Back in the mid 80’s our neighbors, Kenny and Linda had just moved and taken their terror named Michael who was my first babysitting nightmare with them. New people moved in, a family of 3 siblings, two women, one named Winnie and a young man named Marvin. Marvin was over 6 ft tall, straight blond hair cut in that bowl shape with bangs and large shoulders, from a distance he looked like a big basketball player but up close, it was clear that Marvin would always have the mind of a young boy. Young kids back in the day weren’t around many people with what is now called “special needs”. Occasionally you met someone through friends or relatives that was hidden away at home or in a special school, but they were not as integrated into society as they should be. In that respect I am grateful that times have changed as they have so much to give, and I see special needs people as reminders of what people have forgotten about emotions. Most have very kind hearts and are confused by acts of hate and aggression and are peaceful personalities.
As kids, we were scared of Marvin because he was different, and we were unfamiliar with different. Marvin was simple minded and seemed to always be watching which was both a good and bad thing. His sisters were a bit loony and were not always kind to him, but they did look after him and they kept him warm, safe and fed. Winnie was heavy, had crazy brown hair that always looked wind blown and laughed like a high clown. She yelled at Marvin daily and it was always unclear if it was from a position of concern or disdain. Marvin understood that his family had no money, and that money was something they needed.
Marvin delighted in finding things, he would clean them and walk door to door knocking and asking if you wanted to buy whatever the item was, an old watch, cds, clothes, etc. He meant no harm; he was in his own way making money to help his sisters. He asked for a dollar here and there and was never pushy. He walked up and down Bellingrath Road looking for items and asking people if they needed their lawn raked or leaves bagged. He walked and watched.
Marvin once helped me and my friends Amie and Michelle. He was standing outside my bedroom window while we were inside and we found it very creepy and as young girls do, we were giggling and making up stories of what he was doing. The real reason Marvin was standing outside my window is that he knew that my stalker Jerry Roggerson, was parked across the street watching and he was not happy about it. Marvin may have been mentally challenged but he knew danger when he saw it and Marvin was determined this day to stand watch. So, he waited until we were ready to leave, asked for a dollar which I gave, then marched across the street to block Jerry’s view while we piled into Amie’s yellow Buick and drove away. He did it out of pure concern and now looking back I see as a gift to girls that he wanted to protect.
That same day, simple Marvin walked the miles of Bellingrath Road as he did every day, it was a cold winter day and temps were expected to drop at night. When Marvin did not show up for dinner at the usual 6 pm his sisters became nervous and began to ask neighbors if they had seen him. They drove up and down the roadway and eventually called police. Marvin could tell time and had a watch; he was always home on time. But Marvin would never go home again.
His sisters, the police and neighbors all kept watch for Marvin sightings the morning and afternoon of the next day. On day 2 being missing, the police knocked on Winnie’s door and made her scream.
Marvin had been walking Bellingrath Road as usual when a white van (determined by paint and tire tracks and a left mirror found at the scene), swerved off the roadway, they believe on purpose, and struck Marvin from behind, throwing him down a culvert into a low, wet ditch where he lay overnight in the freezing temperatures and died from his internal injuries. I often think of Marvin, the young man that we were not as kind to as we should have been. But again, we were young kids and kids are stupid. I wonder if he felt everything and if he felt alone and scared. I wonder if he was in terrible pain, and I hope that instead of a horrific death that Marvin was unconscious and slipped peacefully away. It hurts my heart to think he could have lain there for hours and hours crying in pain, frightened and alone.
The thing is that after Marvin was gone, we all felt saddened by his loss. Even though we giggled at him, made up stories, and were scared of Marvin, we liked him and wanted him to be safe and cared for. Marvin’s death left a big hole in our universe, and it stuck with us all year. Winnie and her sister couldn’t stand living on the roadway that took their brother, so they moved away, and we never heard from them again. Marvin’s grave was left unmarked. I never knew his last name, or I’d get in touch with the graveyard that holds his remains and would make sure he had a marker but for now, Marvin lives in my memories.
My memories are nicer than we were, part of the reason I give back to organizations that support those with special needs is a feeling that I owe Marvin just a little. I also think that life owes Marvin far more then what he was given.
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