Truth be told and pass the biscuits, it is a true blessing to be born in the country, Momma says, because you get up close and personal with characters, shysters, saints, oh, and the Holy Rollers. Do they actually roll or are you pulling my tail, Momma…..again?
And then there was the Who-Knew-the-Truth Family that just seemed to have appeared on the doorstep one day, set up camp and then just disappeared, like thieves in the night. There was a Mr. & Mrs. Who-Knew-the-Truth and supposedly three children, straight off the boat from England, they said, they did, but the eldest sibling, Ms. Cagey looked the age of the Mrs. and dressed decidedly provocatively for small town living, where bosoms were kept covered in loose, not tight-fitting Hollywood Marilyn Munroe attire. Although no birth certificate or passport could be produced, she was enrolled in the local high school where the male teachers, as if hypnotized, drawn like moths to the flame, gazed at what filled her endless low-cut, tight sweaters. The good news was that the younger brother and sister acted age appropriate and slipped in to the community seamlessly, making friends easily.
No, Momma, said, it was Mr. & Mrs. Who-Knew-the-Truth & Ms. Cagey who got the tongues a wagging because if you asked them where they were from (it wasn’t considered offensive in those days), each one told a different story….they were right from England, they were living in Montreal but got wary of city life, they had been living in the islands. One thing true, they sounded like they were straight from England, Do not Pass GO, do not collect $200.00.
The next question in everyone’s mind was how come the little sister and brother looked like Ms. Cagey (all brown eyes, black hair) but none of these three children resembled Mr. & Mrs. Who-Knew-the-Truth, who both who had blue eyes and blonde hair. Some hanky-panky going on or maybe aliens spying on us, getting the lay of the land, so to speak, thinking country folk not sharp enough to notice and question every detail, ad nauseum.
Still, give them props, they were a hardworking, enterprising lot who approached school board about a school that was vacant…so many rooms, perfect to make a hotel, add a bar and a restaurant and you are in business. No kidding, the hardest working was Ms. Cagey, changing beds, serving in the dining rooms and the bar (huh, I thought there was a law against 15-year-old kids serving drinks, am I right Momma? Well, just don’t get caught. You know we lived in the land of the local law enforcement sentiment of see no evil, hear no evil, so it was all good.
But one day, cross my heart and hope to die, the country folk woke up and Mr. & Mrs. Who-Knew-the-Truth, Ms. Cagey plus Lil Bro and Sis were just… gone…just gone, no explanation. The hotel doors were open, everything left neat and tidy, like a major housekeeping had just been completed. The lights were on…but they weren’t home.
Did they flee in the middle of the night?Were they kidnapped? Did the Mothership come down and whisk them away? Will we ever know? Every time you see distance light, think of Mr. & Mrs. Who-Knew-the-Truth, Ms. Cagey plus Lil Bro and Sis…There out there…maybe coming to a town near you….anytime…. soon.
