I have pictures in my mind of my brother Critt and I standing or sitting beside each other as we watched life. He was always to the left of me.
We watched people and vehicles move up and down Wentworth Street in Charleston. I paid attention to the women and their clothes, and he trained his eyes on the cars and bicycles. Our grandparents had a second-floor apartment in a huge house, and the front porch ran the length of it. A sturdy balustrade kept us in, but there was room to look through.
At Lulu’s farm in Kentucky, we climbed a rickety, three-rail fence to watch the cows walk from the barn to the field. Their shifting bodies reminding us of walking boats. We never understood how they knew it was time to wander back to the barn to be milked in the afternoon. It seemed they could tell time.
Critt liked to watch the planes at the Downtown Spartanburg Airport, and he was content to while away more time there than I was. We would lean over the short concrete wall or sit on its top and wonder where the planes were going. I tended to guess Charleston, and he would guess Texas. He enjoyed western movies and programs like our Daddy.
The Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport was close to our house, so that is where we went. It is both one of the oldest airports in the country and the first in SC.
On Labor Day weekends, we always went to Hendersonville, NC. Lots of family lived there, and the Apple Festival was the place to be. We had the best seats for the parade, because we sat on the curb. With knees under our chins, we waved our flags and clapped for the different performers.
Childhood memories are often seen through rose-colored glasses. I had never thought about the ways that he and I practiced watching the various processions in our small worlds until recently. We enjoyed the exhibits and learned about variety, as well as appreciated its diversity. It was all so captivating.
Our individual lenses are unique to us, and I enjoy sharing my take on the stories of these forgotten women that I write about. Trying to understand and pay a visit to their worlds is so intriguing, and I thank you for reading about them.
“Sharing tales of those we’ve lost is how we keep from really losing them.”
― For One More Day
I believe Mitch Albom knows exactly why I wrote this. Let’s share our stories.
Sheila Ingle 