| NOT MY MOM! |
I'm not gonna lie, I had a really strange childhood. I'm pretty sure it's not normal to spend an abnormally large amount of time, perched on a bar stool, at the tender ages of oh say.... 6 - 13 years, challenging tourist to cherry stem knot tying contest and the prize being a Shirley Temple, insert dramatic pause 'cause I knew I was gonna win! But hey....it was life on the island of St. Croix.
It wasn't nearly as inappropriate as it seems. While my parents enjoyed happy hours, I was lucky enough to hang out in the little town of Christiansted where I would stay lost for hours running in and out of the small shops and along the waterfront. Hustling tourist, and bugging the locals, my best friends and I would set up sea shell "kiosk" and sell sea shells. (you try saying that with a mouth full of cherries!) We'd earn enough cash to buy an ice cream or comic book and be perfectly satisfied with ourselves.
But I've jumped ahead of myself. Allow me to tell you MY recollection of how we came to live in St. Croix, what life was like for me, and how I remember mama! : )
My dad was a retired Air Force pilot. He was a devilishly handsome man. My mom was a teacher, artist, actress, dancer, musician. I guess they just got a wild hair one day and decided to move to St. Croix. It's not the real story, but I'm not sure I know the real story.... So they left one kid in college in Texas, packed up two teenagers and one tiny tot (me) and moved to the islands. Weird, right? WHO DOES THAT???? Brave to say the least!
I happened to be the last kid of my family, and I was definitely a "whoops" child. My siblings were practically grown ups by the time I came along. So I tagged along with my parents everywhere... this included all of the little bars and restaurants that dotted the island. These great little joints were located on golf courses, beaches, docks, or in "town".
This was pure paradise for a little kid.
As I was thinking about this particular blog, these images kept popping up in my head....
My mom.....she was quite the looker! She would sport around in her Dune Buggy, or her yellow Mustang with the top down and music blaring with the latest hits. She'd wear her white go-go boots and mini skirts to show off her great legs. She exuded this incredible amount of energy and pure confidence! Oh, she wasn't famous, but she was pure Hollywood and to me she was a star!!! She had more talent in her pinky than most of us ever imagine. (none of which I inherited and I'm still a little bitter about!) She could tear a dance floor up and make men weak in the knees. My dad was a lucky guy! Life with her was never boring and slightly scary. Scary in a good way. I guess???? Maybe that's the part I DID inherit. Like my dad, Danny never really knows the crazy things I'm going to say or do. Let's get back to those boots....
In retrospect, I've often wondered why she wore these boots when the temperature was HOT and the humidity was WET.....Who wear's White GO GO boots in the Virgin Islands???? My mom!!! It was like she was Nancy Sinatra herself! As a matter of fact, I'm pretty certain, she mortified either my dad or my older sister by singing and dancing to Nancy Sinatra's sultry song (These Boots Were Made For Walkin') in public, .making an ENTRANCE with the boots! ....My mom was fearless....she was fantastic!!! She had a BIG personality...
Life wasn't just about running around "town". My mom was the Girl Scout leader, Cheerleader Coach, Art teacher, Theater teacher, and assisted with swim team, volleyball, and any other sport or activity I was involved in. She got herself a job, teaching at the best private school on the island so I could go there and she could make sure I stayed out of trouble.
In 3rd grade. when Robert Shiro (pure white trailer trash, complete with wife beater shirts and a burr haircut) broke my heart and decided my best friend was prettier...she was there to dry my tears and remind me that there were other fish in the sea. I'm sure she said thank you to Dear Lord baby Jesus for intervening in that budding romance!
She would stay up all hours, meticulously creating fantastically fantastic costumes for me to wear to Halloween costume contests. She took me to Disney World the FIRST year it opened. My birthday's and Christmases and Easters were spectacular! She taught me to bake and pretended to love every burned pie, cake or cookie I produced. She was determined to give me what she perceived to be the perfect childhood because she knew the influences from hanging with adults probably wasn't the best situation for me, so she found ways to compensate. She knew what she was doing!
I mentioned in my last blog that she passed away when I was just 13 years old. She died from stomach cancer. I like to think that she lived life large and in charge and tried to cram as much in as she could because somehow she knew her life would be cut short at the age of 48 or 47 or was she 49? depends on which of my sisters you ask....apparently we don't really know how old she was. She was magic pure magic!!!!!!!
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