CHAPTER TWO

Florida Years

1947–1951

Mary decided she needed a change and warmer weather, so she sold their family home in Ellwood City. Mother and son packed up and moved to a trailer park in Coral Gables, Florida. Once settled in, Mary found work at a candy factory nearby. She continued to give James a long list of chores; however, with Mary working, Jimmy found he had more opportunities to escape. Mary's harsh punishments continued, but Jimmy continued to lose himself in this new place. The warm climate, bright colors, blue skies, and lush green landscape really agreed with him.

He loved going to the movies, but one of Jimmy's favorite activities was riding his bicycle to the Everglades. This became his spiritual sanctuary and where he began to commune with the peace and beauty of nature.

Church was very important to Mary. Dressing up for Sunday services was part vanity and part respect. Mary would have Jimmy tighten her corset around her ample figure before she would put on her slip and a floral dress. Mary tucked her cash into her generous bosom, then pinned on an enormous orchid corsage to complement her Sunday frock.

It was at one of the church socials where Mary met her next husband, Emil Thurston. Photos revealed his look was a stout redneck bully. Clearly, that bully put a twinkle in Mary's eye. Emil had no desire to be a father to Jimmy, and he made sure Jimmy knew it.

Mary and Emil maintained a large garden plot in Florida, raising flowers and vegetables to supplement the family table. Jimmy helped weed and tend the garden under his stepfather's watchful eye. Emil burned end-of-season piles of garden waste, and Jimmy helped spread the ashes throughout the vegetable beds.

Mary was convinced that only certain flowers and vegetables would grow in the garden. So rigid were her beliefs, that when Jimmy bought some seeds to try his hand at growing something of his own, Mary threw them out. Then she smashed his beloved orchid, which he had been carefully nurturing. Jim never forgave her for that soul-crushing moment.

At night, the house lights were turned off by Emil, and any unfinished homework had to be completed by candlelight.

Tired of being bullied and mistreated by Emil, Jimmy finally fought back during one of their many confrontations and pinned his stepfather to the ground. Seeing this, his mother took the opportunity to taunt Emil by suggesting he was not strong enough to fight back against a skinny kid. It was then that Jimmy knew he had to leave home and make a better life for himself.

He packed his bags and with a few dollars in his pocket that his mom gave him, he left for Miami five miles away on his bike. He was not yet fourteen.

Jimmy lied about his age to become a baggage porter at the Battle Creek Sanitarium Miami. His school, Miami Jackson High, had a work-permit program, allowing him to leave for work after lunch. It was there that he learned about holistic healing from the Seventh-day Adventists. Guests underwent strict vegetarian diets, fresh-air therapies, rigorous exercise, sunbathing, and hydrotherapy.

Later on, Jimmy often reminisced about the “snowbirds” there. The coiffed pink and blue-haired retirees who strolled along the beaches of Miami in their bathing suits, while sporting large diamond earrings. Their lavish fur coats draped from their shoulders glistened in the sun. Some even wore the eccentric trend of clear platform shoes with goldfish swimming inside them to compliment their beachside ensemble. It was all such a different world of color, money, and glitz from his Ellwood City days.

With his salary and tips, he could afford rent for a small apartment above a garage owned by a woman named Mabel Smith, a dancer who befriended him. As a side job, Jimmy created a solo Javanese-Indian dance routine that he performed at the McFadden Hotel, where Mabel also had a dance act. Jimmy picked up many of these exotic dancing styles from the Hindu movies such as Kalapana and The Court Dancer that played at the local art house theaters.

Although Jimmy had enough money for rent, food money was often scarce. Tips were not always reliable enough for food. On one occasion, he became so hungry, he sneaked into a backyard with a grapefruit tree and gorged on the fruits. The binge triggered a severe allergic reaction, and his face and lips swelled dramatically. It was clear that he quickly needed medical attention. Jimmy called his mother in need of a ride to the doctor and some money. His mother had other plans for the day and would not help him. Mabel, Jimmy’s landlord took him to the doctor.

High school remained part of Jimmy's daily routine. He enjoyed English and math classes, and for gym class he chose ballet. When members of the football team mocked his choice, the football coach required the team to take ballet as well, explaining it would improve their coordination and balance.

For an English assignment, Jimmy was asked to write a biography. With his beautiful handwriting, he chronicled his young life, ending with a hope, one day he would have a small house where he could raise roses and orchids and perhaps keep angelfish.

Words have power.