Was down in Crane for some holiday with fathers side of the family. Thinkin he was bein friendly with me, Uncle Joe hollars at me in a jovial way. By this time I had been beat enough that an adult yelling at me scared me. So I asked him not to kill me. Aunt Jean (Joe's wife) got pissed at Joe. So Aunt Jean bought this weird play fort thing for little kids. And next visit to Crane, she tried to give it to me. Walking on eggshells around adults like I was, this just gave me the willies, and I refused it, and asked her not to attack me. Which was reasonable as I had been savagely been beaten by an adult before. So psycho bitch Mom, lost it, yet again, and commenced kicking my ass. Right there in front of everyone at the family gathering at Crane. This was the first time people outside of my families small town had witnessed one of my mothers psycho bitch meltdowns/assaults. So they freaked out. My grandmother (fathers mother) goes over to dad and asks him to get mom under control. While I am getting my ass kicked bad by someone several times my size. And dad awkwardly refuses his own mother. So grandmother turns to Joe, and Uncle Joe pulls mom off me, and holds her down on the floor, until her rage subsides, and she stops struggling.
Uncle Joe was pissed because I refused the play fort that he had paid for. Aunt Jean told him to shut up or she would divorce him and take his beloved money.
So Aunt Jean was a certified teacher. As was Uncle Joe, who was also a vo ag teacher. which is how they met. Before Uncle Joe was chosen over my father to take over the family homestead farm at Crane. The one they had grown up on as kids.
So Aunt Jean knew about the law that required teachers to report suspected child abuse. The punishment included a prison sentence. So One day I am in class. Maybe kindergarton or first grade. Albert Erb, the grade school principle pulls me out of class. And takes me over to the vo ag building. I was surprised to see Aunt Jean and Uncle Joe. All the way from Crane. 40 or 50 miles away maybe. I think Mr Thomas, the superintendent might have been there also. So I am freakin out on what might be going on. Dad is teaching a class. So If I remember right, Mr Thomas opens the door and calls dad out of the classroom. Dad responds, "I am teaching a class". Which is obvious. So dad continues with his class for a couple of minutes. He can see the group waiting to speak to him. Thru the glass in the door. Sees who is there. And obviously is able to figure out there is no way this can be good. And that mom has been snitched out to his bosses by his brother and his wife. So he gives in, and walks out to face the music. I don't remember what was said, other than Aunt Jean told Albert Erb about the state law on child abuse. And now that he knew, he had a legal obligation to take action, or face a possible prison sentence.
So now the school is involved in the whole mess. Along with some hard core christians in town who had witnessed some of the beatings. And believed they had a moral obligation to intervene. A "what would Jesus do" mindset.
Another visit to Crane in the same general time frame. The sequence of the visits has been clouded by time. But we are heading down to Crane. And I am afraid of Aunt Jean and Uncle Joe. Probably because by this time they have instigated a painful beating at my mothers hands. So before we left I asked to be left at home. And was refused. It was raining hard. So we arrived. And I was convinced Aunt Jean and Uncle Joe hated me. So I ran thru the yard and found a dry spot under a roof overhang of an outbuilding. Eventually it was figured out I wasn't inside. And my cousins found me. And told me I was wanted inside. I told them "everyone in there hates me". Eventually Aunt Jean comes out to coax me in. And I continue to refuse a while. Until I am finally coaxed in.
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