The year was 1975, in Pine Bluff, AR.

At the age of eight, Ricky was in the third grade. He was a very active young man. He was involved with the Cub Scouts, and baseball. He had many friends.

Ricky had a younger brother and sister, Bobby and Denise. They were very close. Bobby, who was a year younger, and Denise, which was four years younger.

They lived right in the middle of Dollarway, a part of Pine Bluff. They visited their grandparents often, because lived close by. Their grandmother would often baby-sit them, when their parents were either working, or they decided to go out for a little while (which was very rare).

He and his brother went hunting and fishing with their Dad often. Ricky enjoyed the time they spent together. He and his Dad had a special bond. Ricky enjoyed competing with his Dad.

Chapter One

My Mom was the best mom in the whole world. She was the homemaker. She made our home, look and feel, like a home. She was also the discipliner, and comforter. My Dad, as far as I can remember, never did discipline or comfort us.

My Mom also made sure that we attended church, regularly. She was a Sunday school teacher. My Dad wouldn’t go to church, although he claimed to believe in God.

My parents had their problems, though. My Dad had always been very verbally abusive to my Mom, and to us. He would often call us stupid or ignorant. I knew my Mom wasn’t stupid or ignorant, because she cooked, cleaned, repaired the house, paid the bills, bought the groceries, made us clothes, cut our hair, took us to ours games, went to school (when we had Parent/Teacher meetings), and many, many more things! I didn’t think that I was stupid or ignorant either. I made straight A’s in school, and I always wanted to learn new things. But, when he called me those things, it did make me think that I might really be stupid. Many times, it made me cry to hear him call me stupid, especially, when he called my Mom stupid!

My Dad, although we did a lot of things together, was very selfish. He always came first. He had a very good job, but he didn’t invest in our family. He barely gave my Mom enough money to get groceries. I remember many times that my Mom had nothing on her dinner plate, just so us kids could eat.