My Family: Chapter 56

Sonny went into the Army but didn’t like very much and wanted to get out - he was 18 years old. While on leave he went to visit Uncle Vondon in North Carolina where my sister, Lucille, was living at the time. One day, they were outside talking while Sonny cleaned his gun when he got the idea that if Lucille shot him in the foot he would get discharged. Well, Lucille didn't want to shoot him, but he persisted by saying he was going to say that it was an accident and he shot himself while he was cleaning his gun. She kept telling him no, but he finally talked her into shooting him. Uncle Vondon heard the shot and ran out of the house. Sonny told him it was an accident but I don’t think Uncle Vondon believed their story. However it must have worked on the Army because they give him a discharge. I really think it was his heart which got him out of the service. By the time he was 21 he had a pacemaker put in, and he died at the age of 49.

This is one of my weekends at home and why I didn’t stay at home among other things. Dad and Mom had left me to take care of Bonnie and Ronnie on Friday while they went to spend the weekend with friends to drink and party. On Sunday night they came home drunk as usual and I had to helped get them to bed. I put them in the same bed in our old room because it had two double beds and the only fireplace which had bricks around the hearth to keep the fire from falling on the wood floors. I had to go outside and get more coal to put on the fire so I took Bonnie and Ronnie with me. While we were outside, I heard Mom screamed - I was already upset and jumpy from getting them to bed. So I ran into the house to see what is going on. Dad was in front of the fireplace calling Mom names and throwing bricks from the fireplace at her. Mom screamed and dodged the bricks. I yelled at him and asked him if he was crazy. He told me he was going to kill Mom because she wouldn’t let him touch her. I told them both I was leaving and they could kill each other for all I cared. Dad got in the other bed and I put all the bricks back around the fireplace. I took Bonnie and Ronnie over to stay with Grandma Francis while I went to stay with Aunt Wanda in Man.  I’m 17 years old, Mom is 37 years old while Dad is 39 years old - they acted younger than I did.