# WHEN I"M RICH...part 3



## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

The visit to Smokey that day had been so hard on me that my dad said no more visits. The subject of Smokey was ignored completely. 
I moped around, wasn't much interested in school and everything I had enjoyed before seemed hollow. The weeks stretched into months... new loves came into my life...2 orphaned ducklings, a bunny and a fledgling starling and I was occupied and happy again. I never thought I'd see Smokey again and then a miracle happened.
Out of the blue, the woman called my grandmother and told her to COME and GET the-----monkey because she had enough! She left to pick him up as soon as she hung up the phone. An infant had been taken from us...a toddler returned, with all the toddler ways. My grandmother arrived at our house with Smokey on her shoulder, his arms and tail wrapped around her neck. She said he cried all the way home. I couldn't believe my eyes...he was so big.
Smokey remembered me too and jumped on my shoulder when he saw me. hung on tight and cried and cried. I cried too.
Life with Smokey was a challenge. He hadn't worn a diaper since the day he had been taken from us and getting him to wear one again didn't work. If we could get it on him, he would just remove it and fling the contents. He was unable to go to work with my grandmother because he just got into everything and so a cage was designed just for him. It was 2 feet wide, 5 feet long and 5 feet tall. There were platforms, a swing and ropes to hang from. The cage was on rollers to it could easily be moved from room to room or out side. When my grandmother was home, Smokey resided on her shoulder, tail wrapped around her neck and hanging on for dear life.
A pregnant stray cat showed up at her house one day and had kittens in a box under the kitchen table. Smokey was fascinated with the kittens and we had to watch him carefully because give the chance, he would nab one and retreat to his cage with it. That upset the mother cat terribly. He never hurt the kittens though. He would groom them and lick their faces. 
Smokey loved to eat bugs and so grandmother decided to farm meal worms for him. She had a trunk sized wooden box on her back porch, filled with wood shaving and the meals worms. It was really creepy. Some always escaped and we'd find them all over the house. . Smokey would devour them by the handfuls. I tried to duplicate the meal worm farm on a smaller scale, years later for my Starling and Sparrow, but I could never get it right. They would always get moldy.
Sometimes, Smokey would escape in the neighborhood with my grandmother in fast pursuit, shouting words that were never in-tented to be spoken by a Christian lady. It was shocking and very funny. I had never heard some of those words before. She always caught him. The neighbors thought she was a bit touched. 
I can still see her driving down the street in her green two tone 1949 Chrysler sedan, her long braided hair wrapped around her head and Smokey on her shoulder, tail around her neck. Then, it was embarrassing when she picked me up from high school. 
When I was a junior in high school my grandmother's brother died leaving his wife that needed to be tended to. She had Alzheimer's although it wasn't recognized as such then. It was a struggle to take care of Aunt Jessie and Smokey. Both were very needy.
I don't remember how, but she found wonderful couple that already had a female Capuchin and a Woolly monkey. We went to meet them. They had an old 2 story four square house in the country. In an upstairs back bedroom, the exterior had been removed and was open to the backyard with a beautiful old tree. It was all netted in so the monkeys had access to the tree from the room. The tree was filled with swings, ropes enough to delight any primate. It was so cool. Smokey was terrified of the room, the tree and the other monkey and so every Sunday for weeks, we took him for a visit. 
One Sunday when it was time to leave, Smokey wanted to stay and so we left him there. He was sitting in the tree with his mate and they were grooming each other. Smokey had moved on and it was ok.
Through the years we went to see Smokey often in the beginning and less as the years went by. He was always happy to see us and would cry a bit but mostly he wanted to be with his mate. Smokey lived to be 20 years old and had a very happy life.
MY grandmother passed in her sleep, while in bed in the room she had been born in nearly 92 years before. She was never a rich woman but she did have a monkey and we did find $40,000. under a floor board in her dinning room.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Charis, thank you Sooooo much for finising that story. Smokey sounded like a real character and a very loved little guy. I'm glad that in the end everything worked out for him. Your grandmother was obviously a very special lady too. That's great that she had 92 wonderful years.


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## TheSnipes (Apr 9, 2007)

Charis said:


> MY grandmother passed in her sleep, while in bed in the room she had been born in nearly 92 years before. She was never a rich woman but she did have a monkey and we did find $40,000. under a floor board in her dinning room.


Now THAT is #$%%^@! hysterical!   

Your grandmother was a saint and for that she was granted a saint's demise. And she had the last laugh knowing that fortune was stashed in her floor and only SHE knew about it


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## Snowbird Sue (Dec 31, 2007)

What a beautiful story. thank you for sharing such a touching story with everyone.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Charis, a beautiful, beautiful story. Thank you so much for sharing your grandmother and Smokey with us.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Lady Tarheel said:


> Charis, a beautiful, beautiful story. Thank you so much for sharing your grandmother and Smokey with us.


It was good to get it out. It could have been much longer.


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## Feather (Dec 8, 2005)

Charis,

What a lovely story. I e-mailed the first part to my sister, because my mom use to play the "when we get rich" game with us. She has been gone three years today. I want you to know that every hair on my head was pulled out last night...and I just stopped hyperventilating. Thank you for such a endearing part of your past, and reminding me of that wonderful game, so that I may pass it on to the children in my life. I had forgotten.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Feather said:


> Charis,
> 
> What a lovely story. I e-mailed the first part to my sister, because my mom use to play the "when we get rich" game with us. She has been gone three years today. I want you to know that every hair on my head was pulled out last night...and I just stopped hyperventilating. Thank you for such a endearing part of your past, and reminding me of that wonderful game, so that I may pass it on to the children in my life. I had forgotten.


Feather...that is very touching. [I hope your hair grows back!]


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

A lovely and touching story, Charis. Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us here.

Terry


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Charis, thank you for sharing this excellent tale! You are a talented story teller - reading the installments was a pleasure!


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## Margarret (May 3, 2007)

Charis,

I am so glad there was a happy ending for Smokey and for your Grandmother as well. What a special person she was.

Margaret


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## chriss80 (May 6, 2007)

I really enjoyed reading the story of Smokey. Your grandmother was one great person. You have a great way of writing things.


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