“I found this couch on the street corner. A lady left it out, so I picked it up. A band took pictures on it for an album cover, but I don’t remember their name.
I was raised up in the projects in Mobile and in the country in Butler County. My mama had me when she was 15. We became more like brother and sister. I was the oldest and helped her to cook and clean. I get my kindness from her. She cleaned schools for the Mobile school board and for boarding houses; those were the only jobs available. My dad worked in Rochester, New York—he had to get out of the South. I didn’t know him like I knew my mama. I am 77. There were a lot of things we couldn’t do in Mobile when I was growing up. We caught hell in some places and couldn’t stand in the square or in front of stores. Some white folks were good to us, but they might get an ass-whooping for it.
I quit school in the 8th grade. Education wasn’t meant for me. Our family wasn’t big on reading because there wasn’t much time for it. My first job was shining shoes on Davis Avenue. That was our downtown. I was only 15 when I started managing the fish market. I was the youngest manager on The Avenue. Restaurants stayed open later there with red beans and rice, barbecue, fried fish, and fried chicken. Robinson’s Cafeteria and Ella’s Barbeque were my favorites. We dressed up in suits and Sansabelt pants on the weekends. I saw BB King, Etta James, and others play on The Avenue. All of that is gone now. Urban renewal wiped out The Avenue and a neighborhood where I once lived.
I later worked at the shipyard and an upholstery shop. I drove a cab and cut grass. I did some yard and maintenance work for a lady, and she flew me to Colorado to work on her home in Crested Butte, CO. I was there for a summer and saw it snow in June.
I make money today from scrapping and hauling things off the street. Sometimes I regret not getting more education because I could have had different jobs. It’s still a good life. My house was built in 1901, and I love my neighborhood. Mama taught me to be kind to my neighbors and good to my friends. She died two years ago. I am pushing for 100.”
Willie
Mr. Willie, your story is compelling and an inspiration for the work that Stand-Up Mobile does in the community.
May God watch over you and give you all you need to reach 100. That is my goal as well. I look forward to saying hello when we celebrate that day.
I found this to be a story that needs to be in local book for all to see. We quickly forget and time pass on and others fall in such places and not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel to always be prepared. These are stories that must continue to be told repeatedly. Thank you for these short stories.
I am putting together a book of stories from Our Southern Souls. Mr. Willie’s story will be in it. The book should be out late fall.