The Day Daddy Got In Trouble
by Seaux-N-Seau Soileau
Title
The Day Daddy Got In Trouble
Artist
Seaux-N-Seau Soileau
Medium
Painting - Acrylic
Description
Daddy went to school in the 1930s. He walked to a little one room school house in Acadiana. Acadiana is a large area consisting of several small towns, villages, and communities in South central Louisiana . The road to school was lined with live oaks and pecan trees. The trees were covered in Spanish Moss. The area was filled with lots of wild animals. Daddy had a way with these critters. He tamed many raccoons and taught them to do tricks. He had a pet raccoon who often slept in his room. He loved catching flying squirrels. He often kept a squirrel or two. He sold the animals he caught and trained to other students at school.
One afternoon while he was out fishing with his older brother they got word that they had a new baby sister born that very day. He fell in love with his new little sister. When his mother told him he needed to sell his raccoons and squirrels because she didn't want them in the house with the new baby, he complied. After all, he wanted to keep his baby sister safe. He loaded up his critters in cages and brought them to the barn. He checked his traps and found more flying squirrels. He put those in the barn too.
The next morning when Daddy left for school he found other young raccoons in the barn with his pet raccoon. He put a leash on his little pet. Put a few squirrels in a couple cardboard boxes and the rest in a small trap. He balanced the boxes over the trap and held his chin on the top box to keep them from flying out. He walked about a mile to the school holding the leash and balancing the traps and boxes. His brothers who were walking with him began to giggle because the other raccoons from the barn were following them. They made it to the school house without incident. Daddy planned to tie his raccoon to the post on the front porch of the school. Then to put the squirrels in the trap on the opposite end of the porch. First however he had put the squirrels in the cardboard boxes in his desk drawer where they couldn't escape until he sold them at recess.
Unfortunately Daddy tripped as he was walking into the school house and every single animal he was holding onto escaped.
The teacher was very upset. There was such a commotion. Little girls had tied lassoes in their jump ropes and were trying to catch squirrels and raccoons. The teacher was use to flying squirrels and kept a net in the classroom because students often brought them to school. Students were standing on desk. Others had passed out from the excitement or simply put their head down and closed eyes to escape the chaos. Little boys who often brought sling shots had taken theirs out to try to get the untrained raccoons out the school house by hitting them with balls of paper or they were shooting pecans from their lunch boxes trying to get them closer to the door so they might run out.
The teacher told Daddy he would have to bring one of his parents the next day to school. Daddy told his Mom when he got home from school. His Mom told him she couldn't walk the mile to school with the new baby. She told him to ask his Dad. His Dad said he owned the only store in the area and he could not close because Dad had a bad day at school. He told Daddy to ask his older brother who was about 20 years older than Daddy. His older brother smooth everything out with the teacher and a few months later he married the teacher! Daddy his brother, and his sister-in-law often laughed about that day!!
Note the sign insisting that students speak English. The common language in Acadiana at this time was French. Children were punished for speaking French.
Featured in the followIng Art America groups:
New Orleans and Louisiana Perspective
Out of the Ordinary 1 A Day
Uploaded
March 2nd, 2020
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