Devonne Brown

I have two distinct memories before I could walk. The first one was being held in my uncle’s arms and reaching for my mother. I loved my uncle Paul as much as any six or seven month old can love another human being who’s around all the time. But I remember throwing my body towards my mom with my arms out knowing she would catch me and take me away from him. I remember looking back over my shoulder at his grinning face. He sort of scared me. Looking back, I tolerated him more than loved him. A harbinger of our future relationship, one more of tolerance rather than respect. 

He got his jollies from humiliating people, especially children. He had me wade in one of his ponds to retrieve a branch that had fallen in somehow. Since he’d dug the pond himself, he watched and waited for me to step in over my head in the water. He screamed with glee and laughed when I went down. Luckily, the deep part was just a muddy trench and covered me with red clay muddy water from hair to feet. It wasn’t easy getting out of the hole and he offered no help. He enjoyed  my plight. Mom was furious. I was too, but wouldn’t dare let him know it.

But I digress…the second memory I remember was still before I could walk. Mom and Dad got bunk beds for my sister and I. We both slept on the bottom bunk because we were babies. I was pulling up on tables and chairs, chewing on stuff like a puppy. Someone had built rails for the bottom bunk so we could both sleep together. 

Mom was cleaning one day, picked me up, set me on the top bunk, and told me she was going to leave me there. She walked away to get the mop. I was having none of it, and jumped off the top bunk. I remember the linoleum on the floor looked like green river rocks of various sizes. She didn’t think I believed her, especially since she’d kissed my nose and hugged me as she put me on the bunk bed. She believed I’d be a good little helper and stay there. Never in her dreams did she think her tiny baby, not even completely self propelled, would jump from the top of a bunk bed. She was mortified. She was sure I was going to die. But I showed her. Not only did I live, she didn’t put me on the top bunk ever again. I think I was her teacher at a very young age.