I'll get the bad one's out of the way first.
One day I was told that my father had died. It was kinda of casual like "on by the way your father just hung himself". My brother Noel who was just four when we were taking away from our home and put into a orphanage, just bolted when he heard the news. He ran off into the woods and did not come back until it was getting dark. How he felt that day or any other day,I do not know, neither one of us ever broached that subject again. That's the thing that really bothered me the most,when I found out that he was killed by a train.
A few months after we heard the news of our father's demise,all the kids were raking and cleaning up the back yard.Underneath one of the trees was a sandbox made out of heavy two by tens. unbeknown to us Noel was hiding up in the tree so he could avoid the chores.Wither he was climbing higher to avoid detection or just too much weight was put on a branch, I don't know.The next thing a branch was heard snapping and them a tremendous crack as Noel landed on one of the two by tens.Well the screams of pain was just traumatic.There were no cell phones or instant 911 calls in those days. So by the time someone ran in to tell nanny,and she contacted the telephone operator,and that person contacted the right authorities,considerable time lapsed with Noel screaming in great pain.Finally a ambulance came to take him away. After these two incidents Noel was never the same.he just became to be like "Peck's bad boy". In the future I will relate a few other Noel incidents.
Staying on this depressing part of my Ryal side memories,some thing that was an embarrassment to me for many years happened. On the last school day of my first year at Ryal side grammar school,I received my report card.Back then the final report card of the year would tell you if you were promoted or not. There it was in black and white "repeat grade one".I just ran out the door and headed for Virginia ave,I did not want anyone else to know.When I got home I showed it to Nanny and she said how do you know what it says,you don't even know how to read! well for years I was ashamed of the fact that I was too stupid to pass the first grade.I would always hide my feelings by saying the reason I failed was because I could not color between the lines, now it does not bother me anymore.When I look back at the things that transpired that year.Being pulled from my home and moved to an orphanage. That in it self was a very scary and daunting experience.Then pulled out of there and moved to a home for state wards and then shortly plunked down in a school. I was a very immature and scared little boy.I look back at it now and I don't feel the shame of failure.I just feel lucky that I ended up in a good foster home and things worked out better for me than Noel.I still feel guilty to this day that I was not a more protective big brother.
I guess that's enough for today.I still have some happy thoughts to relate and to tell you a little bit about the Thibedeau's and the state kids I grew up with and about the unfortunate one's who just lived with us for short periods of time.
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