Dear Journal,

My mother, Emma Niels used to frequent bingo parlors, when my father Owen was away on business trips. The little bite of money he left her for the household budget was insufficient to run our household. I was on my way to visit one of her favorites. Bingo. Bingo. I left there with about $300.00. Playing their numerous bingo games cost me all of the money my mother was able to leave me.

I checked into one of those Motels offering prolonged or extended stays. It had a laundry mate with a washer and a dryer. It had a two bedrooms, and a kitchen unit complete with a small fridge, micro wave and conventional oven. It cost me extra to stay at the Shady Rest Motel, but it was worth it. Only local calls were allowed. They had a pay phone for long distance calls.

When I was at home I would enter some of those telephone contests sponsored by radio stations. Most often I was unsuccessful, but I did manage to win a couple of those when I was younger. I was entering one of them now. I had to identify the group who sang one of their most popular songs. I gave them the correct answer. It was Dead man's curve by Jan and Dean. They awarded me twice the usual prize money when I told them, they were my favorite radio station. The regular prize was $1,000, but they gave me $2,000 dollars!

I decided to stock up my cupboards and fridge. I drove mom's car to a discount store. I purchased micro wave and conventional oven pots and pans etc. Since I never learned how to cook, I brought Canadian Bacon and pineapple pizza, Banquet crispy chicken, and tv dinners. I invested in a copy of TV Guide Magazine.

Thanks to my deceased mother Emma's lottery and Bingo money, I had outfits suitable to look for employment. Mother only purchased the scratch tickets which do not award they same amount of money as the more expensive Lotto tickets. The various stores gave her the money for the winning tickets. She did not have to wait to have Olympia to mail her the award money. She never wasted time on American Family Publishers or Publishers Clearing House.

I visited the customer service desks at the local Safeway store and purchased several scratch lottery tickets. Since I won $300.00 on Bingo and $2,000.00 from our local radio station, maybe I was on a lucky winning streak? Was I turning into a compulsive gambler like dear old daddy?

I needed a job. But I had problems, I had only a high school education. I knew because I was only an average C student, I was not college material. My counselors advised me to get a job after graduation. But my mother, Emma had died. And I was still grieving from the loss of my beloved mother!

Love as always,

Roxanne Lea Dubarry

Roxy Lea 1954

Roxy 54/October Country

September 20, 2018