Motor-Inn Memories

Grandma Agnes was on her deathbed, cancer eating her alive, and Dad was given emergency leave to get home before she passed away. The notification came via the Red Cross on a little yellow piece of paper.

Though I was very young at the time, I recall the motor-lodge Grandpa Tom owned and in which we stayed. Like the fact that the motor-inn was painted white and the office was directly to the right as you pulled off the roadway.

Inside the office area was good sized area, with a counter. It’s here that I recall being chased by a pet bird, a parrot I think. I also had a time with a couple of cats that were also the target of the bird.

Another animal was a turtle I had found. It disappeared somehow even though I had it in big box.Grandpa told me that it must have run away. I recall looking for it everywhere, including a culvert that was almost straight across from the office’s front door.

Dad, mom, Adam and I stayed in the far bungalow at the end of the set of buildings that the office was in. Adam and I slept in play pen.

To the right of the office was the front room, a kitchen area and bedroom for Grandma and Grandpa. I remember Grandma lying in bed against a wall with a window above it. She spent much of her time asleep. But when she was awake she was in great deal of pain and moaned constantly.

My cousin Caroline and I were hiding behind a large chair in the living room, as the men-folk watched a football game. It was there that I was talked into allowing her to paint my finger nails red. I was teased by Dad and Grandpa for this.

Other guests staying at the motor-inn were little-people. I can remember picking a couple of them up and carrying them around as they were the same size as I was and I thought of them as playmates, even though they were more than likely adults.

We would gather out in the center of the motor-inn and have barbeques and eat water melon. The center area was ringed by a grave road. It also had a well or a septic tank buried in it.

It was covered with a piece of white plywood and I even got a spanking for playing on top of it. Evidently I could have broken through the wood and fallen in and either been hurt or killed.

One morning I was not allowed to go outside. I didn’t know why Mom wouldn’t let me go play, but when she stepped outside I followed her and that’s when I saw Dad crying. It was the first time I ever saw him like that and I tried to run to him but a man, I think it was my Uncle Vince, grabbed me up and though he was also crying, he handed me to Mom.

Later that day I saw a big, black station wagon-like car pull up in front of the office. Now I know that was the hearse that came and took the body of Grandma away.