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ENOUGH OF THIS CRAP!
If Your Ship Won't Come In, Swim Out To It!
By John Buche'r
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2012 John Buche'r
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-5094-8
Chapter One
In the Beginning
It was 2:45 a.m. July 5th, 1939. A very sultry morning after the 4th of July celebration was over, when all of a sudden, the front door was kicked open and eight men, armed to the teeth, burst into the room on a surprise raid!
They had been watching this house for some time and decided it was time for the bust. Nellie Bogard, owner, operator, Mother and a non-descript member of the "Lucky Luciano" crime syndicate since 1935, stood at the end of the long table, slim cigarillo hanging from her mouth and a sneer spreading across her face.
In our present lifestyle today, they call it the "Lottery," but back in those days, it was an illegal entity called, "The Numbers Racket!"
All the occupants of the house were hauled off to free occupancy at the Iron Bar Hotel! It was a short stay however, because Nellie was out before noon!
A few days later, the sky loaded with very heavy, dark clouds, Nellie came out the front door of the house and headed for her dark green Packard automobile. It was a rugged looking car with some kind of a grill on the rear end of it hanging on the trunk lid. It looked like a gate to me but I don't know what they called it.
Her Butler, she really did have a butler, had the car already running and they started off to the city. She had some kind of a commercial laundry, which didn't take in the money that supported her life style, as everyone knew, but come to find out much later, it was just a front for her REAL source of income!
I wasn't born yet, but I collected all this information from her two sisters, Ruby and Opal, who were into employment with her, that is if you could call it employment! They had pictures of themselves and others hanging on the walls and most of them resembled what you would see in the local Post Office, hanging on its wall under the word Wanted!
No one ever said much about Nellie's first husband, John Williams, except he was shot and killed in a raid late one night. We had a very hush mouthed family and I guess you can see the reason why.
A few months later, she married Pearl Penwell and had two sons and 3 daughters. Don't ask me how all this came to be with her busy schedule! Lonnie, who got his left eye shot out with a B.B. gun, Kenneth, who drove a big milk tanker, which he rolled and totaled, while bending over to pick up the cigar he dropped on the floor while driving, Velveteen, who never said anything much, Ruth, who had a nervous twitch and last but not least, was Zelma.
Now Zelma was the spittin' image of Nellie but Zelma didn't smoke a cigarillo and she didn't pack a Rod!
During the next few years, Nellie's kids grew up and just like Mother, in and out of scrapes, in and out of jail, just plain in and out!
Over those years, Lucky Luciano was in prison, then out and deported, then back and finally faded. The Numbers Racket diminished for the most part but there was still a lot going on in the syndicates.
Nellie and Ray (the butler), got involved in another venture but for a long time, no one knew what that venture was. They would leave early in the mornings and not return until late that night.
Meanwhile, Nellie's kids had all grown, gotten married and Grandkids were everywhere! I mean there must have been some rabbit jeans somewhere on the family tree!
Zelma, Nellie's youngest, had married a Frenchman named Merrill, which combined with Zelma's heritage, formed a tribe of French Anglo/Norman crazy Badasses!
Zelma's first child, a Son she named Gerald, then a daughter, Nellie, named after her Mobster Mother and then a daughter, Polly Ann.
Many strange things transpired over the next few years that no body ever knew about and didn't even dare to ask! Zelma and Merrill began to argue a lot and from time to time even got into a huge knock down drag out fight! I mean the Walton family it wasn't!
No one ever knew much about Merrill's side of the family except his Dad, Frank, was about as mean and cantankerous as anyone could get. Didn't like anybody and wouldn't give anybody the time of day.
Now Merrill's Mother was even meaner! I want you to know she was mean, ornery and her looks would stop Amtrak at high speed! I mean she put the U in UGLY! She would make Freddie turn and run down the street! These people would rather shoot you than shake your hand!
Merrill had a good job working at the Ford Motor Company. He would leave about 4:00 a.m. to be at work on time at 5:00 a.m. He got home in the late afternoon around 3:00 p.m.
The early afternoon August heat, felt like it could blister at any moment. The sky, a cloudless blue, painted a work of art with a dense background of Elm, Maple, Cypress and a few lovely Dogwood Trees. A large creek ran through the property and traveled as far as you could see.
Two children were making their way down stream, to where the creek dropped about twenty feet and caused a small falls. It gave them great pleasure to run back and forth behind the water, to take advantage of the spray for a cool refreshing few moments.
"Clang! Clang! The bell resounded, signaling the children, come to the house. A large farm house looms in the distance, sporting the 1900's Era. They knew they dare not be too late. Breaking into a run, it was a race to the finish line.
"I thought I told you kids not to go to that crick! Jist look at them wet clothes! You better git them changed before your Dad can see ya." They really scampered to get upstairs, almost trampling on little Polly Ann in the process. She just looked at them running and—tried to catch them, but she tripped over her own feet and fell.
She rolled herself over, not even crying, looked around and then got up. Her little hands brushed her knees as if to remove the hurt and then headed to her Mommy, smiling.
The third child born to Zelma, a descendant of the Bogards, a Sultry clan migrating from Germany, Polly Ann was always a cheerful—fun loving child of three. She was always straightening this string she had around her waist which supported a little pouch filled with pennies.
Grandpa Frank, the Father of Polly Ann's Dad, Merrill, would always give Polly Ann a few pennies every week and when she collected enough, she would have him take her to the old country store and buy a little sack of candy. She was Grandpa Frank's pick of the litter so to speak. He would wait until supper was over, then pick up Polly Ann and carry her around until he had rocked her to sleep.
He hummed a few tunes to her, placed her on the bed and with a steady quietness he took her pouch of pennies, put them in her secret place, then tucked her in for the night, smiling! Actually, Polly Ann was the only reason he kept coming around the house. It was not a tight knit family, there was always some kind of commotion going on.
One Saturday afternoon, Zelma had to go into town and Merrill was working. It was still raining as it had been for the last two days and with nothing else to do, what do you think happened? Right! The kids all ran outside to play in the rain including Polly Ann.
The rain had settled into a light mist, so they continued to splash in the water, kicking each other with violent sprays of the muddy puddles.
Polly Ann was right in the middle of it all, her long Auburn hair stringy and matted. Screaming and laughing with pleasure, they lost track of time. They were having so much fun, they took no worry in the benefits they would reap from their afternoon of total fun!
While the other two, Gerald and Nellie, were splashing in the mud holes, Polly Ann had settled herself into her own private digs making mud houses and mud balls. Neither had noticed when Merrill pulled up in the yard from work. He had come home early that day and when he saw the little mud makers, it was all over! Back to Reality!
As Merrill got out of the car, the three huddled together their eyes questioning "Who's gonna protect who?" Merrill picked up Polly Ann motioned for the others to follow and the party was over! All the do's and don'ts came back to their remembrance. Without a doubt, they knew they were in for it.
Gerald, the oldest, "We was just playing. It was hardly raining so we went outside. Then it rained harder before we could get back in!" Then looking over at Nellie, he noticed Polly Ann had latched on to Nellie's leg and was holding on for dear life!
Each of the three was hoping for a miracle but it was not to be that day. One by one, including little Polly Ann, got a licking with Merrill's belt. I mean there was crying and sobbing for at least twenty minutes.
Zelma came home about an hour later, the kids had taken their baths and they were sitting very quietly in a row on the old stuffed couch, looking very sober. The crying had stopped and Merrill was in the other room by the window resting.
The front door opened and Zelma came in, looked at the panel on the couch and said, "What's all this?" That's all it took! Polly Ann looked at Nellie, Nellie looked at Gerald, they both looked back at Polly Ann, her eyes got big, her chin began to quiver as she looked at her Mommy, then it all broke loose! Polly Ann slipped down off the couch, ran over and grabbed her Mommy by the leg.
While Nellie and Gerald sat still and just sobbed at each other, Polly Ann was giving it her all. Merrill came back into the room, a deadly silence hit the place and you could hear a pin drop. He just shook his head, looked at Zelma and went outdoors.
Gerald and Nellie left the couch and joined the group hug, all trying to explain at once. "You children knew you shouldn't have been out in that rain in the first place!" One and then the other, "We're sorry Mommy, we won't ever do it again (yeah right)!"
A few days had gone by since the incident and on Sunday morning, when everyone was getting ready for church, they heard crying coming from Polly Ann's bedroom.
Zelma went in to see what was wrong, suspecting one of the other kids was pestering her. No one was in the room with Polly Ann and she did not look well at all. She had vomited in her bed and she was pale as a ghost, which looked even worse as her cheeks were very red with fever. Her eyes had lost their mischievous glimmer.
Doctors and hospitals were not plentiful back then so they kept Polly Ann in cold compresses and a lot of home remedies to try to help her until Monday morning and she could be taken to the Doctor in the next town.
Wrapped tightly in a blanket and held very close, Zelma carried Polly Ann out to the car as Merrill got it prepared to take her to the Doctor. The other kids were to remain at the house, and to say a little prayer.
Grandpa Frank came by the house and Gerald told him the story. He actually ran to his car and headed out to the Doctor's office. This was his little Polly! He finally reached the Doctor's, but before he went into the building, he emptied out his pocket. He only had eight pennies. That just wouldn't do. Back in his car, he drove another three miles to a grocery store and asked the cashier if she could give him a dollar's worth of pennies. "It's very important that I have these!" Frank said, as the tears were welling up in his eyes.
Grandpa Frank had the reputation of being a gruff, rough, tough and mean old man. In fact, the town consensus concluded he was downright ornery! He may have been, but he dearly loved this little girl and didn't know how to handle this situation.
As he entered the office, the Doctor had just finished talking to Zelma and Merrill. Polly Ann had the Whooping Cough and to make matters worse, she had pneumonia on top of that. No insurance back then and no money to speak of either, so they were instructed to take Polly Ann home and try to do the best they could to make her comfortable. He had given her a shot and she was resting at the moment but the concern was great and everyone was very worried about her.
Grandpa Frank never stayed at the house long when he came over, but this day, he never even thought of leaving. "I will stay in this little girl's room until she gets well, and that's that!" he said. No one contradicted him whatsoever.
The next two days were long and hard. Polly Ann didn't seem to be doing any better. They called the Doctor but he said he was doing all he could. If she got a lot worse, bring her in on Friday.
Grandpa Frank was not a church going man, and the things he called the Doctor can not be repeated here. He was living up to his reputation but this was a little three year old girl who couldn't speak up for herself, so he had to intervene. He sat by her bed constantly. He could not understand why this was happening to her at this stage of her early life.
Grandpa Frank kept walking the floor in Polly Ann's room, first looking out the window, then back to the bed, touching her face and smoothing back her hair. As hard as he was, he was a softie today. Thinking of the times he pushed her in the old tire swing and the walks they had together, not to mention the times he sat at the table with her counting her pennies while she decided what she would spend them for when she had enough.
Thursday afternoon came and Polly Ann wasn't any better. She was coughing a lot, her temperature was still up and Zelma told Merrill he had better call the Doctor to make an appointment for tomorrow.
Merrill had been very quiet and sullen for days, for after all, he had given the kids, including Polly Ann, a spanking just a few days ago. That's all that was on his mind right now. He could only see her crying from the correction and now she lay very sick in her bed. He was wishing he could be out in the rain playing with them instead of all this.
Grandpa Frank walked over to her bed, opened her hand and slipped a few pennies in it, then closed her fingers over them. He had to choke back all his feelings right then or he would not be able to stay in the room.
A ray of late afternoon sun came through the window lighting up the whole room and everyone in there took a deep breath. There was a noise outside and looking out the window, Grandpa Frank saw a car pull up and his whole countenance changed even more. Like I said, he was a hard man and when he saw Zelma's Mother, Nellie, get out of the car with her driver, he turned around and said, "Don't anybody say a word to me and l won't say a word to anybody else. I'm not leaving this little girl for anybody, so you just go meet these people and keep them at a distance." With that he turned and walked over to Polly Ann's bed, grabbed hold of the head board and stood there defiant!
The heart wrenching vigil went on for two more days. Grandpa Frank was still sitting beside Polly Ann's bed but he had dozed off for a while.
The morning sun was streaming in through the window and caused a bright glow over Polly Ann's head. Grandpa Frank shook himself awake and turned to look at the little girl in the bed. It only took a second for the lump to climb up in his throat and stay there. Giant tears began to roll down this big, gruff, old man's face, looking down at the face of his little Polly Ann. At that instant he knew she had passed away.
Just at that time, Zelma came into the room, caught sight of the big man crying over the bed and knew the worst had happened. She had never seen Grandpa Frank cry before, which told her nothing was good. She began to scream as she ran to the bedside, bringing everyone else into the room one by one.
After they came and took Polly Ann, Grandpa Frank was nowhere to be seen. The day of the funeral came and many of the family friends and relatives were there, but still no sign of Grandpa Frank.
It's very hard to see an adult die, even though you know the circumstance warrants it. So loosing a three year old is just plain torture! We know for a certainty that Grandpa Frank totally loved Polly Ann.
The Preacher was just finishing his part of the ceremony, when the door of the Church opened and in walked Grandpa Frank! A little leather bag was dangling from his shaking hands as he walked, uncaring about the surroundings or anything else. His eyes, mind and heart, was fixed on that little form in the casket ahead of him.
The closer he got to her, the harder the tears fell! He finally stood still, took a deep heart hurting breath, took the little leather bag that he had filled with, you guessed it, pennies, like he had always given her. He lifted her hand, placed the bag on her stomach, then placed her hand back on top of the bag to keep it safe!
Sobbing uncontrollable, he then bent over, gave her a big kiss on the cheek and as he turned to leave, he spoke only to her, but everyone could hear him, "I Love You Polly Ann!" With that, Grandpa Frank left and no one ever saw much of him after that, until a few short weeks later, Grandpa Frank died. As far as anyone knew, he hadn't been ill, it was said, the only thing in the world that mattered to him was Polly Ann, and she was gone, so he had nothing to keep him alive any longer!
Zelma was already carrying another child and was to be delivered at any time. No one has ever talked about it even to this day, but the new baby boy only lived for a few hours. It was never talked about but there were always different renditions of that birth. I guess it will never be known.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from ENOUGH OF THIS CRAP! by John Buche'r Copyright © 2012 by John Buche'r. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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