The Adventures of Al-coholic Autobiography Authored by: Ales Ridley Abna lll 1 The Adventures of Al-Coholic Written by a Native Georgian, Ales Ridley Abna lll You may contact me at [email protected] Writing cleanses the soul, I write to remember I attempt to remember as much of my life as possible and put those memories in chronological order. My goal was not to offend anyone; however some of these memories are offensive Table of Contents These pages contain much of my life. -----------------------------------I dedicate this book to Cameron and my Heart Rosa------------------------ 2 The Adventures of Al-Coholic Let me start with the genealogy that I care about the Coronial; Alfred Victor Bradley, he passed away before my birth. From what I’ve learned he was a Teddy Roosevelt type of adventurer. The Bradley’s were from Pen Rod a small town in Western Kentucky. Alfred joined the Army to escape a coal miner’s existence. While stationed in Brownsville, Texas he marries Grace Cotton the Matriarch of our family. They have two daughters Sara Elizabeth and Kathryn Ruth. In the families early years they’re stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii then just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor they’re transferred to Fort McPherson in Atlanta, Georgia. The family buys a home in East Point, Georgia the fourth one built on Dorsey Ave. Both girls graduate from the University of Texas. Go Horns! Mother passed away the year before Vince Young led the Longhorns to collage footballs National Championship. However, I could hear her all the way from Heaven, Hookem Horns. Great Grand Mother (Mae) was from the South Side of Atlanta. She allows Ales Ridley (Abe) Abna to marry her daughter Nell. Abe and Nell have four sons Ales Ridley (Abe) Jr. my father the oldest, Uncle Don the 2nd good one, 3rd Uncle Jim a bad apple and the youngest Uncle Harry a lifelong alcoholic, guitar playing paraplegic. He had been shot in the back at age thirteen in a hunting accident. The family settles in College Park, Georgia. Ales Sr. owned and operated Abe’s Barber Shop in East Point he’s mentioned in a book written by Lud-Lo Porch a popular WSB radio broadcaster that compiled books on Southern Culture and Atlanta history. The Abna family is forced to sale their home due to the expansion of Atlanta Airport. They move to Bell St. in College Park down the street for the A&W Drive-in restaurant. My mother Kathryn married (ABE) Jr. they have three children, Gary Cleve the oldest, 2nd Leone Ruth and Ales Ridley Abna lll born on Friday the 13th in the month of July of 1956, we lived in the Bradley’s house with Granny Grace. Mother would often read my favorite bedtime story. The story I believe destined me to Become a fisherman. The Poem is at the end of this story. Thanks Mom! My earliest memory of Granny Mae, Nell and Abe (Paw Paw) they would take my brother, sister and I fishing to local pay lakes. Kids under 12 fished for free, they’d catch their limit and limit out for us 3 kids. We were encouraged to lie or just keep quiet about our catch. The guy at the lake never questioned us. Abe was a renowned Bream fisherman he maintained worm beds and raised crickets and sold quality home grown fish bait. Granny Mae’s health demised and the family put her into College Park nursing home. I knew she was sick and I didn’t like seeing her there. Not long after she passed away, my first experience with death; it didn’t much sink in. Then there’s Aunt Leone, Graces wealthy sister that lived in Sacramento, California. Leone married money, becoming famous as a Champion Polo Player; she is inducted into California’s Sports Hall of Fame the same year as Olympic Swimmer, Mark Spitz. Throughout my childhood, she would schedule a two-week visit at least once a year. She always came bearing exotic gifts from her world travels. Leone was an interesting, arrogant Old Witch that somehow, some way she’d start some kind of altercation. Usually questioning the way in which we were being brought up, then she would cut her stay short and always leave the family in an up roar. 3 For some reason members of my extended family and I never got close. Uncle Don and Jims children were distant cousins also Great Aunt Sarah’s and Uncle Sam’s children. I’d see them at Family reunions and maybe Christmas. I do remember visiting Uncle Sam, I had a black eye, and he says he’ll give me .50 cents for every one I come home with. He passed away before I could collect for my second. Not long after Aunt Sarah marries Uncle Bernie. A nice man that’s kind of quiet and a little strange. When I spent the night we watched a lot of TV. Uncle Ted Smith mothers cousin from Kentucky, a life-long bachelor that worked for Lockheed Aeronautics at their Marietta, Georgia plant building airplanes. He was very close to his Aunt Grace and the family historian, a great story teller. Mama and Daddy Whaley were also out of East Point their son Red married Sarah Elizabeth. They have 2 sons Michael Bradley and Patrick Hoyt. Red an Alcoholic and Sarah divorced, not long after he passed away. I never met him however, I’m sure he and I would have had a lot in common. Brother Gary named Aunt Sarah Wo Wo, as a toddler when whoever was driving got close to her house he would shout WO! WO! And it stuck. Wo Wo and her two sons lived on La Rose St. in East Point. In a small 2-bedroom house on 5 acres deemed the Farm? Daddy Abe with the help of his hired hand a kind hard working black man named Le Roy Glass. They gardened and tended a large chicken coup we also had two cows and some rabbits for us kids. On Sundays at Wo Wo’s, Granny Grace and Alberta the Whaley’s nanny would slaughter chickens ringing their necks. The chickens would fly around with no heads thus the term flying around like chickens with their heads cut off was used quit often during my upbringing. Wo Wo was lead decorator and minority partner with Ed Mateer and Co. decorating service on Washington Rd. in East Point. Ed’s wife Charlotte and Mama Kathryn also decorated for the company. Great Aunt Sarah sewed window treatments in their drapery workroom and Daddy Abe installed them. My family belonged to the East Point Christian Church across the street from the decorating company. I attend Kindergarten and Vacation Bible School there. My most important early memory; not wanting to go to Hell! I learned that in order to avoid such a thing from happening was that I need to be saved. Well this is a no brainier and all I have to do is accept Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. I was so relieved that I was not going to Hell! Then on our first class trip, we load up in a Church Bus and tour Historic West End Firehouse #7 and The Wrens Nest home of Joel Chandler Harris author of The Tails of Uncle Remus. Being an adventurous young Lad, I venture from Graces alone to the farm; I’d have to cross 2 of East Points’ busiest streets. My goal was to see Alberta my cousins Nanny. She’d always have fresh cold chocolate milk, which I referred to as hockey milk. I walk in and say, hi Alberta can I have some hockey milk? She asked, where’s Miss Grace? I answer, I think at home. She calls Grace and asks her had she seen me lately? Grace replied, why? Alberta said, because he’s right here with me asking for some chocolate milk. Grace drives to Wo Wo’s with a switch in hand then she walks me home, switching me every step of the way. Then we walked back to Wo Wo’s where she explained the danger I had put myself in. We got in the car and returned home, needless to say I didn’t get any hockey milk and I never did that again. The Nevals lived across the street they have 2 children Dolly and my best friend Teddy. He and I would play all around our neighborhood then one day we discover a large pile of white 4 power. We figured that it must be leftover snow from wintertime. After playing in it for quite some time, our skin and eyes started to burn. We return home to Graces and ask our housekeeper Sarah Bennett. How come left over snow was so pain full? After bathing us, she wanted to see the left over snow. A couple of houses down, land scrapers had left a large pile of white lime. Lucky for us Teddy and I we were pretty tuff. Abe Sr. let me shine his shoes or sweep up the barbershop. I heard several different opinions about his personality. I just stayed on his good side and I would take that approach with most adults. I learned early that most things generally just workout fine for me. Corporal Punishment just wasn’t necessary, I only recall ever being punished that way one time my entire childhood. Grace would say that I was such a good child that I’d either become a Priest or a Serial Killer.