| Biographical Non-Fiction posted October 19, 2022 | Chapters: |
...20 21 -22- 23 
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My dads story from 1932 on.
A chapter in the book Pioneers of My People
Glover's Story, Part 2
by BethShelby
| Background This story starts after Glover and Lucille marry in 1932 in a little town in Mississippi. Part one begans with Glover's birth in 1909. |
After the plans fell through to keep their marriage a secret, and it appeared Glover’s boss, Ira, had given up on the idea of buying a store in Knoxville for him to manage, the couple decided to start living together.
Glover’s father, Eb, or Papa, as he called him, said, ”Y’all come on and move in with us. Nobody’s using that front bedroom. Y’all can stay there till you can get your own place." My grandfather was very fond of his new daughter-in-law and always called her “Sealy” instead of Lucille. Alma accepted her like a daughter as well.
Glover vowed they’d be living in their own home in a couple of months. He was a bit ashamed of his parent’s unpainted home. He approached a neighbor, who agreed to sell him some land next to his papa’s place. They struck a deal for 15 acres for $500. The owner had homesteaded the land, and he agreed to give them a year to come up with the mortgage money. No bank was involved. Since Alma's unmarried sister and brother were also living in the home, moving in didn’t seem to be a good long-term solution. Lucille made herself useful while there. She and Alma’s younger sister, Eva, made it their project to improve the yard by trimming and shaping bushes and planting flowers.
The couple picked the spot for a building site, and Glover sketched out a rough idea for a plan. Eb had some building experience and was anxious to help his son. The two-bedroom frame house would sit on concrete blocks, designed to keep the rooms level. No one worked from actual blueprints. Eb got a few neighbors together and took charge of the project. Glover purchased the building material as needed. Three weeks later, their house was roughed in and roofed. Friends got together and had a housewarming party, giving them used furniture and other things to get them started.
By the time the couple had been married five years, Lucille realized she’d married a short-tempered young man, not given to patience. Since she’d stayed in school longer and completed three years in the city school, Glover felt a bit inferior. He thought he had to stay in control and make sure she understood that he was the wage earner.
Mom cringed when Dad cursed over minor irritations, but she was determined to make a go of the marriage. When she learned she was pregnant after five years she was ecstatic. Glover, who didn’t think he ever wanted children, realized he would have to adjust to the fact he was going to be a father. His parents were certainly excited about being grandparents.
When I turned out to be a girl, my dad was relieved. He had no desire for a boy. He didn’t have the patience to deal with their more active nature. Years later when he had a grandson, he gave him a hard time, but he adored his granddaughters. With me, he was delighted when people said, “Nobody has to wonder who her daddy is. She's the spitting image of you.” At least I didn’t get the red hair and freckles he’d hated as a youngster.
By the time I came along, Glover’s Jewish boss had sold his clothing store to a nephew and had moved on. Another man had purchased a grocery store and hired Dad to manage it. This meant long hours of work. He did all phases of the operation like stocking, bookkeeping, sales and often the delivery of groceries to shut-ins who ordered by phone. On Saturday nights most of the stores were open until nine p.m. He was often at the store well past midnight. All the stores were closed on Sundays and Dad often slept until noon. In the summer, the stores closed on Thursday at noon, allowing him time to do a little farming to supplement his income.
Sunday was the one day of the week, Glover could relax after having spent days on his feet running the store. He brought home a bag of groceries on Saturday night costing around $7. He would pick up a loaf of bread or other necessities during the week. On our 15 acres our family kept several cows which Mom milked. She churned and made butter and maintained a large garden. She kept free range chickens for meat and eggs. We never needed a lot of groceries.
In September of 1940, Glover got a draft notice for WWII. He managed to be exempt from serving for several reasons. Aside from his flat feet, grocery stores were considered a necessity for the civilian population. He was also taking care of his aging parents. In those war days some items were rationed. People were issued cards allowing them to purchase only limited amounts of gasoline, tires and many other goods. Everyone was buying war bonds.
Dad adored me and each night he brought me a bar of candy or chips from the store. He might yell at Mother, but he never raised his voice at me. Mother was the disciplinarian. He played games with me, taught me to ride a bike, and took me fishing. He didn’t believe any man existed who would ever be good enough for me. He liked having me with him when going on errands in the car, and I enjoyed going along for the ride.
Dad believed the old adage “early to bed and early to rise.” He wanted everyone in bed and lights out shortly after the sun went down. Around five a.m. the alarm would go off, and he expected Mom to have his breakfast ready by the time he was dressed for work. Maybe he dreaded the day ahead, but it was during these times while I was still in bed, I would hear angry words directed at Mom. The threats he made, kept me on edge, because I didn’t realize they were just empty words. He never physically harmed anyone.
I didn’t ask for much, but I never really wanted for anything. It didn’t occur to me that we might be poor. My parents were thrifty and managed well on what we had. In time, Mom had turned our completed house into a comfortable, nicely furnished home. Our family seemed as prosperous as any of my friends' families. Dad could have owned the store which he managed, but fear of being in debt kept him always as an employee.
After I married at 18, Mom had had enough of Dad’s verbal abuse, and she left him with no warning, intending to continue her education. She was only away long enough to make him realize what he had lost. His pathetic letters begging her forgiveness brought her back home. She was with him 61 years until her death in 1995. He even joined the church he'd objected to so verbally years before. When Mom died, he was at the point of needing full-time care, and he became my responsibility. He was 87 when he passed away.
Lucille's Story and Glover's Story overlap. There may be details in one that aren't in the other,
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