proceed to say " Yes sir, that's me. Is everything okay with my mother?". With a troubled look on his face he tells me "I'm sorry to tell you this but with in the various tests we have ran your mother has Leukemia.". The blood rushes out my face and I look at the doctor and say "how far along is she and will she get better?". He walks me to my mothers room and she's laying there with an iv in her arm. Some color has returned due to the nutrients she's getting from the iv. The doctor left and I walked into the room to see her lying there looking like the life got sucked out of her. I sit in the chair that's right next to her bed and I just hold her hand. At that point tears come out of eyes due to the overwhelming feeling that i may lose her. 2-3 hours go by and I walk down to the cafeteria to go get some coffee and a sandwich so I don't pass out and get hurt. Then I hear a familiar voice call to me and it was Johnny. He was saying he heard about my mother and came to comfort me. We had talked for about an hour and a half, then Johnny had to go home because, his mom work at the hospital. I went to see mama again and then to go home do my school work and call papa. I called him and gave him the news about mom and he sounded devastated on the phone. Papa had told me to be the man that I am and hold down the fort until he was able to come home and make sure mama was getting the best care she can get. Of course I agreed because, it was my dad. I looked up to him, I always wanted to be the man he was. The next day I woke up sick like a dog, I went to the hospital that day to talk to mamas doctors to see what was going on with me and she how mamas treatment was going. They said that I was having sympathy sickness, which means that because, I truly care about mama that i'm getting sick but not as bad as her. That day all I did was sit there by her side and hope to god that she would get better. It was round 3:30 pm and I had just came back from getting lunch and mama is laying there lifeless. I call for help and the nurses start cpr on mama. I go to the hall to calm my nerves and one of the nurses come out and tell me what happened. the nurse said " Goob you mother, she went into cardiac arrest and one of her lungs had collapsed , we had to put her on life support. She cant breath on her own." I told her "How much longer do you think she has?" the nurses face looked concerned and runs to get the doctor. The doctor explains to me how much more time mama has. The date made me break just a little bit on the inside. He had said " December 3rd, 1963". That was the day that papa was coming home for good. As days went on I was by mamas side. I couldn't be there 24/7 because, of school but I would stay there at the hospital until about 9pm, and school got out at 2:30 pm everyday. December rolled around and it was the third of December I had just gotten into the hospital walking to mom's room and my stomach felt all funny, I knew something was wrong. So i finally get to mom's room and she's all pale and blue I call for help and they told me she passed away while sleeping. Papa gets there as soon as the doctors told, I had ran out of the room and papa chased me and asked me what was going on. I told him and he just held me. i drove mamas car home and papa drove his truck back home. When we got back he asked me how everything was before mama was hospitalized. i showed him the bruises on my sides and back. To be honest he almost started to cry because, he didn't know mama was like that. He just hugged me and said he was sorry. January came around and we had a funeral for mama, that was the saddest day because, we saw family we haven't seen in 2 years. The colors were mama's favorite color, it was yellow. I had asked Johnny to come and keep me company and he had agreed. I was sitting in my room listening to The Who and I had heard a knock on my door I say "come in", and Johnny walked in and brought food for us to eat. I looked at him and asked "why are you so nice to me? I have been so mean and rude to you.". He simply just said " There are some people not worth giving up on.". He made me cry because, Johnny made me feel like I wasn't alone in the world anymore. Johnny had revealed to me that he wasn't interested in girls anymore and didn't know what it meant. The day after my mom's funeral i head to school like usual but i drove mamas car which is now mine car. Her car was an 1964 Dodge Charger, there was this beautiful gloss over a fireplace red. It just made the red pop in a way that it it catches your eye from a distance. The first day of my senior year August 12, 1964. I was driving up in the student parking lot and i had driven Johnny that day with me. We get out and the kids who hang out in the lot until class starts to walk over and talk to. This was surprising because, its was all of the Greasers. They had noticed how nice the car was and we all bonded on it. They pretty much put me and Johnny under their wing. From that day on i was a greaser and i felt like i finally found myself. Johnny and i had an awakening in all honesty. Out of all of this i had met Roxy who would end up being the love of my life. It first started out in class that we had together she would talk to me for help from work in class that she didn't understand. I would help her and in between the actual work we would talk. Roxy was the most sweet and beautiful lady there was. As days went in her and i hanged out after school. One specific day I remember was the day that Roxy and I got together. November 3rd 1964. She had come over after school with me and we were in the kitchen studying for a huge test coming up later on that week. She all of a sudden stops working and looks at me. Roxy's says " Goob what should i do, i really like this guy i've been hanging out with and him and i have a good connection" i look at her and say " well do you know how he feels about you?". She bobs her head up and down, but says "its a yes and a no, he gives me mixed signals. Do you think i should ask him?" I nod and she starts to write on a piece of paper with the question. Roxy hands me the paper and it asks "Goob do you like me?" I laugh and while im laughing i say "yes". It hits around 6:30 and i drive Roxy home and before she gets out of the car i ask her if she would like to be my girlfriend and thankfully she says yes. She runs inside and i drive home, my dad had called from the base saying he had to be deployed back out and it breaks my heart but i ask him when he has to go and he said not till the 30th of the month. I sigh in relief. I started to make dinner, i had made meatloaf and it had just gotten done as soon as dad got home, we both set the table and he asks me about how my day was and i told him about the news and he smiled in excitement for me. Roxy was the first good thing that has happened to me since mama passed i was happy to have her in my life. I asked dad about how his day was and he said it was okay up until he go his new orders. He mostly looked forward to coming home and seeing me. Just a week before dad gets shipped out again, they call hi in saying that he needs to go in early. Dad was special opps in the military and he was very important. So on the 21st i drove dad to the base and hugged him saying goodbye and wish him safe travels. He almost tears up because, he wont be able to be there for graduation and hes sad to see his only child to be so grown up. He hugs me and give me an envelope before he gets on the plane. Dad says "Now listen son i love you, watch the house while im gone, you have done so amazing, i hate to leave, but stuff is going down and i need to be there. The envelope open it on your graduation day .". Tearing up i nod my head and wave as dad is running towards the plane. I get into my car and drive over to Roxys house and pick her up. Her parents meet me at the door with open arms and smiles. They call down for Roxy and she comes down in this beautiful dress, we were heading to prom that night and i decided to take her out for a dinner before going. She amazed me that night, we had gone to diner i worked at and we eat and the whole time at dinner i was just looking at her in amazement. We walk to the car and i open her door for her like any gentleman, and then get in the car. We get to the school early so we just sit in the car talking and Roxy just leans over a kisses me i of course kiss her back and i smile cause at this point im starting to love this girl. Its finally time to party and the whole gang is there and Johnny wasn't anywhere to be found, my girl runs off to see her friends for couple and i tell her ima go find johnny. I fun over his normal hanging stop in the gym, to my surprisement i see him there making out with a guy. So i run and find Roxy with her friends and i brush off what i saw. As time went on Roxy was getting tired and wanted to go so of course we leave and as im driving home with her in the car she leans on my shoulder to fall asleep. She was gonna stay the night at my place, luckily her parents said yes because, they said that they trust me enough and that im a good kid. When we get home its about 12am and shes passed out so i lift her up and out of the car and into the house. I walk upstairs with her in my arms and into my room. I lay her down and then walk downstairs to lay on the couch. Its about 3am and Roxy had gotten up and she woke me up to come lay down with her so i walk upstirs to lay with her. Its the next morning and i drive Roxy home, i had to take her early cause i had to go to work early to prep everything for that day. As days went on graduation came and i was getting nervous and sad because, my dad wasnt gonna be there, he had called me the day before saying that he wasnt sure when he was gonna be able to come home. But the day came and they had called my name the principle had said that he had someone special for me to give me my diploma, it was my dad, i nearly started to cry because, its been 6 months since i've last seen him. A new being has started for me because school had ended for me and i was with the love of my life. The first year out of high school was a but ruff. As the days went on and everything things started to fall in place for me and your grandmother. On December 9th of 1970 I proposed to your grandmother, she said yes and i could have been any happier. We didn't end up getting married until 75'. That was the best day to this day. Your grandmother had on a beautiful white dress that came down to the floor. It was like a ballroom gown. She had her makeup done and her hair was curled and done beautifully. I fell more in love with her that day. Nothing could have broken us apart not even death. Now children since that day there was a whole new story to tell. That will be for another day. I love you all and sleep well. *Goob gives his grandchildren a kiss on their foreheads and leaves the room turning off the lights and closing the door*
