My Aunt Glenda, Such a Happy Soul

 

My mom's youngest brother, James, got married right out of high school to his high school sweetheart. He had been a star basketball player for Austin Eagles and she had been a cheerleader. James won a scholarship for basketball to a college. I believe he left and stayed "a few days," then came back and married Glenda. Their true love story had begun and I suppose overpowered this college experience. He got a job at a local factory which paid fairly well.

Glenda was such a happy soul. If anybody made it to the Kingdom of Heaven, I believe she did.

I have fond memories of her sweet and happy personality. They had 2 children.

I babysitted for their oldest son. Glenda was so smart. She always knew how much I liked to "make my own money" and was so happy to hire me for baby sitting, although on few occasions. I remember actually only one time when they went to a New Year's Eve Party. James was a home body is how I seen things, but they did go out on occasion. 

On this occasion she hired me to babysit, picked me up, and when they left she would open the refrigerator and say, "now anything in here that you don't have to cook of course and laughed, like soft drinks and cold items, you can have and eat. Her table was full of snacks too and she ran her hand over the kitchen table telling me there are cookies, potato chips, candy and many other snacks she had to have laid out especially for this baby sitting night, and she said, "just help yourself to any of it."

I watched T.V. that night and ate those snacks. Tommy was the oldest child I was baby sitting for. He was very quiet and was suppose to go to bed at a certain time and he did. After he got in bed, I went through every closet, every drawer in that house looking at everything James and Glenda had in there! I didn't take anything of course, but just was curious what all was in those drawers and closets. 

Glenda was a minimalist I think, as there was not much to be found. I did run across James's dirty women books in his underwear drawer!

When she returned she paid me 50 cents per hour which for me seemed like a fortune! I thought to myself how does show know so much about me knowing how keen I was on getting my own money.

Another way Aunt Glenda helped me make money was from a yard sale. She had a yard sale and asked us if we had clothes too small for us we wanted to put into it. Debra and I both had old clothes to put in her yard sale. When it was over, we all went to collect our money. She had my money in a jar with my name on it and had Debra's money in a jar with her name on it. Then she tried to trick me. She was a prankster type with a big sense of humor. She said, oh wait a minute, Connie did not make any money, both these jars are for Debra instead. I bowed my head almost in tears and then she threw back her head and just cackled and said, "oh no, I am just kidding with you, Connie. You made the most money actually and this jar is for you. It was full of coins and bills. I forget how much money I made that day.

Later in life when my dad died, I was walking around Lake Iola and came upon James and Glenda sitting on a picnic table there. James and Glenda both loved my dad. Dad had put James through school, buying his lunch tickets and clothes. When dad married mom, she had 3 young siblings who had become fatherless. Dad became a father figure to these I am sure looking back at the kind of relationship they all with one another.  They seemed sad. We had just buried my dad. I stopped and talked with them a little bit and we talked about dad. They both had tears in their eyes and said, "yeah Ralph was a good person."

I thought I will now tell Glenda this secret I had kept all these years of what I actually done the night I babysitted for her, which I felt a little guilty for doing that. I probably should have not been so nosey. I said you remember that time I babysitted for you on New Years Eve. She said yes I remember. I said, well I have a confession to make. I went through all your bedroom furniture drawers, closets and everything else and I stumbled upon James's girly books with all the naked women in them. Finally, I got that off my chest!

She throwed her head back in her usual laugh and said, oh that was alright, but really NOW I GOT THE DIRTY BOOKS.  

Glenda passed away not long after this day.