Helping an Abuse Child

Years ago I was Coordinator of the Child Care Food Program for my county. This program feeds low income children. One day one of my caregivers called me and told me that one of the little boys that she was watching was being abused by his mother. She proceeded to give me evidence. She was scared to turn the woman in. I told her that I absolutely was not scared to do it and I hung up, called Human Services, and reported it immediately!

That night I received a phone call from the child's mother. She proceeded to threaten me for turning her in. I stopped her and I told her my address. I told her that I would be outside waiting for her. I told here that when she got to my house that she wouldn't be dealing with a 12 year old boy and that I couldn't wait for her to get there. She hung up in tears.

The boys teacher corroborated the abuse evidence. Before Human Services could act (apparently they needed a court order or something that delayed taking the boy and his brother away from their mother.) the woman left town taking the children with her.

They found her a month and a half later in Michigan (I live in West Virginia). Her husband had taken the boy to the emergency room because his mother had broken his arm! I hope things have changed and they remove children immediately now so that this kind of thing doesn't happen.

Kiss Off the Boss!

I took a nighttime job once because I have insomnia and I figured I might as well make some money while I was awake, also it paid $1.00 an hour more for night stock. It turns out I like night stock because you don't have to deal with any people which is a definite plus in the retail world.

Anyway I came in to work one day and looked at the next weeks schedule and I saw that I had been switched to days which meant I would be making a dollar an hour less - effectively a pay cut the way I saw it. I went to my boss to discuss this with her and she informed me that she had hired a new girl who didn't know how to run a register so she had put me on days. When I pointed out to her that she was paying someone who didn't know as much as I did more money than I was getting she told me, "I needed to remember how things were and you will be staying on days!"

I looked her square in the eye and told her "I fully intend to remember how things are and I want you to remember that statment." As I walked out of the office to finish my shift I heard the loud crash of her fist hitting her desk and a loud expletive that I will lead to your imagination.

I went to Fruth the next morning (I had left there on good terms) and they hired me back making more money than I was making at the night stock job. I gave the other manager notice later that night because I couldn't start working at Fruth until the next schedule came out.

There are 2 lessons from this experience:

1. Always leave a jo ood terms whenever possible so that you can go back if you need to

2. Don't take shit from your boss!!

My $100,000 video

On my 32nd. birthday my husband gave me a parasailing trip in Jupiter Beach, Florida. It was a memorable day and here is why. First we went out on the boat but there was no wind, so we took a quick dip in the ocean. The water was beautiful and clear and about 20 feet deep and I was proud of myself for jumping in because it was something that I was always too afraid to do before. We swam around a little until the breeze kicked in and then got back in the boat.

Now this is all on video from here on, but it is not too much fun to watch because Bobby was trying to film me from the boat while it was bobbing on the water. You really can't see anything other than me on camera for a second here and there before his hand is jerked away by the action of the waves. If I would have had the camera though it would have been a $100,000 video because what I saw scared me to death and the people on the boat had no idea what was going on!

The boat took off and I flew upwards harnassed to the parachute. I went up several hundred feet (I think so anyway). I cruised at that height for several minutes. It was so high that it was completely silent and peaceful and the view was astounding. Before I took off they asked me how deep I wanted to be dipped into the water. I told them to dip me to my knees. I thought it would be a hoot to be flying along behind the boat trolling the water with my feet.

Anyway when they started to take me down for my big dip, I looked down to see that they were setting me down directly on top of the biggest fish that I have ever seen! It was shaped like a shark (and not a small one either) but of course I don't have the knowledge to confirm this. It was definitely big and I was going to land right smack dab on top of it! I started to kick and scream and the guys on the boat ignored me. Then I started trying to shake the support ropes and kicking and screaming even more and they just laughed at me! I was pointing straight down at the fish too but that wasn't helping either. Finally I started to make a cutoff motion across my neck and they got the message. They pulled me up. I was so relieved that I almost cried.

They took me about 100 yards and this time they lowered me into the water to my knees. I was positive that the giant fish was going to come after me and chew my legs off. I was being trolled perfectly like the worlds biggest piece of bait on a hook! They probably dragged me 100 yards or so in the water and then they pulled me up.

I went up high again and I kept pointing at the fish, but they never seemed to get the message. When they finally reeled me in I was telling them about that fish way before my feet hit the boat and of course they were all greatly amused by my story. They told me everybody kicks and screams when they go down for the dip so they really didn't think anything about it. If I would have had that video camera then I would have had proof of the greatest fish story ever!

Temper! Temper!

I used to play softball in both junior and high school. I was a horrible fielder but that didn't matter because I could hit any pitch - good or bad - anywhere that I wanted it to go. I struck out 3 times in 6 years (twice in one game! I thought the world was going to end that day.)

In my senior year I was up against a pitcher that deliberately tried to hit me with a pitch. I couldn't let this pass. It was time to teach her a lesson. The very next pitch I hit a line drive that I aimed directly at her face! She ate the dirt. I am actually glad that she hit the dirt because if that ball would have hit her, it would have killed her. I hit it so hard that it probably would have exited out the back of her skull. After the umpire warned me to never do that again or I would be ejected, I was walked. She was too afraid to pitch anything but an outside ball to me after that.

A Grease Fire

When I was in jr. high school. I was frying a piece of fish. The pan caught on fire. I calmly picked up the pan and walked with it to the sink. I put the pan in the sink. I turned on the faucet.

the whole wall exploded in fire quicker than you can blink!

I squealed for my "Mommy". She was in the other room vacuuming the floor. She dropped the vacuum cleaner and came running. I know that she put out the fire. I don't remember that part. She was not mad. She was glad that I was alive. She was glad the house didn't burn down.

Grrrrr...I feel an overwhelming need to KILL someone!

My House is on Fire and Nobody is Bothering to Tell Me !!

About 15 years ago I had just gotten out of the shower and I decided to kick back for awhile and watch my soaps. I was sitting there completely naked (I sleep in the nude) and I decided to smoke one. I lit it up and all of a sudden I saw a fireman run past my window!

I think, "What the Hell !" Then another fireman runs by and it looked like he was going into the apartment next door. (I lived in a duplex)

I sprung out of my recliner and looked out of the window and there were firemen running everywhere. Then I saw the firetruck and I thought, "Oh my God, Betty's apartment's on fire and nobody's bothering to let me know." I started to fumble for my clothes and I raced to put them on and I ran out the front door. All the firemen were running past me and none of them were paying the slightest attention to me! I couldn't understand why they weren't telling me to get out of the house or bothering to see if anybody else might be home ( which they weren't).

I walked over to the corner of the house and peeped around the side of the house. I was cautious because I didn't want to get in the firemen's way. Then I saw the firemen fighting a huge fire. Betty's half of the duplex was not on fire though. It was the house next door.

Apparently the shortest route for the firefighters to use to that burning house was through my yard.

What a relief!