Carolina Summers Pt. 3: Red Clay and White Keds

The day had started off hot and promised to get even hotter. That morning, Nanason  as always had a large spread out for breakfast. After the dishes and table were cleaned off, she got up to get dressed so we could “Go to town” and shop

She always  dressed up anywhere we went, pearls, makeup, stockings, heels, and a dress. I never saw her wear long pants.

I had begged Nanason for a pair of green overalls; I think I wanted to be like Mr. Green Jeans from Captain Kangaroo. In addition to the overalls, she also bought me a new pair of White Keds Tennis Shoes.

I ran in to Stacey and Trey Ravenell, they lived on the right side of my grandparents, I think of them with much fondness, as they were probably two of the best friends I ever had at that age. There wasn’t much that I did not do around the mill hill that did not involve Stacey and Trey. Their mother lived in the old house with their grandmother Mildred,(aka Millie) I always saw her in the same dress, hair un-kept and missing some of her front teeth. She was married to a man named Ralph but with her missing teeth it came out sounding like “Ras” hearing her call him that always gave us kids a giggle.  Stacey and Treys mother was a beautiful blond; and it behooved us kids how Mildred and Ralph could have created something as beautiful as their daughter.

Across the street was the vacant school yard; around the old school was red clay with little gulley’s that had been cut out by rain storms. It was the intention of Trey to make the water run again through the gullies. He was trying to make a creek. We began carrying buckets of water from our outside faucet to across the street, as the clay absorb the water, it became a red mud pile. Not at all the creek Trey had hoped for. I was wearing the white Keds. My feet sank in, and I got stuck. I couldn’t move. Stacey grabbed my hands and pulled with all her might and I fell face forward in to the mess. Fortunately I was free. I did lose one of the shoes, but had to dig around and found it.

I was a red clay nightmare, arms, legs, face and hair; all covered in clay. My white Keds, were no longer white, but orange. What was I going to do? Nanason just bought them that morning for me. She would be furious. Being the good friends that they were, Stacey and Trey high tailed it back home leaving me alone to deal with my grandmother.

I stood on the back porch, Terri shaking her head; my sister stared with her mouth hung open and my brother laughing. Nanason took my ungodly sight in with ease, If she was mad, she never showed it. She made me hose off and, I had to wear those Keds the rest of the summer as a sort of punishment. The Story has become folklore in my family ranks, its been told over and over through the years. And it always gives everyone a good laugh. I hear now Converse has a color of Tennis Shoes actually called "Red Clay"....hmm imagine that!

---To be continued