hitchhiker You know, I have met so many really strange people in my life. On in particular came to mind this morning though that I haven't thought about for some time.
I was about nine years old, and we were living in small town in Texas at the time. Let's see, that would have been about 1954. My father was working in a nearby town, so he would usually get home after dark. Since our street didn't have much in the way of street lights, Mom put a large cow bell on the gate, so that if anyone entered we would be alerted, especially after dark. The fence was about five feet tall, and was all solid wood, so no one could see the bell until they were already inside the yard.
My older sister was about twelve, and the younger sister was only two, so needless to say, Mom was always on alert for anyone bothering us while Daddy was not home.
One evening, Daddy came home, and he was not alone. Mom always got upset when he brought people home for dinner without her expecting them, especially, if they were total strangers that my dad had picked up off the street, as in this particular case.
Still, Mom would never treat any of these people badly, as Daddy only brought them home to eat, as he knew they were very hungry. Mom graciously provided the man with a nice southern meal, and he ate to his heart's content. After dinner, he and Daddy sat and talked for awhile, and this man did a little entertaining for us two older girls.
This man stood up in the middle of the living room, and pulled a white hanky from his pocket. He ripped off one end, along the seam of the folder finished edge. Then, he stuck the strip up his nose, and it popped out the opposite nostril. He then took hold of both ends, and pulley-style, he pulled back and forth, up and down to show it was indeed going from one nostril to the other.
He explained that one time he had broken his nose badly, and there was a hole between the two sides, inside of his nose. He was very polite, but also odd, so say the least. That picture stuck in my mind, one strange display. He should have gotten a job in a side show at a carnival. Who knows, maybe he did.
Anyway, after awhile, Daddy and he left, and I guess he was dropped someplace near where he could get another ride, or someplace to sleep.
Of course when Daddy returned home, Mom really had a few things to tell him, as she was always afraid that one day, one of these fellas might return when Daddy was not home, and who know what they might do to us all.
No comments:
Post a Comment