Читать книгу More than a Miracle - Susan Smith - Страница 6

The Early Years

My childhood was very normal. We lived in a three-bedroom house on East Forty-Fourth Street in Ashtabula, Ohio. My sister Ann was fifteen months younger than me. We couldn’t have been more different if we had been born to parents in two separate states. Ann was athletically gifted, supersmart, and a born leader. Most of the girls in our neighborhood were Ann’s age. I used to envy her for having so many friends.

We shared a bedroom. Her side of the room was neat and orderly. Mine, not so much. My side was usually littered with wrinkled clothes, sketches, and Nancy Drew mystery books.

Joe, our younger brother by six years, had a room across the upstairs hall. He was a cute, funny kid who loved sports. He was the apple of my father’s eye.

*****

Every Sunday we attended the First Congregational Church where our grandfather was a founding member.

We never missed church unless we were sick. Children would attend Sunday school classes while the adults listened to a carefully prepared sermon. We always wore our best clothes. Girls wore skirts or dresses. Most boys wore a dress shirt and tie. Jeans were never, ever permitted. On communion Sundays ushers would pass sterling silver trays cradling small, perfect squares of soft white bread. Each congregant was to take only one. The hard part was not squashing it while we waited for them to pass the trays that held dozens of tiny shot glasses containing grape juice. The anticipation for a twelve-year-old was excruciating.

It wasn’t just a church. It was a center of social activity. Fresh Lake Erie perch dinners were very popular. The church basement was filled with people who were talking excitedly as they lined up to fill their plates with sweet, mild, deep-fried Lake Erie perch. Their plates were adorned with coleslaw and french fries as they found their seats with friends and families.

The best part of all was the desert table. The women donated all kinds of homemade pies. The pie table was a virtual collage of cherry, apple, blueberry, raspberry, lemon, and chocolate.

Some were topped with a latticework of flaky golden crust. Others were piled high with fluffy white meringue, textured with peaks of toasted, sugary egg whites, whipped to perfection. I never saw anyone pass that table without choosing at least one.

*****

One night a week, I attended teen youth nights in the church basement. Our pastor was young and energetic.

He seemed to understand us. We were encouraged to bring our friends. One of my best friends in high school used to come with me. We had good times with nice kids from other schools.

When I was fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen, I went to church camp for one week during summer vacations.

Fireside singing and making new friends were high on my list of activities. I always felt closer to God during those weeks. We learned to trust in Jesus and his love for us. It strengthened our confidence in how to treat others and how to feel the joy of simple pleasures.

*****

High school transformed me. I found lifelong friends and learned to develop two talents. First was the art of creativity. I loved my art classes. The act of creating something beautiful with a simple piece of chalk or a drawing pencil on paper had the power to make time disappear. One of the first projects to spark my imagination was to cut up pieces of magazine paper into small squares and angular shapes to make a faux mosaic. We had to separate hundreds of little pieces of shiny paper into groups of colors to be glued onto a piece of black construction paper. The hard part was using tweezers to hold the little pieces of magazine paper and gluing them to the paper, making sure to leave a very small margin of the black paper surrounding each piece. It was like magic to watch the shapes take form. The finished product was a beautiful, glossy mosaic of a bowl of fruit. I found that I loved doing intricate work with my hands.

Art class was where I met my best friend of my entire life. Wynn, short for Wilhelmina, was so smart that she skipped a grade when she first started school. She was the kind of person who was good at almost anything she tried to do. We were always smiling, joking around, and having fun. I often went to Wynn’s house after school. We hung out with a big group of friends. Almost every day we walked downtown to Stan’s Grill and Soda Shop on Main Street. Our group filled most of the tables as soon as school was out. Laughter filled the air along with the sounds emanating from the jukebox.

*****

The second talent I discovered about myself was singing. I joined the high school a cappella choir. When we sang in perfect harmony, I would feel shivers on the back of my neck. There were about sixty students in the choir. Most of our class time was spent learning eight-part harmony for our special holiday performances and concerts.

I made even more friends when I became a cheerleader. After home games, we went to YMCA Youth Center dances. Students came from all four high schools every Friday and Saturday night. It could get very crowded on the dance floor.

My junior year I was elected Queen of Hearts at the youth center. It was quite an honor. Wynn was on the court too. Our lives were filled with endless joy. Little did I know what life would have in store for me.

I had a few steady boyfriends in high school but no true love. My freshman year I had a huge crush on a senior basketball player. My parents thought I was too young to date. Looking back on it, I can see their point. However, at the time I was not able to understand.

School halls and basketball games were the only places we could see each other. We met at the youth center and danced to slow dances.

That summer he got a car, and we made plans to go for a short ride. I was defying my parents for the first time. It was terrifying. We just went around the block before I asked him to drop me off. I had told Ann where I was going, and she ratted on me.

I was sent to my room. When my father got home, he came into my room. He was devastated. I had broken his heart. I didn’t think he would ever forgive me. It would be a very long time before he could trust me again. Dad was very strict. I was grounded for the whole summer, forbidden to do anything with my friends: no beach, no dances, nothing.

When I started school the next year, I vowed never to defy my parents again. That year, Ann became a cheerleader too. We finally had something in common.

I forgave her for snitching on me. I think for the first time she looked up to me. We spent endless hours practicing together.

That same year, Ann, Wynn, and I were hired by Carlisle’s Department Store to be on the new Teen Model Squad. We got paid to model in the monthly style shows. Those years were ideal times. We lived in the moment and knew that we were blessed.

Family Photo

Left to right: Ann, Joe, and Sue

Family Photo

Left to right: Joe, Mom, Sue, Dad, and Ann

Queen of Hearts

Susan was crowned Queen of Hearts at the Ashtabula Youth Center dance. Back, left is Wynn.

Cheerleader

Susan was a cheerleader from sixth grade through college.