Monday, March 18, 2013

The Baby came in the Black Bag


Happy 50ieth, James
You had the same patch of gray as a newborn.

1963, what a year!

In 1962, we had moved from the first home I remember to my Aunt's and from there to my grandmother's and then again just a door away to the other side of a double shotgun apartment we shared with grandma. When the new year arrived we were settle, as settle as we would be for the next few years. The moving had interrupted my schooling and I was finally back in school repeating first grade. School was comforting for me.

My mother usually helped me off to school. On the morning of March 18 1963, mama was in pain. She was in labor with her fourth child. Mama combed my hair and grandma made grits for breakfast and told me when I returned home from school, I would have a new baby brother or sister. What did mama's pain have to do with a baby?

I can remember being sad and I burst into tears in Mrs Woodward class. She assured me that everything would be okay. I walked home excited to see my new sibling. The only problem was that the baby had not arrived.

Sarah Guice, the midwife for the community was attending my mother but there was a problem, the baby was not position correctly for delivery. The family was busy discussing getting medical attention for my mother and the conversation got ugly. My father had abandoned the family and they felt it wasn't their responsibility to take care of Albert's problems.

Someone found my daddy and a doctor was summoned. I was busy peeping through keyholes and windows trying to understand what I didn't understand. I saw the doctor come up the steps with the black bag and saw him standing over my mother's bed. Soon after the doctor's arrival, which could have been just minutes or hours, I heard the cry of a baby. I had a moment of revelation, babies came in black bags.

9 comments:

Kristin said...

I am so glad you figured that out ;)

LindaRe said...

I was so pleased with my seven year old self.

Anonymous said...

What a cute story! I can just picture the wheels spinning in your brain as you figured it out.

Cheri Herring said...

I love seeing life's events through the perceptions of a child's mind.

LindaRe said...

The baby came after the doctor arrived and of course he had the baby in the bag.

LindaRe said...

I do too. Children's thoughts about life are interesting.

Anonymous said...

What an amazing story. Here I thought you went to the baby heaven store!

LindaRe said...

No one told me about the baby heaven store, if they had I wouldn't had to think so hard.

Andrea Kelleher said...

You are too cute with this. "Babies come in black bags." I too love the perspective of children."