Gainesville FL - 1950

Gainesville Florida

Before I get to Gainesville one more thing about Cedar keys. It was the last of the medicine men. The word got around and we would go to a field and a stage was set up. The Medicine man would come out and give a talk on his medicine that would cure this and that. Our reward he would show a movie. So we would show up the couple of nights he was there to see a free movie.

The trailer park there was much larger and near a highway.John my Foster parent got a job as a mechanic Helen got a job in a Mental hospital nearby I took care of my half-sister Sarah and made dinner every night, that's how I learn to cook. One big day they had a contest for animals and I took the bird in a cage and cleaned it real good we got a ribbon for the best in birds. To make a long story short one day Helen decided I should be on my own (I was not yet 17).

So with no clothes and little money I started walking and hitch hiking. I hitch hiked from Gainesville to St.Augustine Fl. I remember walking along lonely road in the swamps and forest.Getting a ride now and then. In St.Augustine I got a room it was clean and I had abed to sleep in.I got a job washing dishes at a restaurant.

Now I was eating good and making a little money. Around my 17th birthday a hurricane hit. I walk to the bridge and felt the strong wind blowing.many boats were being sunk and part of the dock went floating down the middle of the street. A Church was across the street but I never went in. I visited the Fort near by, it was nice.

Then the day came at the place I was staying. The land lord had raised my rent and I could not afford it. What to do. I went to the park and was sleeping on a bench (Like a homeless person) which I was. A Police Officer came by and ask me what I was doing. I explained that I did not have that much money to rent a place. So he took me to a cheapy. Now I watch cock roaches crawl up, the wall. I had enough. I hitch hiked back to Gainesville.

On my way back a trucker gave me a small container with oysters to eat. Ill never forget that. Back in Gainesville I look for jobs. Sign of the times.

I got on a bus and was going to the back, the Bus driver said I could not do that I had to sit in front. Because only the black people sat in the back plus black people only drank from a certain fountain and used certain bathrooms. Up North it was not that way