Girl Lost - Part 3

                                                                         Part 3

The Road East

Almost all military families are familiar with being uprooted every few years from friends, homes, schools, personal possessions, and even their pets. Some  are able to absorb the losses while others struggle with every new move. For me, though I felt the losses, the traveling was the most enjoyable part of being a military brat. I was almost completely living inside my head by now and would use the travels and destinations to create the most safe, stable and enjoyable stories in which to hide.

Omaha was to be our first major stop. We were going to visit another of my mother's sisters. I found Aunt Eileen to be the exact opposite of how I thought my Aunt June to be. If there was a real Mrs. Claus, Aunt Eileen could have been  her. Somewhat on the portly side she smiled and laughed as she tried to wait on us hand and foot. She was one of the few people in my life who would say she was glad I was there and happy to see me and I believed it a hundred percent.

Aunt Eileen lived over a ground floor bar with two of her kids - Doreen and Billy - they were about the same age as my sister and I. It was only one flight up from the street level  but two flights from the parking lot in the back. The ones in the back were old and rickety and looked like a light wind would be sufficient to bring them down. Climbing up them was scary. I just knew the stairs would either break dropping me down to the ground or the staircase would pull away from the building wall
falling away from the building into the gravel parking lot carrying me with it.

                                                                           

It was a short visit and it went by way to quickly. Billy was excited to show us all his model crazy cars  that decorated his bedroom.

                                                                                   

Day two saw all the kids sent off to the movies while the adults visited. We walked to the theater and on the way we passed a Piggly Wiggly. I'd never heard of them and haven't seen one since but loved giggling every time someone said it's name.

                                                                             

The matinee was Blue Hawaii with Elvis. I loved everything about it and swore that if I ever got married it would be in Hawaii at the same location as the wedding scene, on a raft with a recording of Elvis singing the Hawaiian Wedding Song playing in the background.

                                                                                   

The next day we were on the road again. Next stop was supposed to be Johnson City, Tennessee, where my dad had been born but we ran into into a car issue in which a gas station outside of St. Louis (Mom had no desire to visit anyone from her hometown) filled our gas tank up with water. The area had been experiencing heavy rains and the station had apparently left a cover off one of it's tanks. After being towed and the tank emptied and refilled, our journey continued.

One of the best parts driving across the country was stopping for meals. Mom always made sure we had 3 meals a day but they were budget dictated - tuna casserole, chicken casserole, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, meatloaf and usually on Sunday's fried chicken or pork-chops.  And, if we were really lucky - not - LIVER!   The Howard Johnsons' were okay but were to similar to mom's everyday cooking and it was a hassle to park, get seated, decide what we were going to get (as opposed to what we wanted), order, then try and sit there patiently waiting for the food. But McDonald's! Give me a cheeseburger with pickles and small fry and I was as close to happy as I could get for the next 200-300 miles. And, we didn't even have to get out of the car to get our food!

Johnson City, Tennessee

I knew my dad had been born a Johnson in Johnson City so I was excited to see his hometown.  His last name changed after his mom divorced and moved to San Francisco and he was adopted by her new husband. It was going to be very short visit - just a few hours. We drove up a very narrow road flanked by tall trees. The road up the  hill was long and steep. Steep enough that I found myself wishing I could get out and walk it because I was having serious doubts on whether or not the car was going to make it.

Our destination was a very, very large house that sat at the top of the hill. It had a huge front porch and maybe because of the faded paint it reminded me of the house from the movie Psycho. Everyone seemed happy to see my dad and the adults all sat out on the porch and visited for an hour or so while we kids were left to meander around the yard and stretch our legs (plus kids were still supposed to be seen and not heard) and then we were back on the road.

We finally reached Hampton, VA., where we would live while my dad was stationed at Langley AFB. I think my parents were very glad that trip was over.