Paternity

As we got a little older, we were allowed visits with our Dad, Roger Ragland.  Once, maybe twice a month, he would come pick us up on a weekend day and we'd share the visit with our step-mother (who we called Aunt Lou) or paternal grandmother, who we referred to as 'Mama'. We would also visit Aunt Dorothy (Roger's sister). Her son, (our cousin Johnny), Chap and I were like the three musketeers. We played together often. Either he'd visit us or we'd visit him. When one got in trouble, all three were in trouble.
  Mama Ragland had a small apartment in Raleigh, and when we were even older, we'd go visit her. She either bought or subscribed to every movie magazine available. When she'd finish reading them, I'd take them home. My bedroom walls were covered in color or black & white 8x10's of my favorite stars...Mother kept my bedroom door closed; (since it entered into the dining room.) I'd lay in my bed at night and just look at all those beautiful people hanging around me and dream away. One of my problems was that I would dream away at school too. Not good. Always been a dreamer.
Uncle Jack (Roger's brother), had a tailor shop in downtown Raleigh and on occasion we'd go visit him so that we could ride up and down on the elevator; we'd think of any excuse..'Uncle Jack, could we borrow a nickel to go down and get a drink?'..or a candy bar. We loved asking the elevator operator..'up please..down please.' Of course, he knew who we were, and knew where we wanted to go.

Times were so different then. At about ten or eleven years old, we would get a nickel, ride the bus downtown, get a transfer token, visit Uncle Jack or Aunt Berta (my mother's sister), who both worked in town, then take the bus back home. Granddaddy worked for Norfolk & Southern RR then..he was sorta downtown too. Nothing was ever thought about us being 'snatched', or given drugs, it was a trustworthy time in America. If we didn't have bus fare, we'd walk. Really wish things were still that way today.

The above photos: my dad, Roger.  Very early photo of my paternal grandparents Annie and William, with Roger sitting in front of them. I don't remember my grandfather Ragland.