Once upon a time
Once upon a time, a young woman, ready to put her stamp on the world, graduated from college and the next day moved to a small Northwest Georgia town. She only knew one person in that little town, her new roommate who had also just graduated from college.
A principal from the town’s elementary school found them a cute little blue and white mobile home just outside of town. Apartments were scarce in that little town 54 years ago. The young woman said good-bye to her parents and stepped in the door of a new home. It had shag carpeting and two bedrooms.
That little trailer was still there as the now older woman noticed when she drove past not too long ago. It’s hidden by trees and buildings, but it’s still standing. It’s likely no one lives there now. Beginning her career in education, the young woman walked into her first ever classroom and prepared it for her class of 8th graders at Calhoun Jr. High School. She was not nervous at all about her new job. She was raring to go, ready to take on the world and educate as many young minds as she could.
She was a single person, not really looking for someone. This was not topmost on her mind, but she did find herself having dates with a few of the local gentlemen, even having a short engagement with one nice young man. But she wasn’t going to settle. Then she met a man — handsome, funny, and intelligent. He had come back from serving in Vietnam and had a sort of worldliness about him, although he had lived in the area for several years.
She accepted a date with him on February 20, 1970, and it turned out to be the
last first date she’d have in 53+ years. The couple married three months after their first
date on June 6, 1970 and lived in Jim Lay’s old home that he had turned into four
apartments. The young couple was happy and as time went on fell in love even more.
They bought a little tenant house on his mother’s farm and had it remodeled, adding a bathroom and a front porch. It was a cute little house within walking distance of the Coosawattee River. In fact, the river became a favorite place as the couple made friends and planned trips down the river on rafts and big tractor innertubes. Food and drink were put on one of the rafts. The couple and their friends would stop along the way to eat, drink, and be merry.
The couple’s first child, a girl, came along in 1974. She was the light of their lives and the trips down the river were replaced with diaper changing, singing lullabies to her in an old rocker, watching her grow, learn to walk, and learn words. In 1977, a brother joined the family; then in 1979 another brother joined the family and four years later in 1983 another brother joined. The family was complete.
Obviously, the family was outgrowing the little tenant house. After the mom became pregnant with their fourth child, the daddy decided to add on to the house. And he did. He built the addition all by himself — a two-story addon twice as big as the little tenant house. It had two bedrooms upstairs and a bathroom. The downstairs became a
great room, and eventually an open concept. When the mom’s mother moved in after
her husband of 67 years passed away, an apartment was added with a bathroom.
What started out as a four-room tenant house became a four bedroom, three bath home, with a large front porch. It was filled with love. The four kids are now grown with children of their own, making the once young couple grandparents. The once young couple, Bill and Coleen Brooks, have lived in this same home with all the changes for almost 54 years. I think of it as the Brooks Home Place because it is.
It is the place where the family gathers for holidays, pool time, and fun. We usually go to a place on the farm called Evelyn’s Eden located on the Coosawattee River, left to the family by Evelyn Brooks Causby. It is a paradise on Earth within walking distance from the home place.
Who would have thought that a chance meeting of two people would start a new family history of 16! Yes, once upon a time a young woman moved to Northwest Georgia and her life became a living fairy tale. I so hope it continues for a long time.
Coleen Brooks is a longtime resident of Gordon County who previously wrote for the Calhoun Times as a columnist. She retired as the director and lead instructor for the Georgia Northwestern Technical College Adult Education Department in 2013. She can be reached at coleenbrooks1947@gmail.com.