HEAVY ON MY LAP

When I was a little girl, perhaps eight years old, mother started to work outside the home. We lived out in the country and when I came in from school I had to go to someone's house and stay until mother and daddy picked me up. I remember staying with Mr. & Mrs. Gaines at the bottom of the hill and Mr. Sylvester and Mrs. Etta Crocker on the other hill from our house.

Mr. and Mrs. Crocker had a son, Willard, who was one year older than I. We grew up together but never were boyfriend-girlfriend, rather just friends. We always got along nicely. In the afternoons after we got home from school, Mrs. Etta would have baked sweet potatoes waiting for us to eat. Those were the best baked sweet potatoes I've ever tasted. We'd laugh and talk as we ate our sweet potatoes and Mrs. Etta would be right there laughing along at our joking.

One afternoon after school I was seated on a single wood porch rocker out on the front porch. We didn't have air conditioning and the porch was shaded by an oak tree and was the coolest place around. Willard was out there with me, and I don't remember if anyone else was or not. Now let me tell you a little bit about Willard before I go on with my story. He was full of devilishment. He was going to have his fun, anything for a good laugh. That didn't keep me from liking Willard. He was my friend until.....

As I said, I was seated on the porch rocker talking when Willard came up and threw something in my lap. I had on a dress, and I looked down in my lap to see the largest multi-striped (did I say large?) lizard I have ever seen. He had rainbow colored stripes running down his body. Well, as I screamed at the top of my lungs I came up out of that rocker. There was no way I was going to share a seat with that wicked looking thing. I flung my arms, screamed, and danced a jig until I got the lizard off me and was able to calm down.

And there stood Willard belly laughing at me. I don't think I've forgiven him for that yet. And I don't like lizards either!!!

I tried to find a picture like that lizard and was unsuccessful. I think he was almost as big around as a quarter and about 6 inches long. I probably gave him the scare of his life too!!!