Originally Posted by
Bobby Wong
It's true. Unwed mothers were pariahs in 1970s Indiana, and the only job Darlene could get was door-to-door sales for Terre Haute Haute Tarp Co. THHT specialized in high end designer tarps, a tough sell in those tough economic times. Things were looking grim for mom and Jim until one day when Jim's grandmother drank a guart of rye for breakfast and was unresponsive when Darlene went to drop him off so she could go to work. Realizing that her mom was in no shape to take care of her baby, Darlene wrapped little Jimmy in a tarp and carried him in her sample box as she went out on her sales route. The housewives of suburban Terre Haute thought he was just darling and dug deep into their pocketbooks, buying tarps in record numbers. Darlene became Terre Haute Haute Tarp Co's biggest earner and the little family's money crisis was over, at least until Jim grew a moustache at age two and lost the cuteness that had been key to their financial solvency.