Another 1221 story.

It seems like every house we ever lived in was, how can I say this, uh, some what lacking?! I wish I had a picture of 1221 Green Street. The house has been torn down which is too bad as it could have been renovated. My brothers brought this dog home to 1221 Green Street from the orphanage. This was a very unusual animal. It was an African Basenji. This isn't exactly the kind of pet someone in our social circle would own. Grandmother hated that dog. She hated any dog, but especially this one. African Basenji's don't bark. They do, however, moan,howl, wail and yodel. Did I mention they can laugh like a hyena? I remember that dog because it was a very bad dog. You absolutely could not catch that dog if he didn't want to be caught; if he hid under the bed there was no way you could get to him. He could move faster than a fruit fly! Grandmother chased him with a broom one day, and he laughed his head off. I'm not kidding! Poor Grandmother, even the dog didn't give her any respect. It was when the dog jumped through the living room window taking the screen with him that Grandmother had had enough! I can't remember where the dog ended up, but I'm sure he was much happier there, and so was Grandmother. As in other houses we lived in, 1221 was interesting only because Grandmother made them memorable. When you walked into the house our apartment was downstairs. You had to go through a set of French doors to enter into our living room. French doors are made up of many small pane glass panels. Ours was always missing glass panes. Every night Grandmother made a production out of locking the door. If she was going to bed she would say," Don't forget to lock that door!" Well, all you had to do if you were locked out was stick your hand through the empty pane, and unlock the door! Somehow in her mind we were all safe if we slide the latch to the right locking the lock, but not the door. God bless her.

A good blend

Like all kids, we were expected to do chores. Jerry, Bobby and I usually washed,dried, and put away the dishes after dinner. We really didn't mind doing this because we used it as a "Jam" session. It could take us up to 1 1/2 hrs to clean up after dinner because we would get so caught up in our singing. We would close the kitchen door and go at it. I have wonderful memories of this time. I was still feeling such a part of their lives. We not only blended well musically but emotionally. They were my closest friends during this phase of my life. I believe Larry had already left for the Air Force so it was just the three of us older kids who clung together to make the very best we could out of a difficult life. There were many hardships during this time. Bobby, as always, was the one who kept us laughing when things were impossible. He could take something so sad or pathetic and turn it into a comedy. He really made life livable. Jerry, on the other hand, was gentle and caring. His gift of music was a huge distraction from the dysfunctional life we were living. Together they were a great team both musically and comically. I was just sort of there. I probably brought common sense and balance to the mix. I do know that Jerry took on the role of "Father" and I of "Mother" when all hell broke loose which it did often in those days. Looking back I can see that a lot of things were coming to a head. An analogy of it all would be, many streams flowing down hill in a great rush, and exploding into one big river.
I don't know if I want to share some of the problems because they really aren't as important as the beautiful relationship we had or the way we were able to pull together as children. I think Chris and Rusty were there too but they were younger. We just wanted to help them and ourselves when we could. It seems Rusty stayed at Aunt Georgia Mae's a lot or maybe they were still at the orphanage then. I'm just not sure. I know that in the summer time we were all together as the boys came home in the summer. Anyway, Jerry, Bobby and I were in high school so that means the little boys were 6 and 11 yrs old. Little Joe wasn't born yet.
No matter how things were going at home, Grandmother was still "Grandmother." If she wasn't throwing all of our kitchen utensils, plate and glasses away or pouting in the livingroom or pulling the telephone wire out of the wall she was putting Jerry in his place. One night at the dinner table she told Jerry he could not go out with his friends. Jerry, being unable to shut his mouth said," I'll go where I want, when I want, and with whom I want." Jerry was a senior at Aquinas ( I may have my time line off here) by this time. He played football,and was tall and muscular. Imagine, if you will, two bulls staring one another down. We all froze. We knew something big was coming. Grandmother calmly got up from the table, slowly walked around to where Jerry was sitting. Jerry was leaned way back in his chair balancing it on two legs. He had his arms raised, elbows bent and two hands locked behind his head, and looking pretty smug. Grandmother came around the table stood in front of Jerry and knocked the living hell out of him! Jerry fell over backwards landing on the floor, 6'1" of arms and legs going in all directions. Grandmother leaned over him her finger pointing down at him and said, "You will do what I want, when I want and as long as I want" and walked out of the kitchen.There was a moment of silence and then we all burst out laughing. It was great!

1221 Green Street

1221 Green Street! That address says a lot to any Jarrett kid. I remember the day we went to look at the house. We were moving yet again , and needed to view the place. I had been living with Grandmother and granddaddy on Central Ave. We had an efficiency apartment, and mom and some of the boys lived several blocks away on Milledge Road. I spent the night with them one time and almost had a heart attack! Their apartment was a second floor apartment in a run down antebellum style house. At one time this had been a beautiful place and today it is, as someone renovated it about 20 years ago.  Mom's place was small, and I had to sleep on the sofa. I never minded bunking out on the sofa so ..no problem.  Really!!? In the middle of the night something kept waking me up, but not enough to come completely awake. Eventually it was so worrisome I did fully awaken to find..... a large roach had been crawling all over my face! I did what any female would in this situation. I screamed bloody murder and started crying uncontrollably. Larry, Jerry and mom came running to see what was wrong. I was crying so hard I couldn't talk. I know I was like this for at least 10 minutes or more. Finally, I stammered, " a roach was crawling on my face!" Sob, sob, sob. You need to know I was hysterical not just upset.  The boys kept asking me " Did someone come in? Did you see someone? Did someone try to break in? "
" No, no, no. A roach was on my face. Crawling all over me." "For crying out loud!" Larry said. I don't know what my mother said only that my brothers were giving me no sympathy. They both turned around and went back to bed. I, of course, stayed up the rest of the night patrolling the room for the roach. YUCK! I never spent the night at that house again even though I wanted to. My paranoia about bugs, specifically roaches, continues to this day. I have spent a virtual fortune to have my house sprayed over the years and  those d--m things still get in and torment me, but that's the South for you.
We did moved to 1221 Green Street ( we never say just "Green Street," but 1221 Green Street ) just before school started. To my absolute delight Bobby, Rusty and Chris came home from the orphanage to live permanently. Jerry and Larry were already home and in high school. I was 12-13 yrs old ,and I was going into the 8th grade. When we visited this house to decide if we could move there I was so happy. For the first time since I was seven we would all be together again.
Anyway, when you walked into the house you entered what use to be the front hall of a elegant home. To the right was a french door. This door led into our apartment. I can remember so well Bobby's reaction to this room. There was a window seat that ran wall to wall across the front of the room facing the street. It was at least 15 feet across. Bobby exclaimed, " A stage! Look ya'll, a stage." Yes, every raised platform was a potential stage to my brothers. They all liked to perform especially Bobby and Jerry. Those two were at their best in front of an audience. The rest of us stood by and enjoyed their talent.
Living at 1221 Green Street was the most difficult time of my childhood.  The gifts of music and humor kept us all afloat many a time.

The long walk home

When I was about 16yrs old I spent the night at this classmates house. I didn't really know her very well, but she was in my class at Aquinas High School. I figured, what the heck, I didn't want to be at home anyway. She really didn't have a lot of friends, but neither did I. She had a car, and that meant we could drive around. She had to be home by midnight. When we got home her mom wasn't there yet. She had gone on a date. Her parents were divorced and she and her mother lived in an apartment in North Augusta,SC. They lived about a mile or two from the 13th Street Bridge, and we lived across the bridge on Greene St about a block from Sacred Heart Church. Anyway,this girl's mother came home about 1am, and she was as high as a kite! The moment she walked through the door she began ranting and raving, cursing and carrying on like a mad woman. Now, I had seen drunk women before but not crazy-mad drunk women. She began chasing me and my friend around the house, screaming she was going to kill us. The woman had on very high heel shoes. She took them off and proceeded to try to use them to beat my friend. We ran from room to room trying to get away from this woman. My friend made a bee line for the front door and took off in her car. Her mother then turned to me, and said she had a gun and was going to shoot me. I ran like the devil out of the apartment and didn't look back.
So, there I was in North Augusta at 2am. What was I going to do? Who could I get to help me? How was I going to get home? There was nothing to do but walk.
It was very dark, and I was terrified! I didn't know if the lady would try to come after me or if some pervert would attack me. I started crying and praying. I walked down West Ave to Bueno Vista. I turned right onto the main street and headed toward the bridge. I really got scared when I began crossing the bridge because there was no where to run if someone came after me, and I knew I had to pass all the bars and wino's on the Georgia side of the bridge. In 1963 that part of town was a haven for drunks and pimps. The closer I got to the end of the bridge the more I prayed.
I was half way across the bridge when I heard a car coming. Up until that time I had not seen one car. The closer the car got to me the more I prayed. I was almost hysterical. All of a sudden the guys in the car started whooping and hollering, "hey,baby, where you going?" It sounded like a car load of men. "Oh, God, please help me. Please don't let them stop." Here I was on a bridge at two o'clock in the morning stuck between a car load of guys and street load of drunks and pimps. From the moment I ran out of my friends house I had been praying and praying that God would help me.
I did not want to turn around and look at the car. I figured if I didn't look at them they wouldn't notice me.I just walked faster and faster hoping they would pass on by. As they began to pass me the car came to screeching halt, and I heard one of the guys say, " That's my sister,Joanne!" I looked up and there was my brother Jerry with some of his friends. I literally fell apart. Jerry took me in his arms and sat me on his lap while I them what had happened.
It was just like God to send Jerry to rescue me.When we were growing up he was the one I always felt I could count on in a crisis.Even though he was only two years older than me, I felt he would take care of things if need be. Many times in our childhood Jerry took on the role of protector. At that moment I felt so much love for him, and was very grateful to God for protecting me. God is good!
I don't know what happened to my friend. She did not show up for school the following Monday. I never told anyone about what happened but I worried about that girl for a long time.I had often felt sorry for myself because of the trouble I had at home. I had it rough at home but not the nightmare she must have endured. It just goes to show you that someone always has it worse than you.