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Personal Narrative: Daddy

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Daddy was a preacher man. Every Sunday of the month he would go to a different small Methodist church on his “Four Point Charge” to preach. Usually Sunday nights were for returning to the largest of the four churches that he hadn’t served that morning. It was his life, and the congregations paid him with respect, appreciation, chickens, vegetables, and desserts. We kids were in church enough that we never got into trouble and we had little time for anything else. Church involved Sunday School class, regular church services, communion the first Sunday of each month, Methodist youth group, Wednesday night prayer meeting, and choir practice. Then there were the pageants, church dinners, picnics, and the yearly Harvest Sale and Supper …show more content…

Packing a picnic basket, **we would clamber into the old pea-soup green Dodge and rattle off from our more urban town of Dudley (near Goldsboro) down “Tobacco Road” to a smaller community. The purpose of the day was to redeem some poor sinner who ***“wat’n doin’ right.” After arguing with Mother, who never accompanied us and averred that surely we shouldn’t go, Daddy would drive tight-lipped into the next county. Like Wayne County, Sampson County was mostly tobacco farms with some cotton and a few “modern” young farmers who were planting soybeans. And you had a sprinkling of professional men like Daddy, the doctor, the storeowner, the owner of the local saw mill, and the pharmacist. We would meet with other men of the community, a few of whom also brought their particularly well-behaved and *docilely obedient children, and drive down some long, bumpy dirt road and all park in front of someone’s house. I had never known the people we went to call on, only that our message was important for the people to learn to “to …show more content…

Daddy gave the signal and the match was thrown. Flames burst from the dried wood and I heard the old familiar crackling sounds. The smell of the pine burning filled my nostrils and I heard my little brother humming “Jesus Loves the Little Children.”* I could feel the heat from the fire warming the steamy air around me even more. Suddenly, Julius ran from the back of the house screaming. Julius was in my room at school. He was a real smart student, quiet and reticent; I had rarely heard him speak. I didn’t know him well because he didn’t go to my church, but I liked Julius Rosenfeld a lot. Julius just kept screaming and screaming. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I didn’t understand what was wrong. Looking toward Daddy for guidance, I realized the cross had fallen next to Julius’ house and his porch was on fire. Someone ran from behind the house and grabbed Julius, carrying him away kicking and screaming. I looked at Daddy again. He was whispering to some friends close by. Daddy beckoned to my brother and me and everybody went back to the cars and trucks and left. In the car, I could hardly wait to ask Daddy about it all. “Why did the porch catch on fire? Why did we burn the cross for Julius’ folks? What were they doing wrong? Why don’t we help them put out the fire? Is their house going to burn down? Who’s going to help them?” Daddy

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