by Maxine Headd

Created on: April 27, 2008   Last Updated: July 10, 2008

Over the Moon

My older cousin, who was black-headed and beautiful looking in her black jeans and white shirt blouse, said to us "I have a story to tell you." Her fully-flooded long black hair was luxurious looking to us. Her face was creamy white with mixtures of buttermilk texture. She looked just lovely, in the beautiful light of the evening sky, as it faded from sight behind the dark and looming clouds of the night time hours. We were glad to be there, in the back country of Southeast Missouri, that July night as we listened to the Crickets singing their song, and tried to catch the June bugs as they came floating by us in the night.

Her daddy was my Uncle Jesse senior. My daddy was her Uncle too. My brother was also playing his guitar with Uncle Jesse. We called Uncle Jesse Senior, because my brother was also called Jesse. We, however called him Jesse Junior. They were both big and tall; they looked as rangy as a lonesome cowboy out in the fields. My Dad and my Uncle along with my brother were sitting in chairs, in the middle of the room playing their style of early Country music. My Uncle Jesse played lead guitar, and my brother was learning to play with him. Uncle Jesse knew how to play "Under the Double Eagle," and my brother Jesse was learning how to play music the way that my Uncle Jesse did. My Dad was also playing the Guitar, which had a Harmonica attached to it by a wire leading to the Guitar's neck. Sometimes, my Dad would switch off of his Guitar and Rhythm instrument, to play the Violin as well.

We were playing running games like tag, when Marilyn came to us, she asked us if we wanted to hear a special story. All of us, answered "yes," and we gathered up to stand around in a circle around her. Her long black hair was flowing around her, as she told us to gather around her. That was great because we loved stories, and to hear them from Marilyn would be a treat to us. So, because it was late in the night hours around 11:30 p.m., she had allowed us some time to go for a bathroom break. But it was not until we had gotten our bedclothes together, and we were ready for bedtime that she began to tell us her story.

Marilyn had gathered us into a back room of the house. There were two mattresses placed down onto the floors for beds. We each chose which mattress we wanted to sleep on and the storytelling began. Marilyn said "I want you to listen to this story, I am about to tell you tonight. I want to tell you this story because I am a different person than

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