~Meet The Parents~
Back in the 1960's if you went to the French Quarter in New Orleans, there were many sights to see, lots of diversity and an age of free Love and music.....but if you happened into just the right club you would be fortunate enough to have gotten to see "Frenchy", a top of the line dancer, no she wasn't a pro as in Solid Gold dancers, she was a pro as in she had top billing at the local strip club, but this wasn't just any strip club or strip act....she was strictly class, top of the line, poetic and artistic in all she did.These were the days before all the filth found its way into the industry.
Frenchy was the headline act and as such she even had her own billboard, as I said this was back when strip tease was still "clean" and it was all about the "tease", not the strip. Frenchy was married to a merchant marine,we will call him "R", he was rarely around, and only came about to check in on her when he happened to be in the area. When Frenchy and R became married, R had gotten Frenchy to promise to give up the dancing racket, and go clean , have a respectable job befitting a married lady.She had agreed to this, but with R always gone, and her already the mother to one child, she had to make ends meat the way she knew best how to.The money for her dancing was good and in them days good pay for a woman was hard to get. Frenchy had originated in Illinois, later to move to California, followed by Nevada, and now finally New Orleans. She had lived a very hard life, a life full of constant neglect, abuse and even torture.Through this unconventional style of upbringing Frenchy had become a very tough broad, a lady who could hold her own, and took no crap off anyone.Though many choices Frenchy made in life weren't "acceptable" in mainstream America, Frenchy did as she felt best, and tried her hardest to be independent of anyone except herself. R was another story in his own right, his life spent traveling from place to place, bedding many women and leaving a child in every port, R was a hard core criminal, and many of his activities, even to this day only are discovered upon lengthy investigation by law enforcement. R was always in and out of jail, in and out of trouble, he too...like Frenchy, had been raised in a tough life, never fully knowing who his own father was....hence always having an identity crisis.This is just a very short introduction to these two, to try and set the scene, and give you a feel for whats what in the following story.
~Romance 101~
As I had mentioned before what I know of being conceived comes from my birth mother, and that's really the only source any of us have, besides our father's.....which mine also confirms parts of this story.
Frenchy continued to dance against R's wishes, so when he reappeared after having been gone for months, he was quite angry at what he found. There on stage parading around, and doing her routine, was Frenchy......breaking her promise to him! He was angry and stormed up onto the stage, grabbing Frenchy by the hair and dragging her kicking and screaming outside. People knew R, and knew Frenchy was R's wife, back then folks didn't tend to get involved in domestic arguments, as they felt that was private. R shoved Frenchy into a waiting cab on the street, she of course was being a hellcat in her own right and not at all making it easy to do. R finally felt he had he inside and slammed the cab door, which found it's way to her leg....as she was struggling to be out as he was shutting it.So now Frenchy had a broken leg, as cars back then had VERY heavy doors.They drove to a hotel on Royal street, knowing the couple I assume it wasn't too upscale.....and he drug her , still in agony ...up the stairs with a broken leg.He shoved her down on the bed.....and had his way with her..which by now she was done fighting..and only cared to attend to her leg....so she let him do as he pleased against her wishes.She did note to me that as she lay there trying to forget what was happening..she did observe a full moon.... and in her own words" that was the extent of the romance involved in making you"
~ Leaving Town~
When Frenchy discovered she was pregnant with me she made up her mind and moved back to Illinois.Her mother lived in a small rural town called Hegler, it's located by Danville. She obviously went back to using her birth name, which for privacy I choose not to disclose, so we will call her Frenchy throughout. Frenchy had nothing but headaches back at home with her mother, who was a severely abusive woman with a very sharp tongue and a boozing habit to fuel the fire. My grandmother was nothing but pure evil , with a very hateful spiteful way about her, this I know first hand..but that's later on. Frenchy had left R, and was now a single mother to my older brother with me on the way.I do not have much more information but this so I will go on.
~ Let Me OUT!~
It was a cold blustery February night , Frenchy had no car, and the baby was on it's way! A blizzard/ ice type storm had found it's way into rural Illinois, and to get to the main highway would be a chore. The weather had taken out the main phone lines, and back in 1970....this wouldn't be fixed till the weather passed. Frenchy had no desire to give birth at home, and so began her journey on foot to the main highway. She trudged her way through the deep snow, a bitter wind strong against her, yet another obstacle to overcome as she walked along. The storm had become a white out, and being familiar with Illinois winters, she knew a white out could spell death. She soldiered onwards tho..for this little baby....an innocent to this earth, and through all the filth of her own life, Frenchy knew this little baby was un tarnished and deserved the best start, which meant making it to the hospital. What would of normally taken 5 minutes to walk took an hour, and 3 hours later she was still walking in the direction she felt was the way to the main interstate highway.The pains were closer, and blood was spattering with her every step..."hold on", she would think to her unborn child......"patience", was this baby going to be born in a snow drift in the middle of God only knows where? She soon lost her footing and was going faint.....she saw what she thought to be headlights just as the world went black.
