This week I’m again turning the column over to the great Fate Arnwine, a resident of upstate New York and a graduate of our Aycock High School.
He sends me reminiscences of Rockdale in the 1950s and I think you will really enjoy this one.
I sure did. Here’s Fate:
Where ever you live, small town, large town, or in between, there is a cast of characters. Here is my East Side Cast of Characters.
“Gossip”—Perhaps she was told not to come to our house until after I had gone to bed, 9 p.m. There would be a knock on the door. Although two rooms away, with walls as thin as the wall paper covering them, I would hear greetings. A question would be asked. The response: “Girl, don’t start me to lying.” Mom would then be caught up on the latest gossip (and so would I).
The next time I saw Mr. John Doe on the street, I would have a hard time containing myself. Thoughts of what I had heard about him would surface and make me feel uneasy.
“King”—After a few drinks, he would stagger through the Eastside muttering in a loud preacher-like voice. The muttering would often be of things not repeatable. He would continue to drink until he was falling down drunk. He would then say in a clear voice, “stand up Pearl (beer), I bought ya.”
“Risque”—He was from a prominent eastside family. For some unknown reason he became an alcoholic. As adolescents, we would pool our money to buy him a fifth of wine. For this he would tell us risqué jokes until the bottle was finished.
I never tried to find out, but I often wondered what happened to him to make him like he was.
“PTSD”—I had heard stories of him and was uneasy going by his house. I had heard he would have some bad episodes from time to time. Fortunately, there was someone there who had a calming effect on him. I often wonder if he got the help he needed. Think it was war related as I had heard something about him being shell shocked.
“Overcoming adversity”—I remember this girl from school. She had epilepsy. Invariably, at some school functions, she would have an episode. People would run screaming. I don’t remember if she finished school at Aycock. She subsequently moved to Houston where she got the medication needed to correct her condition. She was able to continue her education and became a nurse.
“Ladies Man”—I had the utmost respect for him. He was a fine family man. He had a respectable job and often helped others in the community. His wife had her own business. It was known, but not openly talked about, he was seeing other women. He and his wife had no children. They adopted one. It was rumored this child was the man’s own biological son.
“Terrorized”—Most kids in the late 40’s and 50’s knew this man on sight. When they saw him they would run in fear. He would threaten to nibble their ears off.
He must have been harmless. I don’t think any parent took him serious. I refused to run from him and he left me alone. I was told he eventually cornered a kid. The frightened kid picked up a stone and threw it at the man. It hit him in the temple. He succumbed from this injury.
His “reign of terror” was ended. I hope the kid was not scarred from this ordeal.
“Uncle Doke”—I was around 12 when I met him and quickly became fond of him. He did not live on the east side. However, he was one of my favorite characters. He would have a nip once and again. You could tell he had been well traveled by the way he talked. Uncle Doke was full of anecdotes which he imparted freely. Afterwards he would always exclaim, “ooh poop ah doo.”
Now, I suppose you’re wondering about the other side of town. If you ever saw the movie “The Help” you know. We know!
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