The Back Forty

My mother worked cooking in restaurants and would later work cooking at the local Jr high school.  But to supplement her income in the mid 1980’s, she would make extra cash cleaning.  She has a few long term jobs where she would clean once or twice a week.  Each time making 20 or 30 dollars for a few hours of cleaning. She worked for Barry Jones, who ran the local grocery store in town. He and his wife Linda were easy to clean, because their children were grown and they kept the house tidy. Still they paid for my mother to clean once a week.  And she did.

She also cleaned for the local two doctors for a few years.   They were married doctors who lived in a big two story home, Dr Alberto and Dr Eloisa Banez. They were nice people, and very intelligent.  I would often ride the bus across town after school, and walk to the Banez house. I help with small chores or often time watch the big screen TV while my mom finished her cleaning. We didn’t have cable, so watching TV after school was a treat.  Sometimes I would play with their dog Blondie, the most beautiful cocker spaniel.  She loved tennis balls, probably because mister Dr Alberto Banez enjoyed tennis.  I saw his equipment and gear when dusting in his office just off the den.  My mother would clean for different people over the years, even people she did not like, if the money was good.   She was trusted to perform a job and from what I know, she was good at. 

She cleaned homes, offices and for while she cleaned at one of the local bars.  My mother was not a patron and going to bars was not something she did.  (Only once I remember her having a girl’s night out with friends at a night club in Wichita Falls)  My mother enjoyed life but was not a party animal. Yes, after a weekend of business, she would clean The Back Forty Lounge. 

Her friend was running the place and need someone to clean after hours.  The Back Forty was on the outskirts of town north of Electra.  It was a cinder block building with a metal roof. It wasn’t much to look at when you pulled into the gravel parking lot.  It was big inside and had a wood dance floor and a band stand for live music on Saturday nights.  There was also an old piano what was hopelessly out of tune. There was also a juke box along the wall and two tiny bathrooms just across from the long bar.  My mother’s  job would be to clean it all.  I remember my mom unlocking the coin slot on the juke box. She enjoyed music while we cleaned.  We would drop the same quarter over and over and play songs we liked without really spending any money.  She would start behind the bar cleaning. Then I would wipe the tables and sweep while mom cleaned the store room and restock everything. Then she would clean the bathrooms.   The smell of cigarettes and beer would soon be drowned out by the smell of Pinesol and water.  Nothing was worse than the men’s room after drunken men have used it.  Those long yellow cleaning gloves really came in handy.  When all the work was done, the tables and chairs were reset, and the floors swept and mopped.  The last thing we would do is lock up the coin box and turn off the juke box.  It would be ready for another night of business.  Mom would get her money and we would go home.