GROWING UP BALTIMORE

another insert from my biography.

Many women knew my father.  He was a young good looking dressing man.   They ladies wouldn't have a problem telling how fine and how much they wanted my dad.  He worked as a merchant seaman.  Sometimes overseas for months.  Being separated from

him gave way for mom to see other men.  

Our house had too many friends as granddad would put it.  He constantly reminded mom not to have company in his house. She did want she wanted where she paid rent.  

It became all too clear that she went against his rules.  Every night he'd stand partially in his front storm door, watching in and out. Her friends even knew how much granddad didn't want company in his house.  Her small gatherings had alcohol and marijuana to get high on.  Finally one night granddad couldn't take no more.  He came over the house and let it out. He cursed mom's friends out & put em out his house.  Mom & her father got into an altercation causing him to hit her across the forehead with a hammer.  I cried for my mother but it hurt me to see granddad having to act in such a hurting way.   Two of my aunts help mom to the bus stop heading to the nearest ER.  She received 6 to 8 stitches that night.  

I could see the hurt in my mother's eyes.  She vowed never to return in any of his homes again.  He might have fussed but it hurt him too having to deal in such a harsh way with his oldest daughter.  Yeah my grandparents had a total of 8 children. Their oldest daughter died at Johns Hopkins Hospital from complication of sore throat.  The family didn't want anything to do with Hopkins after her death.

After the confrontation with her father, mom looked for help through the local social service.  In less than no time, we were in our own small apartment in Flaghouse projects on E. Lombard St.  The 12-story high rise building had over 90 apartments.  We lived in apartment 3F on the 3rd floor.  How lucky was that.  Folks caught the blues when our elevators weren't in order, especially during the hot summer or after making market with bags and bags of groceries.

My two brothers and I didn't mind the move.  Besides we wasn't too far from our grandparents house and they had an automobile.

Our new neighborhood was located in Jewish town.  Much of the stores along E. Lombard St were owned by them.  Attman's corn beef sandwiches set in the middle of the block.  They sold .75 cents corn beef sandwiches, pickles in a barrel and other deli cold foods for folks to pig out on.  Across from them was crates of live chickens packed together.  They were for sale and could be prepared for home cooking on the premises.  We had a laundramat in the building but not too many women trusted the dark eerie cellar.  A woman was assaulted down there so no one goes down there by them self.  Other than that we all got along for the most part.

The neighborhood was also historic.  The Flag house and many other notable characters once live in my new neighborhood back in the 1800.  The Shot tower could be seen lite up with flames real good from the 12th floor.  The Inner Harbor was blocks away.

My grandparents loved shopping at all the farmer's markets and inside the huge fish market near the water front.  Men driving a horse & wagon brought fresh produce & fish through Lombard St too for sale.  At first i didn't mind going inside any thrift store.  I liked St Vincent De Paul and Veterans Warehouse on E North Ave & Harford Rd.  The five & dime store was my favorite too.  It was one of the stores located at the foot of Broadway near Fells Point.  

I loved my family.  I just 6 when everyone began treating me like the big cousin.  I became the do this, do that and watch em girl for my youngest aunt who had two babies by age 16.  Auntie didn't have pampers all the time except if she had to travel outside the house on business.  Otherwise she'd put cloth diapers with rubber underpants to help stop leakage. Baby bobby pins were used to fasten the ends.  Sometimes if the diaper was put on wrong or heavy soiled the babies would walk around the house wide leg and diaper sagging.    

 

Author's Note

short insert from my story Growing up Baltimore.

Reviews

[John the Baptist]

I am wondering if your memoir contains anything about that section of East Baltimore Street known as "the block." It puts a lump in my throat just to think about it.

[ROXANE DORSEY]

yes it does. i grew up in and around downtown where "the block" is located. sex, drugs and anything between still exists on that strip. Sooner or later the city officials are going to relocate its lucrative business. In which most of the establishments are owned by business men who works or have worked for my city's police department. Not to mention Central Police Dept. is located at the foot of Baltimore Street known as "the block". again thanks for the review. Hope you enjoy my story when it become published.