*No name*

Never did we have much money... Maw, Paw and I. I grew up in the south of the good ole U.S. of A, in a little house purdy much in the middle of nowhere. I was an only child and there weren't many kids `round, so I got to be with my folks quite a bit. Grama and Grampa lived right down the road so I went back and forth, s'pose you could say, between those houses quite a lot growing up.1

I don't know what it was like for other kids, if they learned a lot about their parents or did they even care. I s'pose since I was around them all the time, I learned and awful lot `bout their characteristics and what not.2

In the those days, most kids my age were out playin' or somethin', havin’ themselfs a good ole’ time. Kids weren’t popular ‘round where we were so playin’ wasn’t something I did much. Maw worked at a little diner downtown so I went out to help Paw do whatever there was to do from day to day; fixin’ cars, doin’ bits o’ farmin’ and such, those kinds of things. He sure was a hard workin' man; had big hands that came into use a mighty lot. He never complained `bout the work really, just did it with his head down and his mouth shut, the way it shoulda been done. But when he wasn't workin', he sure was a talkative fella. Quick to say whatever it was that came to mind; never skipped a beat neither. If you gave him an insult, he dished one back right quick and two times more painful than your own. He was quicker with a couple of beers in him too, which I never really understood until my later years of drinkin' when things seemed to layout for me in the same. Like I said, he was always one step ahead, and always had you thinkin'; played a lot of word games and mind games. Intimidating at times, but I learned to take it as humor. Sarcasm was his other big thing. He'd get me going at times and then just start to laughin' and I'd realize what he'd done. It was like he was always playin' a trick on ya. Lotta people didn't like it when he'd do that kind of stuff, but lotta people didn't really like him.; sometimes I can understand why. He was blunt and could easily hurt a person's feelin’s. Me and the rest of the family went around it, learned how to understand it. Despite his mind games and such, he was a good man. Real good man. Not very affectionate, but that's not everything to a person. No, I s'pose not.3

Then there was Maw. She sure was a pretty gal. Always was from what I could see in pictures. She was a bit quieter than Paw, more loving, not as mouthy. Whenever she had somethin’ to say, though, you could bet it was worth hearin’. She might seem dumb from the lack of vocalzing, but all that payin’ attention to conversations, payin’ ‘tention to detail did her some good in the brains. She was very observant, probably where I get it from. It always seemed like she was dustin’ or somethin’ when she was home, but no matter what, we found ourselves some time to talk. Usually when it was dark out and she was home from work and I was in for the night from workin' with Paw all day, we found a little somethin’ to do together, mostly the dishes; talked about our day and such. I usually did a lot of the talkin', she'd listen; seemed like she was mighty good at it, too. Could be why her and Paw were so good with each other, he'd talk, she'd listen. Whatever it was, it worked mighty well; I mean, they were together from high school all the way up to the grave. Quite a commitment I tell ya.4

When we all five got together, parents, gran’parents and myself, I always had the time of my life. Paw and Grama would be tellin' jokes and such and Maw and Grampa would be all over the floor just alaughin'. I was always there, kinda in the middle of it all, takin' it in. A teenager during those times didn't really even sit with the grown-ups much and since I did, don't think they really wanted me to say much. But now I'm not sure. Since it’s all gone and passed, I s’ppose there’s not too much I could do now, huh? 5

When I was young, I wished at times that I had a little brother, just someone to play with. Any only child could be might lonely at times. I couldn’t always tag along with my parents and gran’parents, though I found myself going along with it a lotta the time. Now that I look back on it, I’m glad my family was the way it was; I wouldn’t of had it anuther way.
By the time I moved outta the house, unfortunate sickness had taken Gramma and Grampa’s lives both. Maw and Paw were all ready for retirement and I got lucky and was quick to find myself a good lady. Nowadays aren’t quite like they were as a kid, but I guess I can’t complain much. We’ve got the memories of so many late nights full of laughter and such good times; those are enough to last anyone. Yeah, I s’pose it all was pretty alright.