My Grandmother& My secret half sister

Gladys. That was my grandmother's name. She was my hero. Sounds laughable but that is how I felt as a kid.She always put everyone else first. She always was watching somebody's kid.She was a funny grandma,she could make everyone laugh.She "acted" strict but almost always forgot to follow through with a punishment. We never tested her on this because we respected and I suspect feared her just a little. She had that "look" , you know the one . The "I am not kidding "look . The "spanking is coming look"(it never came but it sure looked like it would!)! You know that intense serious look.The one that shut you up.
We never tried to put something over on her ,we knew she'd know.I had kind of an odd situation growing up. I grew up in the '60's when the world seemed like a simpler place.
My family lived in a small bungalow that was no more than a bay shack really. Funny thing about being poor you never know it till some kid at school points it out to you loud and clear! My Mom and dad and my older brother lived together a few blocks from my grandma. Remember this was different times. So much different from today. I was allowed at 5 years old to walk by myself to my grandmas house and the deli. I would stop by at my grandmothers house on the way to or from the deli.
We never called first just dropped in to say hello or watch my grandpa mending nets in the front yard.I remember carrying a note to the deli and stopping by the house walking in ,yeah we didn't lock doors.I knew my grandma would likely be in the kitchen.Grandmothers were always home and most mothers did not work. Even the kids whom I thought were rich (anyone who had an upstairs! ) mother's did not work. First words were always did you wipe your feet? Even if you were barefoot.Maybe especially if you were barefoot.My grandmother lived there with my grandpa. Glady-ann (Gladys) who was almost 10 lived there and my cousin charlie did too. Glady was what my dad called her. She was older than me and older kids didn't bother with us kids much . I say us kids because there seemed to be a lot of kids back then. Families didn't have one or two like mine. Some had 5 or 6. We played outside and everyone knew everyone.
The world seemed so much smaller.Some times there would be another cousin or two at grandmas when I went there.We would sit around and watch television or sometimes play cards. I remember my older brother and my "cousin" Charlie teaching me hoe to play 52 pick -up. My grandmother had an upstairs but she wasn't very rich because the house was built by my grandfather. That was my 5 year old logic. I don't really remember too much about being a kid, but visiting my grandmother was one thing I loved to do.I remember something about trying to do a family tree.
I was trying to find out what countries my ancestors were from. My grandmother never lied to me but she was pretty good at skirting a question . She would need to pull a loaf of bread from the oven or have me snap some green beans into a bowl.
Well any how she never said who Gladys parents were .And by the time the bread was out and buttered and still steaming the family tree just didn't seem important.
Skip ahead about 5 or 6 years. I am 10 and another school project come along . An American history project. What countries did your family come from. I was intrigued. I started with my mothers family . Easy.Her mother came here in the late 1800's from Austria. Her dads ancestors from Ireland.
I rode my bike to ask my grandmothers to ask about my dads side of the family.My grand mother told me we were Irish and German ,Scottish and English. I thought it was cool to be a league of all nations and started asking about my gads brothers wives, not for the project but just curiosity! One aunt was polish and the other Irish/German like me.
When it came to my cousin Charlie I think I got sent to the deli for something and before I could ask about Glady it was time for me to get home ad make my poster for school.For some reason it never seemed to come up that Glady did not have parents. I assumed since her last name was the same as mine she was somehow a cousin. I really never thought much about it. One day my mother was looking for an envelope and I looked in her dresser. way in the back of the drawer I saw some business envelopes and old love letters from my dad to my mom.I decided to wait till my parents went out to snoop through those.
Yuck !they were mushy I love you letters and even more gross were the birthday cards and anniversary cards! All those X's and O's!!!! then Isaw business letters-my Dad was an auto mechanic He didn't have a lawyer. This was an important type-written letter ( all type written letters were important! Also there was a "document". A divorce decree. WOW! My dad was married before! Scandalous! Wait there was more something about child custody. Glady became my half-sister. That cool kid that was a cool teenager that lived at my grandmother's house was my half sister! She was Gladys by then. She still called my grandma mom and grandpa, pop because they raised her. She even called my dad,our dad" uncle ". I remember thinking it was cool to have a secret half -sister. It is sad that we lost touch for 25 plus years (another story! ) but reconnected recently and she is no longer my "secret half-sister" She is my sister.We are becoming sisters and friends. And now my kids will meet hers,with out the skeletons in the closet. I like having a sister.