HALF A LOAF Chapter 1 Prolog

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Courtesy free clip art

It certainly wasn't my choice but that was the way it played out.

As a youth I heard, "Half a loaf is better than none."  This was meant to placate those of us who had to do with less than the norm of the local society.  They felt it went with the half a mind we are credited with.

My folks named me Lionel but called me Lonny at first but as I got older it became Lon.

Further I have been questioning why some got the whole loaf and I had to do the compromising.  

Perhaps I should start back to the beginning.  Early on my family had some money and bought a house on the edge of an exclusive area of town called "Piedmont" where the uppity folks lived.  

My mom and dad went about their business just ignoring our circumstances of being considered the trashy element of our city.

There were others who were viewed similarly but they seemed to get the message "We don't want you here," and they would move.

We were old time residents seeing as it was grandpa who first bought the house we lived in; but since we were not the economically well off we were more or less ostracized.

Once when there was a city wide plea for funds for the poor in another city. My parents took what extra money they had which was more than they could afford and gave it to those collecting the money.

When they saw how much it was they said; "Oh well every little bit will help."  

This was the way it was, and my parents accepted it although I thought it must bother them to be treated thusly.

For me things were not too bad for I just stayed home, that is until it was time to go to school.  Then it was my turn to "suffer the slings and arrows" of these uppity snobs.

If my home had been a hundred feet to the left from where it was I would have been in another school district, and would have been with kids in the same straits as we were.  However such was not to be for the next twelve plus years.

I was put in my place soon after I started the first grade for none of the other kids would have anything to do with me.  I suppose this was my first experience with the half a loaf.

The teachers were of the same ilk and manifested the same attitude toward me.  I was as smart as the other kids and often deserved better grades but as I learned later my grades were based on our social standard as well as my scholastic work.

I was never allowed to have better grades than the other kids who were "my betters" in my class.

When it was obvious that this was occurring my folks objected, but it only made things worse for me.

When it came to sports I was as good as or better than most of the kids but the coaches felt I would be better suited as a bench warmer and was seldom allowed to play in a game.

Cast System in India
courtesy free clip art

While to some this might seem to be unfair, this allowed them to create and maintain a two tier society, not unlike the caste system in India.

If everybody were treated the same what would be the basis for the difference.  

That being said; I did perform a service for the neighborhood by being considered inferior.  

To be Continued