We walked to my grandparents that day. My mom, my two sisters, my brother, and me. Across a dusty road, through a grassy field, another dusty road, and down a small grassy trail, about a half-mile near the Calcasieu River. They were living in the Little Mill Settlement. I was about 5-6 years old. My Dad was away at work. I didn't know what was going on, but my mom and grandparents were whispering and not letting us children hear what they were saying. It was early afternoon, we had had a tiring trip walking. I was glad to play with the other children. We hardly noticed when my grandpa readied his horse and wagon and departed with my mom.
They were gone about three hours, and came back with a load of furniture. I didn't know what they did with the furniture, but noticed later that an extra bed or two had been set up in the back bedroom. We children had our supper, and played behind the stove. It was just getting dark. We heard noises, like arguing; my mom, my grandpa and then I recognized my dad's voice - they were almost shouting. We children became very quiet. I heard my grandpa say, "get off my property and don't come back, she is not going back to you."
My mom had left my dad! That was my first to understand what was happening. We children ran into the back bedroom and got in bed. It was a room with wooden shutters which were closed with a lock from the inside. Grandpa must have locked them down earlier. My dad came to the back door and began calling us children by name to please let him come in and talk to us.
Grandpa ran him off with his shotgun. My mon never did go back to my daddy.
Had I entered another Safe Haven?
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