OUR NEW HOME AT LAST

NOW THAT YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT JESSICA, LET ME CONTINUE WITH THE STORY OF US. AFTER BOBBIE JO SURVIVED THE MENINGITIS, WE MADE PLANS TO MOVE INTO OUR NEW HOME. I NEVER THOUGHT TO WORRY ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT BOBBIE JO WOULD HAVE RESIDUEL DIFFICULTIES, IN FACT I NEVER REALLY LOOKED BACK, AS THE BLESSING SAID THE ILLNESS WOULD LEAVE HER AND IT DID. IT WAS NOW JUNE, AND WE WERE SO HAPPY TO BE MOVING. OF COURSE, ON MOVING DAY, IT BEGAN TO RAIN. HARD, SLASHING RAIN. SLOPPY, MUD MAKING RAIN. DRENCHING, SOBBING RAIN. GET THE PICTURE? LOTS OF RAIN! WE LEFT JESSICA WITH LOLA AND STARTED TAKING OUR STUFF TO THE NEW HOUSE. THE BULK OF OUR THINGS WERE BEING DELIVERED BY THE ARMY, SO WE ONLY HAD TO WORRY ABOUT THE CHILDREN'S THINGS AND WHAT LITTLE ELSE WE HAD. SUDDENLY, THERE WAS A BREAK IN THE RAIN, AND THE GLORIOUS SUN CAME SHINING OUT. WHAT A BLESSING! I DECIDED TO TAKE BOBBIE JO INTO THE HOUSE AND ORGANIZE THINGS- AND A SHORT CUT WAS TO JUMP ACROSS THE DITCH IN THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE RATHER THAN TO WALK ALL THE WAY AROUND THE CARS AND DOWN THE DRIVEWAY AND ACROSS THE YARD. SO, NIMBLE THING THAT I AM, I TOOK MY BABY,(I HAD WRAPPED HER IN A BLANKET) AND LEPT ACROSS THE DITCH. WHATEVER, I, OF COURSE, SLIPPED, MY ARMS WENT FLYING AND SO DID THE BABY! REMEMBER THE RAIN? THE DITCH WAS FULL OF WATER, AND DOWN I WENT SCREAMING FOR BOBBIE JO. SHE HAD FLOWN STRAIGHT UP INTO THE AIR, AND BEFORE I KNEW IT, MARTIN'S DAD RAN ACROSS THE YARD AND SCOOPED HER UP JUST BEFORE SHE HIT THE DITCH. HE GRABBED HER LIKE A FOOTBALL, AND DASHED FOR THE PORCH. I WAS SITTING IN MUDDY WATER, STILL SCREAMING FOR BOBBIE JO, UNTIL I REALIZED SHE WAS SAFE ON THE PORCH WITH GRANDPA. (IS IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO SO ANYTHING RIGHT?) WELL, I SLOGGED UP OUT OF THE WATER, AND WENT TO SEE THAT BOBBIE JO WAS NICE AND DRY IN GRANDPA'S ARMS. MARTIN'S DAD AND I JUST STOOD THERE FOR A MOMENT, AND THEN BEGAN TO CHUCKLE. THEN SNORT, THEN OUTRIGHT HOWL WITH LAUGHTER. WE HAD A MOMENT OF TRUE COMARADERIE AT THAT MOMENT- SOMETHING WE HAD NOT KNOWN BEFORE. MARTIN, HIS DAD AND I DECIDED TO TAKE LOLA AND JESSICA TO LUNCH WITH US, SO WE CALLED LOLA AND TOLD HER TO GET READY, WE WOULD BE BY SOON, AND I COULD CHANGE MY WET CLOTHES. SHE SEEMED CONFUSED, AND ASKED WHY WE THOUGHT SHE HAD JESSICA? I SAID, "WELL, I LEFT HER WITH YOU DIDN'T I?" SHE TOLD ME SHE HAD NO SEEN JESSICA SINCE WE LEFT, (ALMOST AN HOUR AGO) AND THOUGHT WE TOOK HER WITH US. MY HEART ALMOST STOPPED- "NO LOLA, WE LEFT HER WITH YOU! WHEN WE LEFT TO MOVE! SHE WAS WITH YOU!" I STAMMERED. JUST ABOUT THAT TIME, A POLICE CAR DROVE UP TO THE NEW HOUSE. AN OFFICER GOT OUT AND ASKED IF WE WERE JESSICA'S PARENTS. MY MIND STARTED GOING A MILLION MILES AN HOUR! WHAT HAPPENED? WHERE WAS SHE? WHY WERE THE POLICE HERE? AHHHHH! I SAID, YES, I AM HER MOTHER, AND HE TOLD ME TO CALM DOWN, SHE WAS ALRIGHT. THEY HAD FOUND HER WALKING ALONG THE FEEDER TO THE FREEWAY, (SHE WAS BARELY THREE YEARS OLD!) AND STOPPED TO SEE WHY. SHE TOLD THEM SHE WAS GOING TO SEE HER NANNY, (MARTIN'S GRANDMOTHER). NANNY LIVED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FREEWAY, AND YOU HAD TO WALK OVER AN OVERPASS TO GET TO HER HOUSE. THE FREEWAY WAS ABOUT 4 BLOCKS FROM LOLA'S HOUSE, AND THE OVERPASS ANOTHER DISTANCE- SO THE LITTLE THING HAD WALKED OVER HALF A MILE SO FAR WHEN THE OFFICERS FOUND HER. I SAID, "WELL, WHERE IS SHE?" THE OFFICER SAID THAT WHEN THEY FOUND HER THEY ASKED HER WHERE HER HOUSE WAS, AND SHE GAVE THEM THE ADDRESS OF THE NEW HOUSE. WHEN THEY WENT TO PUT HER IN THE CAR TO BRING HER HOME, SHE STARTED SCREAMING THAT SHE WASN'T GETTING IN THE CAR WITH STRANGERS! SHE WAS KICKING AND SCREAMING IN SUCH A PANIC, THAT THEY ASKED HER WHY SHE WAS SO FRIGHTENED. SHE TOLD THEM, "MY MAMA TOLD ME NEVER TO TALK TO STRANGERS, AND YOU ARE A STRANGER. IF YOU PUT ME IN THAT CAR MY DADDY WILL KICK YOUR @@@@@@! (I DON'T KNOW WHY BUT SHE LOVED THAT WORD). THE POOR OFFICERS DECIDED THAT ONE WOULD STAY WITH HER ON THE FEEDER AND THE OTHER WOULD COME AND TAKE ME TO HER. WHEN I GOT THERE, SHE WAS EATING THE OFFICER'S LUNCH, AND HAVING A HIGH OLD TIME OF IT! I THOUGHT I WAS IN BIG TROUBLE, BUT THE OFFICER SAID THAT HE COULD SEE THAT SHE WAS A HANDFUL, BUT DEFINETLY WELL CARED FOR, AFTER ALL, DIDN'T SHE KNOW HER ADDRESS? OOOOH, I WAS SO UPSET, BUT REALLY, SHE DID DO THE RIGHT THING AFTER SHE RAN OFF. SHE REFUSED TO TALK TO A STRANGER! (NOT TO MENTION SHE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED BY A CAR, A PERVERT OR A HOST OF OTHER DANGERS). AFTER ALL THAT EXCITEMENT, MOVING DAY HAD LOST SOME OF IT'S GAIETY. BUT, WE DID MOVE IN, AND WE WERE IN OUR VERY FIRST HOME. WE LAY THERE THAT NIGHT, SWELTERING IN THE NON-AIRCONDITIONED HEAT, SWATTING MOSQUITOES, AND LISTENING TO A RAT TRYING TO CHEW HIS WAY IN, AND REVELED IN OUR LOVE. WE HAD COME SO FAR! FROM NOTHING, TO WORLD TRAVELERS, TO HOME AGAIN. AND NOW WE WERE HOME OWNERS! (I SHOULD SAY RAT HOLE OWNERS). MORE TOMORROW, LOVE, NANASEE