Chapter 14
ALL THINGS ARE FULL OF LABOUR.
(From early June 1966, until the 1st week of
January 1967. I labour much for Mr. Mars in various locations, and again miss the Autumn Quarter of
school at Auburn University.)
Mrs.
Taylor agreed to let me again rent the same room in her house
when I return to Auburn in September. But I moved all my
things out of that room for her to use it for her guests during the summer. So
back to Vernon I go in my 55 Chevy loaded with all my college things, to put
them into my room in Daddy’s house. Again, I lodge at Daddy’s
place the days I am in Vernon, and again start roofing for Mr.
Mars.
Between
last September (when I left the roofing job at Ft. Walton Beach) and now (June
1966), Mr. Mars and Mr. Esker had bought a much larger spraying machine (than
the paint sprayer) to spray the black gum coating onto roofs. They had also bought
a new pickup truck, and installed the machine (gasoline engine and compressor)
in the front of the truck bed. Now, they were much better equipped to do
roofing with spraying equipment for the black gum coating, and the
separate, smaller spraying unit for the aluminum paint. This saved many man-hours
of labor. I welcomed these improved methods.
Regrettably, Mr.
Esker’s health had been failing, and now he is no longer able to be with us,
supervising me or drumming up business. I think by now (June), the doctors have
told him that he has cancer.
From
his house in Birmingham, Mr. Mars calls me at Daddy’s house. “I want you to
drive to my house in Birmingham for us to work roofs in this area.” I wrote
down the directions he gave me to his house, packed work clothes for a week or
so, and drove to Birmingham arriving there from the west on US Hwy 78.
Interstate highways had not yet been constructed thru Birmingham
proper. Following Mr. Mars’ directions, when I reached 1st Avenue
North in downtown B’ham, I turned northeast onto it,
drove thru a good portion of downtown to East Lake, turned as he had instructed
me to go on to Huffman, looked for Orlando Circle where he lived, turned onto
it, looked for and found his house number. I was most relieved to have arrived,
because that was the 1st time for me to
do such navigating in such a large city.
January
1965, when I dropped my sister off at a doctor’s office in Birmingham, that
place was close to the main highway and not so difficult to find. This June day
I arrive at Mr. Mars’ house, starts a period of time when this
barefoot, horse plow, farm boy will learn much about navigating in large cities
by car and truck. I need that lesson. Truly the Lord knows just what we need,
thank God! (By the way, I had no idea that in 10 years, I would be finding my
way alone around in Tokyo, Japan, at one time said to be the most
populous city on earth).
Mr.
Mars told me to park my car in his backyard. I put my bag of work clothes into
the truck. He left in his car, and I followed him driving the truck to a
roofing job site where we went to work that day.
No
longer am I roofing close enough to Vernon to sleep at Daddy’s house. So, Mr.
Mars gets me a motel room to lodge in, and he drives home to his house the few
times we were close enough for him to commute to the roofing site from his
house. But much of the time, we were too far for him to drive home each day. At
those times we both lodge together in one motel room, eating 3 daily meals in cafés
and restaurants. He paid all that expense, and paid me my wages.
Such
lodging was most pleasant to me (high class for this country boy). After
getting plenty dirty doing roofing work all day, I especially
liked taking a nice, long, hot shower in the motel room, then eating out. Most
refreshing! The limited bathing facilities at Daddy’s house, were not
refreshing at all, to come home to, after doing hot, dirty roofing.
Now, constantly moving about to locales
I have never seen, becomes somewhat of an exciting adventure for
me. I see various places and meet various human souls for the 1st
time. I enjoy that! We do roofs in the city of Anniston, and then
several in the Birmingham area. For most jobs, Mr. Mars would look for 1 to 3
transient workers in the area of the job, and hire them. I have now become the straw boss.
Mr. Mars and I would instruct the new temporary workers on how to do the work.
I begin to often supervise them as I work hard right alongside them. Valuable,
needed leadership training that was for me, aspiring to become a Marine
Corps commissioned office.
This weekly
pattern develops. Often, we work 6 days a week, sometimes quitting a little
early on Saturdays. Mr. Mars usually drives his car to each work location to
have use of it, while I use the truck and its equipment as I work the roofing
crew. Driving the truck, I would follow him in his car back to his house on
Saturday afternoon, then get into my car and drive to Vernon, arriving as
late as 8 PM or so.
Often,
I stopped at the Laundromat in Vernon to wash and dry my extremely dirty
work clothes, and then went on to Daddy’s house, getting to bed late and
plenty tired. I would attend Daddy’s church Sunday morning and night,
eat lunch with my family at Dad’s house, and often lie in the porch swing Sunday
afternoon, trying to recover from much fatigue.
I
would leave Daddy’s house about 5 AM Monday, heading for Birmingham. I usually
stopped to eat breakfast at the same roadside café in Jasper, and then on to
Mr. Mars’ house. I would park my car in Mr. Mars’ backyard, get into the truck
and follow his car to our present job site to do a day’s work on Monday. It was
an adventure, going to many places and meeting various people. It was also
a long, fatiguing week. Thank God for the strength and
vitality of youth.
Previously,
I told you of using my census-taking paycheck to finance my 1st term
at Auburn. When I returned to Vernon after that 1st winter quarter
for spring break, I went to the bank and asked for a $200 loan for college. Mr.
Bragg told me to have Daddy sign with me, and then readily gave me the loan. I
repaid that loan as I worked last summer, and then saved money for college. But
I used that entire savings during the fall term.
So,
after Christmas, I went to the bank in Millport and got a $200 loan to
be repaid by mid-July (likely). Then on spring break, I got a $200 loan from
the bank in Vernon to finance my spring term this year (likely to be repaid by
mid-August). After repaying both loans on time this summer, I saw I would not
have enough money for this fall quarter at Auburn U. I did not want to start
borrowing money from the bank at the very start of the academic
year (September, autumn quarter).
Each
summer (or period) that I worked for Mr. Mars, there were a good number of days
when he had no work for me. Also, I could not work on rainy days. Thus, no pay
for such days. It made it hard to save enough for college. That
greatly disappointed me at the time. I desperately wanted to get
on with college. What I did not understand was that the Lord (in His Perfect
Wisdom and Way) was putting delays into my college education to keep me from
the deadly battlefields in Viet Nam.
Late
this summer, Mr. Mars is getting a lot of roofing jobs in Tuskegee Town near
Auburn, so I work in Tuskegee several different weeks. We stay in a quaint old
hotel (2 story wooden building) in downtown Tuskegee. I enjoy lodging in that atmosphere.
The owner is friendly and talks with us much. I learn that his daughter, Judy,
is one of the girls I serve in the dining hall at Auburn U. I know her well,
a quite stunning young lady.
On the
jobs in Tuskegee, I often end up supervising a work crew of up to 5 other men.
They were all older than I. It was a valuable maturing experience for me
to have a small work crew under my supervision, supervising men much older than
I.
Shortly
before the fall quarter starts at Auburn U., I drive to the campus in the truck
from nearby Tuskegee, go to the Navy ROTC office and tell Marine Major McMath
that (ever so regrettable it be) I am not financially able to attend college
this fall, and thus will have to drop out of Navy ROTC now. (I am most fatalistic
in my thinking. I thought they would definitely kick me out of Navy
ROTC, because I am missing so many quarters of school.)
To
make a short story shorter, the major soon told me that we all could
work together with these extenuating circumstances, and that I
may continue in Navy ROTC when I come back in Winter Quarter, January 1967. They
desperately
need many young Marine officers as cannon fodder in Viet Nam. Thank God
this additional delay in my university studies helps delay my
progression toward becoming a battle-ready Marine, and helps to prevent me from
going to Viet Nam. Thank Thee, Lord Jesus!
Furthermore,
had Navy ROTC dropped me completely, and my draft board
back in my hometown of Vernon had picked up on the fact that I was not a
student at Auburn U. this autumn, and not a member of the Navy ROTC on
campus, possibly they would have immediately drafted me into the Army as
an E-1 private. Almighty God watched over me ever so carefully.
After
getting that good news from Major McMath, I go on over to the campus dining
hall where I work, to tell them I’ll be absent for the fall term, but sure
would like a job when I come back for winter term. They assure me that I
may step right back into my job in January. (Young Soul, being a good
worker will do much good for you!) I also stop by Mrs.
Taylor’s house to break the regretful news that I won’t be in school this fall.
She symphases with me, and makes me so happy by telling me she will hold
my room for me till I come back in January. Thank God for this kind
grandmother.
Mr.
Esker dies from cancer along about early September. The Mars family of 3 drives
from Birmingham to attend the funeral at Vernon. When the autumn quarter starts
at Auburn in late September, Mr. and Mrs. Mars’ daughter starts there as a
freshman student. But “pitiful” me, I keep at the dirty
roofing.
Again, that
hollow feeling wells up in my heart. I want to be in school in the fall,
the season that I enjoy best on campus. I felt desperate,
not being on campus. I thought on the fact that I greatly enjoyed the fall term
atmosphere last year, but would miss this one. Will I ever actually
graduate from the university? My heart ached as I watched Miss Mars
leave her home for Auburn U. for the fall quarter. But daily I continue to head
out in the truck to do dirty roofing work instead, feeling so low
on those high roofs.
Soon
after their daughter left for Auburn, early one Monday morning I drove from
Daddy’s house to the Mars’ home. When I arrived, Mrs. Mars had already gone to
her office job for the day. Mr. Mars was there alone. He had no roofing work
that day, so together he and I did a thorough job of cleaning all the roofing
equipment and putting all the tools in good order in the truck bed. As we did
that work in his backyard, he spoke up.
“Tonight,
you will sleep in that bedroom in there,” he remarked to me, motioning toward
their guest bedroom. Their nest emptied out when their daughter
(youngest child) left for college. (Likely it helped their loneliness a little
to have me there, tho they never spoke of such. They were happy folks.) After 5
PM, Mrs. Mars comes home from work and cooks our supper. After we sup together,
we 3 sit before the TV an hour or more. Then I bed down in their guest bedroom
for the first of many times, thank God!
Thus
wise, the Mars family “adopts” me, and later Mrs. Mars clearly tells me
I’m their “adopted” son. That made me happy! Mr. Mars has 3
grown sons from a previous marriage. All 3 sons are now married and in their
own homes. His present wife is a fine Christian lady. Later I will attend
Huffman Baptist Church sometimes with them. It’s a most rich life with the
Mars family. From that 1st night I slept in their house, any time
our work is close enough to commute from his house, I no longer stay in a motel
room. I stay in their house as a son, and eat Mrs. Mars’ breakfast and
supper as a family member. It was truly bless-ed!
Around
October, we do some roofing in eastern Tennessee, where Mr. Mars had previously
lived for many years. The lovely mountains and valleys there fascinated me, and
I enjoyed the adventure of “exploring” that area for the 1st time.
One morning as we 2 were about to leave the Mars’ house to work in southeastern
Tennessee, he instructed me like this. “I will not take my car this
time. I’ll drive the truck and you’ll ride with me. I bought a car for a man
who lives where we are going, trying to help the poor man. He is not making any
car payments as he is supposed to be doing. Looks like I’ll have to repossess
the car. If so, I will drive it back here to Birmingham, and you’ll drive the
truck back.”
So we
went in the truck, and did a few days of roofing work. Then one evening about 7
or 8 PM, we drove to the man’s house. We purposely went late to be sure to
catch him at home. (That poor man had no phone. So, Mr. Mars couldn’t call him
before hand.) But no one was at home when we arrived. Mr. Mars inquired with a
neighbor. “This time of night, they should come back any time now.” Almost
immediately, the whole family drove up in Mr. Mars’ 1962 light tan Ford Falcon,
man, wife, and about 4 small children. Mr. Mars had known the man many years.
They all exchanged joyful greetings. Mr. Mars was such a kind gentleman,
greeting each child also, and talking some with both man and wife. Both the man
and wife were meek, jolly, lowly, poor mountain folks.
Soon
Mr. Mars had to bring up his distasteful business matter. That gentleman
was most kind and gentle to this poor family. “Well, what are you going
to do about the car? You have had it for several months now, and haven’t paid
anything on it.”
The
man silently hung his head in a shamed and embarrassed manner that appeared
quite genuine. I do not know if he had a paying job at the time. I think he had
trouble keeping a lowly job, and managing money and such. I felt sorry
for him and his poor family. They were a young couple with 4 small children. I
wondered how many more babies would arrive in this poor house during the
wife’s childbearing years.
Generous
Mr. Mars had turned this car over to them with no money down, so the family
would have some transportation, asking the man to make small, periodical payments,
as he was able. He had made none. After some strained
silence, Mr. Mars gently broke the sad news to the couple. “Well, I’m going to
take the car to my house, and let it set there a while. See if you can get
financially able to buy it. And if you do so, you let me know.” The man nodded
his head sadly, knowing that would never be.
Just a
few minutes ago, that car had roared home to that poor, simple house,
stuffed full of its family of six souls, happily carrying on together
inside the car as simple people can naturally do, and as was their
habit. But arriving home this night, things suddenly change for them. It’s a
heartbreaking sight to me, to see them remove all their
belongings from the car (children’s small toys and such), and suddenly
be left with no family transportation (living in a rural, somewhat isolated
area).
Oh,
the much sadness and suffering under the sun, as we each journey to our
eternal destiny. Reader Friend, whatever you do under the sun, make
sure you repent to your Creator God and trust in Jesus Christ
to save you eternally, from suffering most intensely eternally!
The following
day, I drove the truck back to Birmingham; following Mr. Mars driving that
little tan Falcon. The next day, he and I together cleaned it up in his back
yard, washing the outside and cleaning the interior. What a job that
cleaning was, as both inside and out, the car was filthy, the
poor mountain kids’ gooey grime on much of the interior. My heart ached
for that poor family of 6, now without a vehicle.
Along
about now, Miss Mars comes home to Birmingham from Auburn for the weekend. I am
staying the night in their house when she arrives Friday evening, full
of talk of her new university life, at my university (where
I am NOT, during my favorite term; Autumn). That made me homesick for campus life at Auburn. I too, so much wanted to be in that fun
university life.
I am
putting a lot of miles on my 55 Chevy, and driving it a little faster on these
long, weekly commutes between Vernon and B’ham than its 6-cylinder engine was
made to endure. It began burning oil, causing me to wonder how much longer the
engine would last. Jimmy (the barber in Vernon) has his eye on my 55 Bel Air
Chevy. His hobby is cars, and he likes that popular model.
For some months now, Jimmy urges me to sell it to him when he sees me in
Vernon. He is quick to tell me that no doubt its engine is about worn
out, because it’s burning oil. One time in Vernon, he shows me a white 1957
Chevy station wagon with V8 engine and automatic transmission. He owns it. He
said he would trade it to me, an even deal for my car, with no
exchange of money. Hesitantly, I made the deal. I was mistaken to
do so.
Driving
that car to Birmingham and back to Vernon weekly, the power of that V8
engine was nice to have. But about the 3rd time I was driving
to Mr. Mars’ house in it, with a pop of the engine, this car quit
on me in the edge of Birmingham. I was able to coast over onto the shoulder of
busy US Hwy 78, walk to the closest pay phone and call Mr. Mars. He came in the
truck with a stout rope and towed me to a car repair shop and junkyard he knew
of in North Birmingham. The shop owner took a quick glance at the engine. “The
starter fell off. Will likely need a new starter.” I asked him to please make
the necessary repairs, and rode on in the truck with Mr. Mars to his house.
Soon
after we arrive at Mr. Mars’ house, the shop owner calls. “The car slung a
piston rod thru the engine wall right behind the starter. That’s what knocked
the starter off. This engine is ruined.” I told him I wanted to
junk the car. He said he would give me $50 for it. I said I would stop by for
that payment in a week or so. I did so. And in that roundabout way, I got $50
for my popular model 55 Bel Air Chevy that Jimmy would have gladly paid me $200
or more to buy it for cash money. Too bad!
That
car’s engine blew up on me 3 weeks or so after Mr. Mars repossessed that 1962
Ford Falcon. “Richard, that man up in Tennessee will never buy this car. If you
want this one, I’ll sell it to you for $400, and you can make payments to me
when you are able.” That was in late Oct. or early Nov. 1966. I thanked him and
accepted his most generous deal. The car stayed registered
in Mr. Mars’ name. I took it as my own to use, and a few days later stopped by
the junkyard that took my car, to receive his $50 payment for my piece of junk.
This little
Falcon was well made, and is in good condition now. I liked its simplicity
and easy handling. I was most thankful for it, much newer and safer
than any vehicle I had owned to date. I had
no part in Mr. Mars repossessing it. He had been most
lenient with that man. It hurt me to see that poor family lose this car.
But the truth is that God timed all this perfectly to provide a car most
suited to me, thru a friend who generously (like a father) told me
to make payments when I could. Thank Thee, Precious Lord.
Please enable me to pay for the car, and not be like the previous owner.
This
summer, Mr. Mars had given me a Birmingham city street and highway map.
I studied it to learn how to get around in that largest Alabama city. Mr. Mars
now shows me that (as I come from and go back to Vernon), the car junkyard is
on a less crowded shortcut thru North Birmingham to his
house. So, I begin using that shortcut to and from Vernon, saving time by
avoiding driving busy 1st Avenue North thru downtown.
This
year, we work on roofs at Birmingham Southern College. There we hire a crane a
short time. The crane operator’s assistant was a simple man who
was also talkative. “If I had it to do over again, I would be a
preacher. They only have to work a short time, a few hours 1 day a week, and it
is such easy work and good pay.” Those were his remarks one day, as he mused
aloud on the job. My Fellow Preachers, likely you are amused at his
honest and sincere opinion of our job, just as I was. Ha. Ha.
We did
a little work on the roof of the house of the Commanding General of the Air
National Guard Unit located at the Birmingham Airport, a one star
general. I met him, his wife and college student son at their home as I worked
on their roof. I greatly enjoyed such new
encounters, meeting various souls in various walks of life, journeying
to their eternal abode, exactly as YOU are now doing. As you read this,
MOST of these souls I write of, are now in their eternal abode. Food for
thought, is it not?? All so soon, YOU will be there also.
One
day a long-standing friend of Mr. Mars stopped by our roofing site in the
Birmingham area, and we 3 had lunch together in a restaurant. At lunch, that
man ate an apple and raw sunflower seeds he had brought with him. He talked
about his healthy eating habits and of “Prevention” magazine. That is my 1st
memory of meeting someone who purposely ate like that for health
reasons. The “impression” lodged firmly in my mind and “bent” me in that
direction. Soon I start reading “Prevention” from time to time, and eating “healthier”
to a slight degree. Growing up, our poor family simply
ate what food we had available. At times it was scarce with little
variety. But thankfully it was basically healthy veggies, fruits, dairy and
poultry products, and meat we grew on our own farm.
Off
and on during this autumn, regrettably there were a number of days Mr. Mars had
no work for me. (I desired to be earning money for college.) I spent those days
at Daddy’s house. Our neighbor, Check Wheeler, grew sorghum cane this year to
make delicious sorghum syrup. He asked me to help him harvest the cane, which
was quite a job. So, I did, and Check paid me just a little. Still, it was
pleasant being out in the field with him, talking and working together out in
God’s nature, no more than half a mile from Daddy’s house. Of course, I lodged
at Daddy’s during such times, spending several autumn days in my boyhood home
with family.
Mr.
Mars took any job available that we were capable of doing, desirous to obtain
all the work he could. A quite prominent Jewish family who ran a family
clothing store (somewhat prestigious) for many years in downtown Birmingham,
hired us to renovate the interior of the large old building’s full-size attic
under the store building’s flat roof. They used the spacious attic for storage
and such. I immensely enjoyed this job!
Much
of the time, I worked alone up in that quaint old attic (amongst
manikins and such items stored up there), nailing a new wood floor (over the
old one) into the attic, doing some lumber repairs to the walls, and such
renovating of their rustic old attic. It must have been early December, and a
chilly rain fell much of the 4 or 5 days I worked in that attic.
I
would drive there from the Mars’ house each morning, climb up a stairway inside
the store into the dark attic, switch on naked light bulbs in the attic
ceiling, and go at it nailing floor boards in the quaint old attic atmosphere, warm,
dry, and “cozy-like”, this “cocoon” job not affected by the chilly rain
falling outside. It was a great relief to do this inside work! I felt as snug as a
bug in a rug.
I was
working with lumber (so natural), instead of sticky black gum. This particular job was a thrilling
adventure. It was interesting being around that family of Jews. Mr. Mars and
the owner explained the job to me, showed me what to do and then I worked alone
much, up in that store attic, going to a nearby café for lunch. Each evening, I
would drive back to the Mars house in Huffman, get a good hot shower, eat Mrs.
Mars’ delicious supper together with that couple, and sit before the TV a while
with them relaxing in cheerful conversation. I immensely enjoyed those
few days working in that attic, during this absence from and delay of my
university studies, ordained by God to keep me from
the war in Viet Nam.
This 1966
period of almost 7 months straight (working in many, varied places for
Mr. Mars, and beginning to live in his house part-time), was a varied and
exciting adventure for me. The various jobs and businesses that I was
involved in, greatly broadened my narrow farm boy horizon, giving me experience
in the business world, even as a young straw boss of a work crew. When abiding
with the Mars household, we talked and laughed together at the meal table and
in the living room. I enjoyed that interacting much better than the prevailing
stone silence that confronted me many years as I grew up in my boyhood
home.
Christmas
season arrives and I spend the holiday season mostly in the Vernon area, and
then ever so joyfully and eagerly return to Auburn University the 1st
week in January 1967, to start the winter quarter. From the time I first met
Mr. Mars, he was a great asset in my life. From early June this year
(1966) to the end of this year, I spent much time with Mr. Mars during those 7
months. Mr. Mars was a talker; tho he seldom talked too much, nor
was his talk vain.
During
these 7 months, he and I spent many hours traveling together in the same
vehicle (an ideal time to chat). I enjoyed listening to him tell of his earlier
life, supervising tough, mean, coal miners in eastern Tennessee, of
working a stone quarry there cutting out pretty building stone, and of having
his own trucking company. (Of course, he didn’t do all these at the same time.)
Mr.
Mars was born in 1908, I think. He lived in eastern Tennessee as a young man
before WWII where those coal miners and stone quarry workers were a tough
breed of mountain men, each of them packing a pistol on their person. I
heard lively, true stories of frontier style violence. Seven months with
Mr. Mars this year, traveling to various places, becoming his “adopted” son,
staying in his home and such, were great blessings to me. I believe God gave me
the exact experiences and people (this talkative
father figure) that I needed at that time in my young life.
I
thank God for giving me a Daddy who was a most upright, hardworking Christian
man. However, his silence toward me formed a void in my heart.
I believe that is the reason that God gave me Mr. Mars at this formative time
as I am reaching adulthood. Mr. Mars was somewhat like a father, and he talked much
to me. God also gave me 2 of the greatest Navy Lieutenants ever, who
instructed me at the start of my Navy ROTC training at Auburn, Lt. France and
Lt. Coates. Each of these 3 men was a most
needed, important, and timely help to me, a big “plus”
factor in my life as I am maturing into an adult.
Thank
Thee, My Precious Lord Jesus, for fulfilling my every need in Thy Perfect
Way. Thank Thee for the latter 7 months of 1966 being full of labor,
along with much valuable life experience, and rich in blessings
and joy of the heart.
The
End of Chapter 14