We moved into Merville Avenue in May, 1959 and lived there until just before Thanksgiving, 1973. Amy was enrolled in Pamlico Middle School located at park Heights Avenue and Northern Parkway. Late one Friday afternoon Larry was driving home up Northern Parkway when he saw five black girls chasing two white girls. He saw long black hair streaming behind one of the white girls. It was his sister, Amy. He stopped the car and scattered the chasers. That evening when Momma came home and learned of the incident, she proclaimed, “We’re moving!” Sunday, a realtor that we knew, Richard Goodman, came to Merville Avenue and we put the house up for sale. I told Momma, “Look for a house and when you find one you like, I’ll go look at it. If I like it, we’ll buy it.” She found 3 Byers Court in Randallstown. When I walked in, I knew that this was it! It was located at the head of a court on ¾ of an acre. It had a full basement, a living room, dining room, kitchen, family room and den on the first floor and four bedrooms on the second floor. It also had two and a half baths. Sliding doors opened from the family room onto a deck. With what we received for Merville Avenue we were able to pay for the house without financing. Most of the children were on their own and did not live there. In warm weather, all gathered for Sunday brunch and to play volley ball in the back yard. I built a room in the basement where Larry and David returned to live periodically.
I had my first heart attack in April, 1982. Momma’s Aunt and Uncle, Sarah and Lou Music owned a condo in Tamarac, Florida. They offered to allow us to use it. We went to Florida in the late summer of 1982. One morning, we drove to the shopping center at Commercial and University Boulevards. We walked around looking in the windows of the stores. We stopped at a real estate office and looked at pictures of properties that were for sale. A salesman came out and asked, “Would you like to look at some properties? I’ll be glad to show you some.” We had nothing to do so we got in his car. He showed us several condos which did nothing for us. We had no intention of buying anything. He drove down a road and pulled into a development to turn around. “We like these,” I said. The homes were villas: five one story row houses. He said, “There are none for sale now, but I sold one several months ago and I am certain that you could look at it.” The villa had a kitchen, living room, dining room, two bedrooms, two full baths and a garage. I gave him my card and said, “Call me when one is for sale.” I never thought I would hear from him again. Several months later he called to say that he had one for sale. I asked my brother, Marvin to look at it and if the price was good, to buy it. We bought it sight unseen. We went to dinner with cousins and told them about the purchase. I needed financing so I asked if they could recommend a bank. How much do you need?” he asked. “About $35,000.00,” I replied. “I’ll loan it to you,” he said. “No interest. Pay me when you can.” I was flabbergasted! Several weeks later we needed the money and after dinner, we went to their home. From the closet, he brought several shoe boxes full of ten and twenty dollar bills. Momma and my cousin sat at the kitchen table and counted out $35,000.00! We put it in a shopping bag and that’s how carried it to the settlement! The property came with a tenant and they wanted to live there. I wrote to them and told them that as long as they did not cause me any expense, the rent would not be increased. Mott and Lucille Stanchfield stayed until 1994. We never saw them or talked to them. Mott would write and say that the living/dining room needed painting and if I would pay for the paint, he would do the painting. I told him to buy the paint and take the price off of the rent check and put the receipt in with it. That is how we did it for twelve years. In 1994, Mott called and told us that Lucille had been transferred to Melbourne, Florida and they had to move. When we walked into the house, my heart fell. The carpet was threadbare, wisps of drapes hung from the windows and the appliances were a disaster. We cleaned everything out, from the concrete floors to the popcorn ceiling. We bought all new appliances and decided not to rent it. We furnished it and used it periodically until 1997 when we sold the condo in the Elmont and moved permanently to Florida.
I had my first heart attack in April, 1982. Momma’s Aunt and Uncle, Sarah and Lou Music owned a condo in Tamarac, Florida. They offered to allow us to use it. We went to Florida in the late summer of 1982. One morning, we drove to the shopping center at Commercial and University Boulevards. We walked around looking in the windows of the stores. We stopped at a real estate office and looked at pictures of properties that were for sale. A salesman came out and asked, “Would you like to look at some properties? I’ll be glad to show you some.” We had nothing to do so we got in his car. He showed us several condos which did nothing for us. We had no intention of buying anything. He drove down a road and pulled into a development to turn around. “We like these,” I said. The homes were villas: five one story row houses. He said, “There are none for sale now, but I sold one several months ago and I am certain that you could look at it.” The villa had a kitchen, living room, dining room, two bedrooms, two full baths and a garage. I gave him my card and said, “Call me when one is for sale.” I never thought I would hear from him again. Several months later he called to say that he had one for sale. I asked my brother, Marvin to look at it and if the price was good, to buy it. We bought it sight unseen. We went to dinner with cousins and told them about the purchase. I needed financing so I asked if they could recommend a bank. How much do you need?” he asked. “About $35,000.00,” I replied. “I’ll loan it to you,” he said. “No interest. Pay me when you can.” I was flabbergasted! Several weeks later we needed the money and after dinner, we went to their home. From the closet, he brought several shoe boxes full of ten and twenty dollar bills. Momma and my cousin sat at the kitchen table and counted out $35,000.00! We put it in a shopping bag and that’s how carried it to the settlement! The property came with a tenant and they wanted to live there. I wrote to them and told them that as long as they did not cause me any expense, the rent would not be increased. Mott and Lucille Stanchfield stayed until 1994. We never saw them or talked to them. Mott would write and say that the living/dining room needed painting and if I would pay for the paint, he would do the painting. I told him to buy the paint and take the price off of the rent check and put the receipt in with it. That is how we did it for twelve years. In 1994, Mott called and told us that Lucille had been transferred to Melbourne, Florida and they had to move. When we walked into the house, my heart fell. The carpet was threadbare, wisps of drapes hung from the windows and the appliances were a disaster. We cleaned everything out, from the concrete floors to the popcorn ceiling. We bought all new appliances and decided not to rent it. We furnished it and used it periodically until 1997 when we sold the condo in the Elmont and moved permanently to Florida.
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