Reminisce of Days Gone By… {Part III}

Yesterday, I shared with you some treasured moments with my wife and son in my post Reminisce of Days Gone By… {Part II}.  Today, I’m going to give some introductions of my sisters Valorie (Val), Valinsa (Van) and Valondria (Von) and share a personal story about my relationship with them!

(Better get your popcorn now)!

Val (in photo above) is the oldest and I only got to go to one school with her… Colonial Hills Elementary!  They’ve now renamed it to Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary.  You could pull the wool over her eyes growing up but if she ever got wind of it, PAYBACK was going to H-E-Double Hockey Sticks!  She had a mind like an elephant… never would forget anything!  Here’s one of her PAYBACK stories:

One day at dinner, I think I was like 10, Mother had prepared this beautiful dinner.  There was this red desert looking item on my plate that I’d never seen before but Val insisted she’d rather get a whippin’ than eat it!  I said, give me hers… something that pretty has to be good!  With a devilish grin, she gave it to me, and her and Van kept quiet and watched this thing unfold…  I ate the meat, potato’s and was ready to eat this red desert looking item.  Val and Van had finished eating but they put on birthday hats as if I were going to blow out a candle and eat this desert.  Dad said, “Son… it’s time”!  I cut the desert with my fork… took a good chuck and put it in my watering mouth only to find out that this was NO DESERT… I WAS BEING SERVED BEATS!!!!!  I SPIT THAT BEAT OUT OF MY MOUTH AS IF I WAS IN A WATERMELON SEED SPITING CONTEST!  Dad said, ” No Son… You’re going to eat yours and hers before you get up from this table or you’re going to get 2 whipping… one for you and one for hers”!  I opted for the double whipping and I’ve never tasted a beat since then!
LOL!!!!

But Val knows I’ll always have her back… I remember when she was in a car accident in B’ham a few years back that almost took her life, I was the first person she called.  I left work that instant and was there on the spot in less than 45 minutes to make sure all was well.  The police said she was lucky… I said no, she’s blessed!

 

Next we have my older sister Van, It was like I went everywhere with her.  Elementary School, High School & College!  She was the smartest one out the group due to the fact that she came out the womb counting!  You never wanted to play Monopoly with her because she was going to make sure she was the banker (cause she could count) but she never went bankrupt!  She was Slick-With-It!  So, here’s a story between us:

While growing up, we had different cartoons than what’s out there now!  We had “Looney Tunes”!  Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Sylvester, Speedy Gonzales, Tweety, Marvin the Martian, Taz, Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, Foghorn Leghorn, Yosemite Sam, Pepé Le Pew, Gossamer and many others… the most violent cartoons ever! lol!  One day, I was watching “Tweety and Sylvester” and they had this saying, “I Taw a Putty Tat”!  Van being Slick-With-It asked me to repeat it… so I did.  She said say it louder, so I did.  Then she say scream it loud as you can and I screamed it out so that my dad heard it!  He walked in and said what did you say, I told him “I Taw a Putty Tat”!  He said, don’t say that again.  Later that say, Van and Val were about to get the MASTER whipping for something and I just happen to walk behind dad but I moved swiftly….  My first mistake was to look up and see Van.  She moved her lips as if she were saying, “Putty Tat”!  Then I got in my room and said to myself, Van wanted me to say it again.  So I said it… Let’s just say we ALL got the MASTER whippin! LOL!  A family that gets beat together will always stay together! I have way too many Van stories, but for now, this will do!

Then we have Von… my baby sister!  I remember when mom told me that I was going to have a little brother or sister.  Boy, was I excited!  A little brother… I wondered what I’ll call him.. I wondered if he would like sports, could he ride a bike, would he like my friends… so many things went through my mind.  I just knew that if I had a brother, we could team up and beat Van and Val at anything!  The only thing that didn’t go through my mind was the fact,  I could have a sister!  Back then, the technology of knowing what you were going to have I don’t think existed… therefore we had to wait on that phone call!  That call came and I was told the news and I screamed, “SEND IT BACK AND GET ME MY BROTHER!!!!” lol  I didn’t getthe brother that I asked for, but I love the little sister that I have.

A story between us:

Finally I got someone that I can pick on…  Payback at its finest! I got my opportunity to shovel all that devilment that Val and Van gave to me and pass it on to Von.  But, I’m not that kind of guy.  Truth is, the traumatic experiences that I went through as a child didn’t kill me… but made me stronger… made me wiser… mad me a man!  Whatever I could teach Von about life, I did… but she would do exactly what I said.  Case in point:

One day, me and the fellas were talking about boys and girls in school and how we use to play “Hide and Go Seek”!  You know how us guys can be guys, we were like little puppies… we would lose our head trying to chase our tails to get THAT girl!  I looked Von in the face and told her, “If a boy eva tries to touch you in places that you don’t desire, pick up a pen or a #2 pencil and stab ’em!”  My guy friends cheered me on and I went to bed thinking nothing of it.  A few days go by and I get a phone call from her school.  The principal says there’s been an accident at the school and want to talk to me.  In shock, I ask “What happened” and they tell me it’s been a stabbing.  I asked “was Von ok” and they said “yes she’s fine but the other boy has a #2 pencil stuck in his arm!  We  want to know did you tell her to stab anybody that touches her?”.  I looked left… then I looked right… and said to myself… “That Von Know’s How to Follow Orders”!  I then told the principal, “You need to talk to her parents… I’m just a brother and I’m not responsible for any of Von’s actions”!  Then I hung up laughing and Hi-Five-ing”!

That’s enough about my sisters!  I know that I’m embarrassing them by sharing these reminiscent stories but I can honestly say that we had childhoods that I wouldn’t change for nothing!  My sisters know that they can count on me for whateva and I know that I can count on them in the same way!  Eastbrook was good to me and I hate that I and others ever left! As I said all week, my father told me a long time ago and I’ll always cherish these words… “If you don’t have family, you don’t have anything”.  If you have family and your relationships are not what you’d like, please do whatever it takes to repair it.  You only get one shot at this thing called life.

What will you reminisce of days gone by…

Part IV tomorrow:  Parents!

 

 

 

Posted on March 30, 2011 in Personal

Share the Story

About the Author

Responses (5)

  1. Charla Parker-Thompson
    April 2, 2011 at 7:08 am · Reply

    Wow this is awesome. Those were the days, and our experiences with family back in the days will never be forgotten – – as they make us strong, steadfast and immovable. Thank you for sharing!

  2. Von
    March 31, 2011 at 6:24 am · Reply

    LOL! All 3 stories we consitently funny! I laughed out loud at Van’s that my co-worker came around to get in on the laugh too! Good times..

  3. Nikki #2
    March 30, 2011 at 1:50 pm · Reply

    I am too out done because I can’t stop laughing and crying. I know all of you and I can only imagine the fun you four had. Family is the best!

  4. Valorie
    March 30, 2011 at 12:43 pm · Reply

    OK, I’m lauhging to keep from crying!–Those were the days!–I only hope my children will enjoy memories(although painful at times) like these as they get older.–Thanks for the memories big bro.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to Top