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When I Was A Kid
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Gay Male / 72
Orphaned And On My Own.
One day when I was twelve we had a home invasion. Several armed men broke into our home. There was loud bangs and crashing sounds. I hid in the closet behind a secret door my Dad told me was for that purpose. I heard gun shots and then the noise slowly stopped. I hid there until I heard the police sirens. I ran into my parents bedroom and pulled up some floor boards and filled my back pack with the money my dad said was hid there and took the gun and box of bullets and fled down the emergency escape hatch Dad had built and sneaked out the secret tunnel and out the exit that was in the woods behind our house. I ran for probably a mile or two and camped out in the woods with the little bit of food I brought with me. I stayed in the woods hiding under trees and leaves all day while I heard people in the woods calling my name. Dad had been in the military and taught me how to hind myself. Then later that next night I walked in the woods parallel to the road for a few miles until I got to the next town. I found a gas station and bought some snacks and continued on down the road when I had to but parallel in the woods when I could. After a few days I had made it across state lines and into another town where I found the public library and looked for newspapers for the previous few days to see if I could find any stories about what happened. I found two stories, a main article and a follow up. The paper said that armed burglars broke into a suspected mafia boss's home and killed him, his wife and oldest daughter and had likely kidnapped their 12 year old son who was missing and who the police had searched the woods in the area for. I knew my Dad was into some shady stuff and was glad he had taught me about survival and had the money and gun hidden. But I had never heard he was connected to the mafia. He never talked about work though the way he was secretive I figured his job wasn't strictly speaking legal. I had seen movies about mobsters just enough to get the sense that I would be in danger if I ever went back home. The police thought they had me and they were probably looking for me.
So I continued to sleep in the woods under leaves and branches during the day and traveled stealthily at night with the intend of getting as far from the northeast as I could. I figured Florida was good since it would camping in the northeast in winter was a bad idea and I had no idea how long I would end up doing that for. I hadn't counted the money in my back pack but there were a few dozen bundles of $10,000 so I figured it was enough to live on for years, at least until I was 18. I made it to Florida by following RT 1 most of the way and consulting maps I bought at gas stations glad that the only thing I learned in my one month as a boy scout was orienteering. It took me over two months to journey there.
In Florida I found I had to do things to survive that I did not really wanted to do. There were a lot of hobos in those days, today they would be called homeless people. I had to watch out for them though the younger ones were the worst. I found that out the hard way though I was always able to keep the money a secret. I got to one coastal city where I found a little restaurant in a beach community that had good food that was not expensive so I sat in a booth and ordered dinner shortly before closing time. I heard an argument in the back and this old bald guy wearing a filthy apron was swearing and ripped off his apron and tossed it to the floor and left slamming the door behind him. Then the guy who owned the place said "Hey kid, you want a job?" After a few minutes of negotiating I had a job as a dishwasher paid minimum wage under the table AND a free place to stay. The back room was both a stock room and a crash pad. There was a cot, a dresser, an old black and white TV and next to that a bathroom with a shower. The owner let me stay back there and wash dishes for minimum wage, three hots and a cot. I was relieved and elated.
I worked from noon to ten at night for the six nights they were open. Sunday was my day off. Since it was under the table I didn't get time and a half but but sixty hours a week resulted in $75 a week cash. Honestly I didn't need the money. I had enough to live off of forever. I needed a place to hide and sleep and eat. I was the owner's secret worker and with a good work ethic and he provided me shelter, meals and no questions.
I worked there and lived there for six years. Then I got my G.E.D. It turned out my dad's cash stash was $240,000 which was a huge amount of money in 1965 and still a huge amount in 1971 when I got my G.E.D. By then I was also managing the restaurant with the owner in semi retirement. I got my own apartment, late model car, nothing fancy, lived near the beach, and had saved up an additional $20,000 in almost six years since I had zero expenses.
So I continued to sleep in the woods under leaves and branches during the day and traveled stealthily at night with the intend of getting as far from the northeast as I could. I figured Florida was good since it would camping in the northeast in winter was a bad idea and I had no idea how long I would end up doing that for. I hadn't counted the money in my back pack but there were a few dozen bundles of $10,000 so I figured it was enough to live on for years, at least until I was 18. I made it to Florida by following RT 1 most of the way and consulting maps I bought at gas stations glad that the only thing I learned in my one month as a boy scout was orienteering. It took me over two months to journey there.
In Florida I found I had to do things to survive that I did not really wanted to do. There were a lot of hobos in those days, today they would be called homeless people. I had to watch out for them though the younger ones were the worst. I found that out the hard way though I was always able to keep the money a secret. I got to one coastal city where I found a little restaurant in a beach community that had good food that was not expensive so I sat in a booth and ordered dinner shortly before closing time. I heard an argument in the back and this old bald guy wearing a filthy apron was swearing and ripped off his apron and tossed it to the floor and left slamming the door behind him. Then the guy who owned the place said "Hey kid, you want a job?" After a few minutes of negotiating I had a job as a dishwasher paid minimum wage under the table AND a free place to stay. The back room was both a stock room and a crash pad. There was a cot, a dresser, an old black and white TV and next to that a bathroom with a shower. The owner let me stay back there and wash dishes for minimum wage, three hots and a cot. I was relieved and elated.
I worked from noon to ten at night for the six nights they were open. Sunday was my day off. Since it was under the table I didn't get time and a half but but sixty hours a week resulted in $75 a week cash. Honestly I didn't need the money. I had enough to live off of forever. I needed a place to hide and sleep and eat. I was the owner's secret worker and with a good work ethic and he provided me shelter, meals and no questions.
I worked there and lived there for six years. Then I got my G.E.D. It turned out my dad's cash stash was $240,000 which was a huge amount of money in 1965 and still a huge amount in 1971 when I got my G.E.D. By then I was also managing the restaurant with the owner in semi retirement. I got my own apartment, late model car, nothing fancy, lived near the beach, and had saved up an additional $20,000 in almost six years since I had zero expenses.
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