Page 17 - Been There… Done That!

Been There... Done That!
What can anyone say about their mother? Sure, moms are our heroes. Like anyone, I would say my Mom is the best and no one can tell any difference. Being left by my dad when I was three didn’t stop her from being the best mom ever. She did odd jobs and became a great waitress who made good tips. The road from Bear Creek in Miller County, Missouri was four miles to the tiny resort town of Lake Ozark. Working at a restaurant there, she eventually met Carney Graham, an entrepreneur, later a high-stakes professional gambler and resisted his advances as she was told that he was a gambler who owned beer joints. Mom was raised hardshell Baptist and in those days the things he did were sins. He sent her diamonds and even a mink coat, but my mother was not the type to marry for money. Eventually, my mother married Carney Graham when I was eight years old and had my name changed when I was ten, which caused a little difficulty at the School of the Osage. There was resentment toward me from other kids in the community because all of a sudden I had everything and before I’d had nothing. The way I dealt with that can be summed up by saying there were quite a few fistfights. After getting tired of having my ass kicked, I started winning a few.
Moving from the Bear Creek house to Lake Ozark was a completely different lifestyle. Even though I had been back and forth, being permanently in Lake Ozark meant adjusting to the difference. Moving to town from my grandparents’ place seemed a lifetime away. Basically we went to feast from famine,in a whold different lifestyle. There were no more patched clothes. We lived on the lower second floor of the Casablanca, a bar owned by my
15