When Sammy Comes Home or Raising Snakes
I haven't decided on a title for this project.
This is about the oddball upbringings of a boy named Tawney Ezra Lee-Jones (TJ), all told from his perspective, all in past tense (as if he was telling the stories to someone).
To give you an idea of his life. Only child, raised by four adults. His biological father, Uncle Cameron, his adoptive mothers Momma (Libby-Mae, his aunt) and Ma-Lee (Anna Lee) oh and his godfather Sammy (or Sammy Galligher of 80's rock legend Snakes and Kerosene).
Oh and crazy things happen.

To this very day I still don't know how we all fit in that beat up van, and managed to squeeze enough camping gear for the four days either. The fact that the old tour van held up on the trip was a miracle it's self. Sammy had wormed the idea into Ma-Lee's mind and anything she caught in her head became immediately infectious to Momma. And even Uncle Cam didn't take much work to get him to fall for the idea of going to the beach. Sammy had a way with my Uncle that I haven't seen anyone else manage.

It must have been around my ninth birthday because I remember that Sammy hadn't yet moved in with us. Momma had sent a note to school excusing my absence for a family event, even though the entire family was just the four of us. I was still a scrawny kid, easily fitting between the big man that Sammy was and my Momma, who many described had a Southern Curve to her. Ma-Lee had called shot gun, forcing Uncle Cam to drive the old beaten down van. The back that used to double as storage for Ma-Lee's and Cam's old band equipment, had been emptied and now was filled with camping and beach gear for the five of us.

The entire trip was full of laughter and music as Sammy kept telling the same old stories over and over again. Stories from when he knew Ma and Cam back when their old band toured with his. Cameron would yell over the music for him to shut up and stop telling such lies, while Momma was near in tears with laughter. I don't remember much of those stories but I'm willing to assume that they're the same ones that Sammy would tell me time and time again as I got older.

I had never been to the beach before, and that's what motivated the whole trip in the first place. Sammy found out and became obsessed with the idea that no childhood is complete with out a family trip to the beach. He started his plans with me over the old CB radio Uncle Cam had hooked up in his shack out back. Talking about how the blue seemed to go on forever, and the sand was both intolerably hot and blissfully cool at the same time, how the sea gulls would watch you from everywhere just waiting for you to drop your guard so they could sweep in and steal your last french fry. Something about his excitement for everything just got you going, he could have the same excitement about algebra and you just wanted to do your math homework.

But there it was, pulling up over that last hill, I could see the never ending expanse of sparkling sea. I could see the glistening golden sands and the lazy gulls gently soaring in the wind. I wanted to get out and to shove my feet into the sand, feel the heat that Sammy had gone on about. I wanted to swim as far out into the ocean as I possibly could and then turn around and swim back. And I had plans for those gulls, I had spent nights up to the departure planning and rigging traps for the gulls. I was sure I had devised the perfect trap for those french fry stealing birds.

Momma and Ma-Lee had a different plan for me. I had to help Uncle Cam and Sammy set up camp first, you know, pitch the tents, dig a fire-pit and line it with stones. Oh and they wanted me to gather enough fire wood from the drift piles along the beach's edge just yards away from the tantalizing water. But I had a knight in shining armor, I always did, Sammy pulled me aside as I had just dragged a car long wood hunk back to the edge of camp.

“Quick, you remembered to put your suit on before we left right? Alright, I'll cover you as you make a mad dash to the water, jump in it, and proceed to wallow in the awesome that is the ocean. I'll watch you from here and drag more drift wood to camp. Don't start drowning or flailing or screaming or anything that would make me have to run in and have to save you.” I still remember his wink, it was always a jolly man's wink, like he always knew something extra and had another trick up his sleeve.

I ran, oh did I ever run, stripping as I made my way to the water's edge. Leaping in I tripped, stumbling over the shallow rivulets of sand eddies under the water's surface where I couldn't see them. Falling face first into the shallows I recall seeing little silver fish dart away in a panic, I could hear Sammy falling over in a fit of hysterics and I could tell that Cam was with him. The water was cold, refreshing and filled my swim-trunks with sand. Despite my first impression of the ocean I had fallen in love with it. Sammy and Cam finished gathering the wood for the fire while I swam, I didn't leave the water until it was dark and I could see the orange tongues licking the sky.

((Think of this as an opening chapter or something))

I had never met the man, sure I had received a number of cards and gifts from him through out the years. Mostly on Christmas or my birthday, so as a small child he was like a second Santa for me. My Uncle had shown me a picture of him when they were younger and their bands had toured together.

It's a picture I still have; Uncle Cam and my godfather, arms around each others shoulder for support in laughter. Sammy was much smaller than my uncle. But Cam was a big man, standing close to six foot eight and build like a wall, Sam was tall as well, but not as much and had a more slender frame, but both had long hair, a product of the time and music. Sammy had big, curly blond hair and lots of makeup on, I remember thinking he was a she for a long time. Cam didn't have as many tattoos as he did when I was growing up but some were still there along tribal designs spiraling up his right arm and you could barely see the stars and bars on his left, and there with many piercings, which he didn't have later.

That picture was the only thing I had to put a face to my godfather, the man who sent me my first bicycle and the red wagon. I must have been only five or six years old, but I still remember the first time he came to visit. Uncle Cam was spending time in the big house for a few nights, something that wasn't common as he had the smaller one-room building in the woods set up for himself. It started because of an accident that had happened in his shack. He used the building he slept in as his still as well and he said that an opossum or a rat came in for the heat of the furnace ans got too close. Cam had all the windows open and a few fans going trying to rid the place of the smell of burnt fur and flesh. Momma was always trying to get him to live in the old family home during the winter months anyways, so she was glad to have her brother living with us for whatever period of time until he slowly made his way back out.

The house was plenty big, a traditional southern style home in the low mountains. It was two stories not counting the attic space, which was mostly used for storage. The large wrap around porch had a couple of old rockers sitting on it, the front door opened into the sitting room and small library full of old books that no one even bothered to pick up. I wouldn't have been surprised if they had sat there for a few generations since they were last read. The living room and formal dining room sat on opposite sides of the house and shared the kitchen between them. The large kitchen opened up into the backyard, and you could see the deviating trails down to the lake and up to Uncle Cam's place. Upstairs were the bedrooms, and there always seemed to be an extra one for guests.

Uncle Cameron had set up his old CB ham radio in the old library and spent most of his time tinkering with it and speaking to distant travelers. All of his other time was spent going back to his place at the mouth of the woods out back. He was always working on a new batch of his family's recipe moonshine. And he was always drinking it too. Very rarely was he not drinking those days, and I didn't know the reason why until much later.

One day, and I remember it clearly, I was playing with my tonka trucks on the old rug. Uncle Cameron put down his radio transceiver after a long talk with some road-weary soul. He was all smiles during the conversation, but as soon as he turned off the radio he was yelling and cheering. Momma and Ma Lee came running in from the kitchen where they were fixing to cook diner. Ma Lee did nearly step on one of my trucks, the red one, it was my favorite. Momma was just half a head shorter than her brother but was a shapely mousy woman, made of all love and forgivings. Ma Lee was as wiry as she was tall, nearly the same height as Momma, if she had stepped on my truck then I would have gotten it, as sweet as she was she knew how to reprimand if I got out of line.

“Gals! He done just said that he's fixin' ta visit us'ns. H'ain't seen him since tha two bands were a' tourin' together. Lee you done remember those times, right? Well he said he's done got himself a route that travels through our area here, an' afters he drops his load off he's gonna take some time ta visit.” Cameron was happy, really truly happy. It was the first time that I had seen him that happy in a long time, at least since earlier that summer when I caught my first crappy.

“Cam, hold yer britches, an' don't you keeps yer hopes none too high. All he done since he was named TJ's godfather is sending him gifts and the likes. Never did visit us not once, not even for TJ's baptism, an' you know that.” Momma didn't share her brother's excitement about the visit, she was much more practical and level headed. Ma Lee however.

“That is awesome! Cam, when did he say he was gonna stop on by?” She was bouncing from one foot to the other, I had to drive my red and my yellow trucks closer to the bookshelf so they wouldn't get stepped on. I still didn't know who was coming for a visit but if both my Uncle Cam and Ma Lee were this excited, it must be someone important. Very possibly Santa or Jesus.

“Who's dun gonna come here for a' visit, Momma?” Cam and Lee were already lost to their own world of happy expressions and excited stories.

“You don't worry yer purty little head 'bout non'a this. He prolly ain't gonna come no how anyways. Come with me now Tawny, help me with supper.” Momma quietly ushered me into the kitchen where she fed me candied nuts until dinner was ready.

In the days following I had nearly forgot the whole thing. It wasn't until I saw my uncle fussing about in a spare bedroom, that I remembered something was going to happen. Seeing his tall, hollowed frame shaking blankets out for the guest. The thin blond man from the picture, my godfather was coming to visit. I still didn't know who he was but he was starting to seem more like a distant relative with all the anticipation and preparation. Thinking about that picture I was able to see that my Uncle must have been much younger then, he no longer had much of the muscle mass and his hair had long started to thin. More tattoos had been added since then, an inked confetti of candy pieces above the stars and bars he proudly bore. A large piece of two birds took up a sizable space on his back, it wasn't something I had seen often, but I knew it was there.

I wanted to help out, but Cam told me I was just underfoot and in the way. Ma Lee caught me hiding under the bed and brought me downstairs to busy me with making cookies. There was more food being made than usual. Fresh breads sat out on the counter and Momma was busy de-stemming the collard greens ready to make a mess of them in the morning.

I woke up that following morning really early for some reason. I was really excited as if it was Christmas morning, a month early. I made my way down the stairs trying hard not to step on the creaky old steps. Looking out the front windows it was still some what dark, the sun was just starting to peek up over the tree line, bathing the driveway and front yard in the early morning glow.

The front door squealed open as I stepped out into the cold morning, I was greeted by my Uncle's hunched over figure. The once bold tribal tattoos on his arm were beginning to fade and the lighting made his scars stand out. I sat next to him looking up into his tired face.
“H'ain't ya cold Uncle Cam? I done got me some dragon's breath an' y'all just got yer tank an' vest on. Momma wouldn't let me outa tha house without one.” I had on a sweatshirt over my footy pajamas.

“Nah, T.J. I ain't cold, it's mah coffee that done keeps me warm.” He picked up his mug as if to show me it's magical warming properties. I reached out for it.
“Can I have a sip a keeps me warm too?”
“Baby-boy you know yer uncle poisons his own drink. 'Mere and help yer Ma Lee make you some cocoa.” Even as I followed her inside I could hear the air pressure release valves and the steady chugging coming up the drive way. Someone was coming with a big truck! I loved trucks! I pulled away from my Ma Lee and pulled myself up to hang on the deck railing as the cab of a tractor trailer came into view.

It was a silver cab with pink and blue candy pieces painted on the back half. I thought it was the prettiest truck ever, and was imagining that same thin womanly person from the picture to step out after it parked. I was not expecting the soft, round, man than hopped out. His hair was still the wavy blonde but only came to below his jaw line, and he didn't express the same age as my uncle did. Everything about him said jolly; bouncy step, rosy cheeks, wide smile. As he came closer my uncle stood up, unfurling like a scarecrow and made his way to his old friend. His own smile was visible from where I was hanging. They embraced and I could barely make out what they were talking about, probably just exchanges of hello's. It wasn't until Sammy shoved my Uncle Cam and stormed up to the porch that I could hear anything they were saying.

“-- smell it on you, I know you didn't quit! My first visit back to see you and your family and you're already drunk! I should have expected it!” Stomping up the steps I don't think he saw me right away as he grabbed the coffee mug and tossed it at Cameron, sending the remaining coffee flying. Cameron shrunk back into himself, before Sammy softened up and waved him up onto the porch. “Aw. Come here Cam. Introduce me to this handsome short stack you've got hanging on side of the house like a monkey-man.”

“Ahm TJ! You've got yer self a real purdy truck mistah. I sure do like it.” I was swinging on the porch rails.

“You do, do you? Well I suppose I could let you crawl around in it later. I still need to see Libby-Mae and Lee after all this time. But come here little man! Give your godfather Sammy a hug!” He knelt down to my height and held open his arms, bracing himself for my small figure. I couldn't help but run into his hug. Uncle Cam stood at the bottom of porch steps grinning as his best friend picked me up in a spinning hug. I could tell then, even at that young age that this man was going to be a strong force in my upbringing and a key member of our strange family.