Gee's Birthday

  Gee was born in Georgia.His grandfather was born a slave, Gee was born September 18, 1934, his father was a share cropper, his mother a wife with 7 children at the time, 8 by the time she died less than 5 years later. Bonnie and Clyde were alive and well, John Dillinger was killed and Alcatraz opened for business. He would tell stories of his childhood that were so foreign to me. Picking cotton with his twin sister knowing they couldn't pick fast enough for his aunt, who would beat them if they didn't fill the bag as fast as she. Eating fried salt pork and corn bread for dinner because there wasn't anything else. Of going to Cleveland and being even hungrier than in Georgia, at least there you could run down a rabbit on occasion. Leaving home at 13 never to go back, until his brother James died 30 years later. Even then if not for Babygirl he wouldn't have gone back. While at the funeral his father says to him, "I know you don't I??

Babygirl has said Gee was very protective of us when he was in Cleveland. Not liking many questions ....the usual, why a white girl, why one so young.....Babygirl said  he would always say what do I want with some one as old as me, I need someone to take care of me in my old age....he was joking at the time, little did he know. He didn't like people in "his business" was very private. Not many ever really knew what he was thinking, how he felt about things. Oh he would argue over almost anything, but not much of himself would shine through. He learned very early, friends were the ones who hurt you.... what happened to make him that way I have no idea.

Gee had many sayings. Impossible only takes a little longer,..... it's your friends that will hurt ya....., believe half of what you see, none of what you hear......... if it wasn't  for bad luck I'd have no luck at all..... Rachel has said she wants a tattoo in memory of her Dad... Impossible only takes a little longer...he said that to her often....and she believes it.

I can't believe so much time has passed..... it still seems it was only yesterday, not 35 years, that I met him. I was hooked that's for sure. He collected people, the ones that stayed stayed forever. We had friends he was in Germany with, people he called sports with, old army buddies, people who played sports, the list is endless. We had a good ride, so to speak. I would do it again, in a minute, even knowing he would leave me alone so soon. All the tears, the heart ache, and the loneliness was all  worth it.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY........