Vennieisms: I Was Zapped

I was sixteen. It was January 1986. My mother had a 1980 Bonneville, four-door V-8 sedan. We lived at Harlan Trailer Park, Route 4, #12-C, Martin, TN.

I was dating who would briefly be my husband, and also how I came to acquire my last name. We’ll just refer to him as J for now. J was visiting a friend in a remote town called Samburg, located by Reelfoot Lake.

Reelfoot Lake has an interesting history. It is located near Tiptonville, Tennessee. The lake’s name comes from a legend about a 19th-century Chickasaw Indian chief who was called Reelfoot because he had a deformed foot. His defiance of the Great Spirit by stealing a bride from a neighboring tribe supposedly caused the earthquake which formed the lake.