Читать книгу ShoeShine Kids - Mary Cullen - Страница 9

Charlie was the most adventurous of us all, and it always got him in trouble. He never stayed in the house when he was younger. He did whatever it took to get out, including climbing out of the second floor window. As an attempt to keep him in, my grandmother put a dress on him. He still went outside. The next time, she took all of his pants, put a dress on him, and again, he went outside. No shame in his game. He would not be cooped up! Charlie did not like to share his ShoeShine money with gram, and it caused a lot of problems for him. Adults in the family did not like him. Out of all the kids, he was an outsider; a true rebel. He would get a beating, then go out. He was the ShoeShine chief, and taught us all well. We all loved him. Charlie grew up, got married and had two children; a boy and a girl. He started drinking at a young age, and wound up separated from his wife. He was a hard worker all his life. Even though he had an alcohol addiction, he held onto his job until retirement. He would stay away for years at a time, but when he came back, it was like he never left. After leaving his wife, Charlie went on and had five children with another woman. I am grateful that he returned to the ShoeShine kids for the last two years of his life. Again we all renewed our bond.