Chapter 4... Growing up... Fast
This story is going to take a few days, maybe weeks.... I will have all the chapters in this blue, so you can navigate.
...(con't).... So, I had a different childhood from most of my friends. I lived with my alcoholic father and his mother for a couple years in a very small trailer. I hardly ever got to see my mother and sister, and I did not understand this very much. I was not too far away ( it was a 20 minute drive ), and I thought for a long time that my mother did not want to see me. She assures me that this was not the case, and has tried to convince me that my father did not want to bring me to see her. I am not sure what the truth is to this day. Anyways, after a couple of years, my father decided that he did not want to be a refridgerator repair man anymore and he bought the local bar from a friend of his. It was called "The Hitching Post", and it got this name from when there were no cars, and horses were the way of transportation. You would "hitch" you horse to a "post" outside the bar. (It is now called "Shevies") It was a small bar in the center of town, in between the grocery store and the car dealership, and almost every local would drown their sorrows there, so there was a good business opportunity in the idea. Vienna is a drinking town, that is for sure. My dad was actually a good businessman, and he decided to make some changes. He totally gave the inside of the bar an overhaul, he added a pavillion in the back, and tried to clean up the crowd. He also added a "Brothers Pizza Shop" next door in a empty storage space. He did not own "Brothers", but he charged a nice rent. I ate there for free daily! The crowd was very big, and it consisted of mostly regulars. He had to be making money hand over fist. I think to own a bar, you have to trust the people that worked there.... he did. The workers were like family to me.... I mean they had to be because my dad was always drunk, or too busy with some bar fly. I do have to admit that he did do alot of good things with his money. He donated alot of money to the MDA and to MS organizations... he also sponsered just about every event in town. He was never a terrible guy... just a terrible father. I learned to play pool out of boredom, and it was not long before I was beating the adults on a regular basis. People would often be sitting at the bar and ask "So, where is this kid that plays pool so well?" I would be around somewhere, and my dad would come find me to play some drunk. "Listen son, I have $100 on this game... so do not lose." What pressure. I would rarely lose... but saw no money. LOL. I would do my homework at the bar, while my dad got trashed. I can't even remember how many times I got home at 3 am. I was 12! There were a couple of families that took me in as there own, usually it was the mother that would make me come to their house after school, do my homework, eat a good meal.... have some structure. It was nice not having to see miserable people drinking all day, while they complained about their lives. It was also nice having someone care about me, it was nice having "brothers" and "sisters". They were not the most normal families, but I want to thank Dorraine Bernhard and her sons Brandon, Justin and Aaron.... Peggy and Tom(RIP) Totten and their kids Jamie and Kris.... and Joe McNerney(RIP) and his sons Sean and Brendan(RIP). Sigh.... Brendan.... I guess this calls for a sidenote, so I will tell you about Brendan "Benny" McNerney.....( con't ).....
PICTURES OF VIENNA
"Shevies" ( formerly "The Hitching Post" )
IGA ( formerly SuperDuper)
Drive Thru
DairyMart
Airport
Trailer Park
STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES PageSTINES Page
Oh yeah.... I also wanted to mention that I ran into an old friend of mine at "The Dome" this weekend, and I could not be happier. And for the record, you stopped calling me.... I would never do something like that. And I won't do it again..... lol, that makes no sense. Cancel the trip to Vegas.... it's my 25th Birthday(wink)! I miss you already..... you hang up.... no you.... no you.... 1,2,3.......Smile! I can't believe you just said that.... but "omlette" this one slide.
...(con't).... So, I had a different childhood from most of my friends. I lived with my alcoholic father and his mother for a couple years in a very small trailer. I hardly ever got to see my mother and sister, and I did not understand this very much. I was not too far away ( it was a 20 minute drive ), and I thought for a long time that my mother did not want to see me. She assures me that this was not the case, and has tried to convince me that my father did not want to bring me to see her. I am not sure what the truth is to this day. Anyways, after a couple of years, my father decided that he did not want to be a refridgerator repair man anymore and he bought the local bar from a friend of his. It was called "The Hitching Post", and it got this name from when there were no cars, and horses were the way of transportation. You would "hitch" you horse to a "post" outside the bar. (It is now called "Shevies") It was a small bar in the center of town, in between the grocery store and the car dealership, and almost every local would drown their sorrows there, so there was a good business opportunity in the idea. Vienna is a drinking town, that is for sure. My dad was actually a good businessman, and he decided to make some changes. He totally gave the inside of the bar an overhaul, he added a pavillion in the back, and tried to clean up the crowd. He also added a "Brothers Pizza Shop" next door in a empty storage space. He did not own "Brothers", but he charged a nice rent. I ate there for free daily! The crowd was very big, and it consisted of mostly regulars. He had to be making money hand over fist. I think to own a bar, you have to trust the people that worked there.... he did. The workers were like family to me.... I mean they had to be because my dad was always drunk, or too busy with some bar fly. I do have to admit that he did do alot of good things with his money. He donated alot of money to the MDA and to MS organizations... he also sponsered just about every event in town. He was never a terrible guy... just a terrible father. I learned to play pool out of boredom, and it was not long before I was beating the adults on a regular basis. People would often be sitting at the bar and ask "So, where is this kid that plays pool so well?" I would be around somewhere, and my dad would come find me to play some drunk. "Listen son, I have $100 on this game... so do not lose." What pressure. I would rarely lose... but saw no money. LOL. I would do my homework at the bar, while my dad got trashed. I can't even remember how many times I got home at 3 am. I was 12! There were a couple of families that took me in as there own, usually it was the mother that would make me come to their house after school, do my homework, eat a good meal.... have some structure. It was nice not having to see miserable people drinking all day, while they complained about their lives. It was also nice having someone care about me, it was nice having "brothers" and "sisters". They were not the most normal families, but I want to thank Dorraine Bernhard and her sons Brandon, Justin and Aaron.... Peggy and Tom(RIP) Totten and their kids Jamie and Kris.... and Joe McNerney(RIP) and his sons Sean and Brendan(RIP). Sigh.... Brendan.... I guess this calls for a sidenote, so I will tell you about Brendan "Benny" McNerney.....( con't ).....
PICTURES OF VIENNA
"Shevies" ( formerly "The Hitching Post" )
IGA ( formerly SuperDuper)
Drive Thru
DairyMart
Airport
Trailer Park
STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES Page STINES PageSTINES Page
Oh yeah.... I also wanted to mention that I ran into an old friend of mine at "The Dome" this weekend, and I could not be happier. And for the record, you stopped calling me.... I would never do something like that. And I won't do it again..... lol, that makes no sense. Cancel the trip to Vegas.... it's my 25th Birthday(wink)! I miss you already..... you hang up.... no you.... no you.... 1,2,3.......Smile! I can't believe you just said that.... but "omlette" this one slide.