This is part three of recalling memories about neighbors. Neighbors for the purpose of these posts can be people next door, on the next street over, family, friends or people who work in the community. As I write these posts, I realize there was so much more going on in my life at any given time, and sometimes it is difficult not to go off on a tangent. I am trying to stick to talking about neighbors, but I get distracted.
In the last neighbor post, I was just about to move out of Georgia and on to Kentucky! I was twenty three years old, newly divorced, living in an apartment, and working as a night auditor at a motel. I had recalled something one of the drivers had told me, but decided with the limited information I had, it would be pointless to pursue it. Instead, this post will finish up with my experience with the drivers in Georgia, and then talk about the neighbors after my moves to Kentucky followed by Mississippi.
The motel ran a courtesy van for trucking companies. When the drivers arrived or departed during my shift, I would drive the van to go drop them off or pick them up. They had been either asleep or on the road for 10 hours, so if they wanted to stop at fast food, a pharmacy, or a grocery store, I was more than happy to oblige their request. As things would go, apparently the other employees refused to make any stops for the drivers, and either the employees or drivers complained, and sadly a stop was put to any side trips. Soon after, cupid hit and Georgia would be in my rear view mirror!
Moving to a mid-sized city in central Kentucky was a big change for me. We lived in an apartment on the third floor. I can't recall any neighbors, but there was an exchange at the playground once.. My son, now three, loved to play at the apartment playground. One day, as he was walking up to the steps of the slide, a little boy about four years old, at the top of the slide, looked at my son, and said, "what's that honkey doing?" I can't remember anything else from that encounter with a neighbor's kid. We only stayed in Kentucky six months, and during this time, our complex had three fires! I was thrilled when a job transfer would take us 600 miles southwest to Mississippi.
As we said goodbye to his large family in Kentucky, we said hello to a slower pace of life and a new job opportunity for me. We first spent three months in a hotel with the other drivers and their families that transferred. I remember eating dinner with one of the wives, she berated a waiter, and it still sticks with me today. To feel something inside, and not be able to express it, often causes internal turmoil that is difficult for me to calm. The waiter brought dinner rolls for the table in a basket. The woman I was with started yelling that she was paying for her dinner and she wanted her own rolls, and how dare he put her rolls with mine. It has really affected my confidence when dining with others.
After the ninety days, we found a nice house to rent. The lady next door was pleasant, but we didn't have much in common. She asked me one day about cooking bacon. That is literally my only memory from next door. A young kid accidentally shot a BB from across the street that broke our window. Luckily, he didn't shoot his eye out! I started working at the post office, and that came with additional challenges that would strain my mental health. It was really a challenge when the landlord's let us know they were selling the house when our lease was up. The out-of-town landlords came for a move-out inspection and I was really anxious. With a camera in tow, they moved from room to room, and to my relief, no pictures were necessary!
We purchased a house and five acres in the country. We had a courthouse wedding and rural living was my new way of life. I met a lot of the neighbors in the six years I lived there. A few of the neighbors were also truck drivers, but we didn't really socialize outside of talking with them in our yards. I struck up a good friendship with the driver next door, but that ended soon after it started because I was told he didn't have good character. I met a lot of people at work, but anytime I started making friends, the friendship would be thwarted by my husband.
A terrifying incident involving a gun made me realize the extent of his control over my life, prompting me to move out of my house and rent a trailer for several months. The woman I rented it from lived in the house next to the trailer. She was really nice and had a daughter my son's age, now six. In time, after seeing some change, my husband and I reconciled and I moved back home.
I enjoyed living out in the country, even though it was a lengthy commute to my job as a mail processor and a good drive to town. However, the general store was not too far away. It was a small wooden building and the owner had a good variety of groceries and a grill. We would often go there for lunch, not only to eat, but to just hang out and chat. I don't recall any specifics, but I see a few photos in my head with me laughing. I remember I loved listening to his stories.
Before leaving Mississippi, I would give birth to two more sons and I would resign from my job. Another work opportunity for my husband would take us 400 miles northeast to Tennessee. After packing up our life in the Magnolia State, we braced ourselves for new neighbors and the next chapter as a Volunteer—to be continued.
Proverbs 4:7
"The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding."
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