This is one of the family stories I have written down for my children:
My paternal grandmother, Elsie Harrell Bailey, had something really bad happen to her weather-wise when she was a little girl that made her very afraid of thunderstorms.
One time while spending the night with her, I can distinctly remember a storm blowing up and moving across Bailey Creek in Chesapeake. I was about eight, and storms didn't bother me too much.
It thundered. It was one of those deep rumbling thunders that are loud, shake the house, and last a while. My grandmother turned and looked at me. She was really short, so we were eye to eye. Her eyes grew big and wide, and she said, "Woo, woo! Wooooo! Woo!" I thought she was being silly, so like the child I was, I laughed! She looked and sounded so much like an owl! (I still smile and think of her when I hear an owl.)
I relayed the story to my parents later and learned of grandma's fear which made me feel bad for laughing at her. I also learned of the following story which explained why I never, ever saw my grandmother behind the wheel of anything.
My grandfather, Rollis Ivans Bailey, worked very hard to provide for his precious "Buttercup" and their four children. It was a proud day when he bought them a brand new car! Shortly after the purchase, and I was told it was very soon after, my grandmother needed to go somewhere with my father who was a small boy.
As they were driving, a thunderstorm developed. In the midst of it, a loud crack of thunder sounded. It scared my grandmother so badly,
she drove straight into a tree!
Thankfully, she and my father were fine. However, the shiny, brand new car was totaled. I guess they didn't have mandatory liability in the 40's because I was told Grandpa still had to pay off the car.
Grandma never, ever drove again.
