BEAUFORD

BEAUFORD
It should be understood that my poppa was a very gentle man. He was kind and considerate and he would literally give you the shirt off his back if you asked. He was a very forgiving man and he was often cheated by those who would take advantage of his generosity to his fellow man. Poppa was always slow to anger and quick to forgive a transgression against himself. There was one thing that Poppa would fight you for and that was me and Mom. If you messed with us my Poppa would tear you to pieces in an instant. When it came to his family, he knew no fear and he would strike like a tiger with all his effort and do you great injury with all his power. He would also ask forgiveness from God for his temper and pray for your soul and your health to return. With this in mind I would like to relate an incident that I witnessed as a small boy of about eight or nine years …...


In our neighborhood about everyone walked to visit others. Sometimes mom would walk over to Ms. Kennedy's and sit in the glider and smoke Chesterfield ciggies, drink sweet tea and gossip with Ms. Kennedy for an hour or so. She would do the same thing on occasion with the other ladies in our neighborhood and they in turn would come to our house for the same. The thing about it was we had no telephones and if you wanted to talk to someone you did it face to face. Life was simple back then.


I would like to inject here that my mom was a beautiful woman. She was ''small boned'' with raven black hair, dark eyes and was ''well figured'' as they said back then. My mom was a lady that men looked at twice. Mom could sew and she made a lot of her own clothing. One day she got some special material and made herself a blouse that was really pretty. It had ''puffie sleeves'' and it fit her body very nicely. It was a special ''silk type'' material and she was very proud of it. She put it on and walked out to see Ms. Kennedy to ''show off'' her new creation. Ms. Kennedy was duly impressed with her work and asked mom if she could make her one to wear to church Sunday.


At the end of our driveway there was a man named Beauford and he would sit on his porch and leer at the women in the neighborhood. He was supported by his wife. She worked, he didn't. He especially liked to look at mom but he never said anything to her. Beauford liked to drink also and I think that is what gave him courage that day. Me and mom left Ms. Kennedy's house and started back up the road. Mom said she needed to go to the mail box so we had to walk by Beaufords house. He was sitting on his front porch and as we walked by he shouted a ''Howdy'' to mom. Mom just kept walking to her mail box and Beauford came off his porch and out into the road. He stepped in front of mom and commented on her blouse and how he wished his wife could sew like mom. He was standing directly in front of mom and mom asked that he let her pass please. He said he wanted to feel the material the blouse was made from and he reached to touch moms arm. As he did mom spun away from him and he ripped the sleeve lose on the blouse. Mom slapped his face and we ran to our house. Mom was very upset and crying when poppa got home from work. Poppa reacted immediately and wanted to know why she was upset and she finally told him what the situation was. Poppa walked thru the house and out across our yard with me in tow. We walked out the drive way, across the road and poppa told Beauford to come out in the road so they could talk. He sat his beer on the porch and ambled out into the road. Beauford immediately told poppa that it was all a big misunderstanding and he was real sorry about the incident. Poppa just stood there looking at him. Poppa finally asked if he had put his hands on mom and Beauford said yes but he only touched her arm, no harm done he said. With that poppa sprang like a wild cat and grabbed Beauford behind the head and smashed his own for head into Beauford's face smashing his nose and busting his lips. Beauford was about three inches taller than poppa but that made no difference to poppa. Beauford covered his face with his hands and moaned. Poppa then reached up and grabbed Beaufords shirt and punched him three times. Once in the solar plexus and twice in the guts. Beauford went to his knees with blood spurting from his nose and his mouth. Poppa stepped up to him and leaned over and lifted Beaudords head and told him that if he ever touched mom again that he, poppa, would kill him with his bare hands. Poppa stood there for a few seconds and asked Beauford if he understood and Beauford shook his head yes.


''Come on son, we need to get home because supper is ready by now''.....


As we started to leave Beauford mumbled that he was going to call Sheriff Ledbetter, our county sheriff and have poppa arrested. Poppa told him to go ahead but nothing ever happened. It took most of a month for Beaufords* face to go down and the swelling leave so he began to look like his old self again.....


That night after the incident with Beauford my dad knelt and asked God to forgive him for the thing he had done. He pledged that he would control his temper better and he said a prayer that Beauford would get well soon and not suffer......




From then on, if mom went to Ms. Kennedy's house or to the mail box or anywhere on the street, Beauford would leave his porch and go inside his house till mom had passed. He never ever spoke to mom or poppa again. He and his wife moved about two months later. Beauford was the first man I ever seen that was supported by his wife. He would take her to work in the morning and go get her at quitting time. Beauford was the ''shame of the neighborhood''


Mom threw the blouse away without fixing the sleeve.


So it went in the life of a skinny kid, back in the late forties.....


Lets say a special prayer for your troops that they will be safe over Christmas......