Monday, April 29, 2024
One of my first memories was of Dennis. I was very small. The back door kitchen at the Gilead house had a two story staircase because the basement opened out to the lawn. They put me on the staircase landing to keep me out of the way in the kitchen. I could hear and see the "boys" Terry and Dennis out in the alley behind the back yard. I managed to work my way down the stairs. At the base of the stairs was a sidewalk and a fence that was covered in Concord grapes (I learned much later). I walked across the yard to the alley where Dennis, Terry and a couple of neighborhood friends were playing baseball. I stood there and watched as they hit the ball until one of the balls came close to me. They told me to go back to the house. I turned around and everything looked so different I didn't know where I was and started crying. Uncle Dennis came over, took my hand and walked me back to the stairs. He yelled for my mother, "Etta" and she came flying down the stairs.
