The landlord tripled the rent. The family had lived for three years on $10 a month rent. They certainly understood why it was raised and gladly paid. Even with the new job, they still had to be frugal and watch every penny. Ian thought the boys could still help. Marie would have none of that. The sacrifices that must be made from now on were to get the kids educated. That was not left open for debate. “If they were excelling in school, then we’ll talk about it.” was her reply every time the subject was brought up. I’ll decide what they can do. Overall, the years leading up to WWII were happy times for the Kelsey family.
The kids were smart and did fine in school. Marie let them work on the weekends because they wanted to and they liked having spending money. Sean still took the wagon out to collect bottles and whatever else he could find. Mike shined shoes from time to time. When school was out for the Summer, he was always downtown in the business district. Calling out a song of hope for the businessmen. Things were getting better, and Mike was there to tell everyone about it. Also, having their shoes shined would hasten the improvement. Ian saw his son in town trying to attract customers. He was so happy singing his sales chant. Ian was impressed. His little man looked like he was doing what he was born to do. He never gave him any advice about life after that. The little guy was going to succeed in life by following his internal script. “He must have got it from his mother”, he thought to himself.
Little Mary was getting bigger every day. Her Mother’s dress-making business was getting bigger by “word of mouth”. She no longer had to spend her Sundays riding in a wagon around the Park Cities area of Dallas. Mary had started to go through puberty and the changes were pronounced. Most of the time she was OK, but there were times when the least little inconvenience would send her into an uncontrollable tantrum. Mary and Marie would spend time huddled together in whispers. That seemed to help somewhat. Ian always called her his little Princess when he was in a loving mood. She was the apple of his eye. But there were a few times that name would earn him a look of hatred. He was taken aback and at a loss for what to do. Marie would explain why and that calmed Ian somewhat. Marie considered that part of her job: repairing her man. The instability lasted about six months. Learning the why and how to better control what she was going through seemed to add an element of maturity to his little Princess. The boys avoided Mary during the testy times. It seems brothers have the avoidance instinct during times like these, buried deep within their genetic code. Puberty also meant a change in all her friends. Dolls were out and boys were in. Girls go through puberty earlier than boys. They get most of it out of their systems by the time the boys get started. Thereby leaving the field to act like idiots to boys alone. That will be their domain till death.
Young girls have a special kind of friendship. Slumber parties, sleepovers, and swooning over movie stars are what consume their lives. To see them together, whispering and then squealing amongst themselves. The smiles that are exchanged when they greet each other. The separation may have only lasted the length of a class period in school, but the joy expressed would make the observer think it had been much longer. That became Mary’s life, friends, family, and school. She had a loving family, and the hard times of the Great Depression were not all that bad for a child. Food and being loved are all a kid needs.
Mary and her friends would spend their time talking about all the things they are going to do with their lives. Most of the girls wanted to marry and raise big families. Mary was no exception. There were noises about Europe and Hitler, but America was isolationist. The girls really gave it no thought. When one of the girls brought a camera along, they would spend their time posing for pictures. They would strike poses like movie stars and cherish the results when the pictures were developed. Ian would always give her money to pay for her share of the film and the cost of developing the photos. The boys would complain loudly that no one ever gave them money. When Marie brought it up to her husband, he said that it was about time they learn that money is for women. Marie laughed and said,” Don’t you think that is something a father should tell his sons?”
December 7th, 1941 had other plans for the Family and America. The Japanese attack plunged the U.S. into a World War. The radio that Ian bought when he got a job was a cabinet model. It became the centerpiece of their lives. FDR, news of the advances of the Japanese and the Germans declaring war on America was all that filled the airwaves. It was on all the time. The front door to the apartment was left open and neighbors who did not have a radio were welcome to come in and listen. For the first month or so, the family got used to people coming in to listen while they were eating a meal. This was going to require everyone’s sons in the war effort. A snippet of good news or a glimmer of hope was so desperately needed during those times. It never came during the first six months.
America began to wake up. The industries of war began to take over. Jobs became plentiful and salaries increased. All the New Deal programs had little effect on the economy. Each program that was supposed to fix what was wrong had little effect. It seemed every two years a new answer would come along. None seemed to help. A World War is what it took to awaken the nation.
Mary, being fourteen years old did not grasp what was happening in her life, nor how she was going to be affected. That would not last long though. The war was to become the Alpha and the Omega in everyone’s life. The first repercussion for her family was her brother Sean announcing to the family that he was going to join the Army Air Corps. Ian and Marie were not surprised by his announcement. He was eighteen years old and wanted to do his part. Plus, the draft of military-aged males was beginning. They knew it was a matter of time before he would be called up. At least this way he had somewhat of a choice of what he was going to do.
Ian’s older brother Cory was coming to visit from Oklahoma. He was living with Ian’s sister. Uncle Cory wanted to see Sean before he went to war. He was 48 years old but looked much older. He had been a doughboy during WWI. Numerous battles through Cantigny and Belleau Wood had left their marks on him. He lost an eye to mustard gas and several toes to trench foot and frostbite. The bus ride from Oklahoma City to Dallas gave him time to reflect.
The misery of living in muddy trenches, never being dry or warm were their lives during the war. Having to climb out of the trench to attack the German lines was a terror-filled exercise that yielded little to no results for the lives lost. Many times, they would have to retreat to their trenches to spend the night listening to their wounded screaming in terror where they lay on the battlefield. The Germans would attack also. They would have to retreat leaving many of their wounded on the field. Their wounded would scream out in terror till all their blood spilled onto the muddy ground, letting death still them. Cory didn’t speak German, but he knew what they were saying. These dying men reverted to their childhoods at the end of life.
“Oh Mama, where are you?”
“Is Daddy with you? My stomach hurts bad.”
“Mama, I am so afraid, please hold me.”
“Mommy, I can’t see you. It is so dark.”
“Come quick, I can’t feel my legs, Momma.”
Cory knew that if their mothers had heard this, they would never be the same again. The knowledge that their child died alone calling for them would have driven them insane. He was sure of that because that is what it was doing to him. There are things that you cannot unsee or unhear.
After living through the experience of the Spanish Flu, which killed as many soldiers as bullets, and mustard gas, and having three toes amputated, he was finally on his way home on a hospital ship. As they were sailing into New York Harbor. With all the other boys standing along the railing staring at the Statue of Liberty which was facing out to sea. A friend of his from Knoxville was looking up at the statue. He was on crutches and had been through the same things as Cory. Looking up at the statue he said, “Old girl if you want to see my ass again, you’ll have to turn around”.
Mary was walking to the bus station to meet her uncle. She had never met him but having an eye patch would make it easy to spot him in a crowd. The whole family was excited he was coming. He was that crazy uncle in the family though. He lived under his sister’s pier and beam house on an old army cot. He also had a big four-door sedan in the yard that he lived in during the winter months. An Army pension left him with enough money for beer and to help his sister with the bills. He kept a beautiful vegetable garden that he talked to all day long. When he said he wanted to visit his nephew before he enlisted in the Army, everyone was surprised. No one could remember the last time he left the house. He had the warmest smile when Mary asked, “Are you, Uncle Cory?”
“I sure am child. I bet you must be Mary. They told me you were pretty.” He said.
Mary was thrilled to meet him and take him home. It was a short walk. He needed a cane to walk, but she helped with most of the bags. He did not seem all that crazy, he was a gentleman. She took the time to fill in all the family news that he may have missed. He was happy for his brother’s family. If Mary was any indication, his brother was a lucky man.
That night at supper Mary put herself in charge of bringing everyone up to date on Uncle Cory’s latest news. Once that was done, they were free to talk. He was only her uncle for 8 hours, but that was enough time for him to become her favorite Uncle. He loved her attention and was happy to have her front and center in his life.
Cory spent a lot of time talking to Sean about his plans for joining the Army Air Corps. Cory regaled him with stories of watching biplanes dogfighting above the trenches. Sean was smitten. He had no idea about the air war during WWI. Cory asked Sean questions about his schooling and what made him want to join the Air Corps. Then in a Fatherly fashion, Cory told him it was important to follow the rules in the Army. Do what they say, after all, war is their business. They are the only ones that can tell you how to survive in war. That is their business, don’t listen to a bunch of barracks lawyers.
After a visit that lasted three days, it was time for Cory to go home. Sean carried his bags and Mary came along to keep her new favorite Uncle company. He was tickled to have them with him and resolved to visit more often. As he was watching Sean put his bags on the bus, Mary noticed his eye was filled with tears. He was crying. The only other time she saw a man cry was when her Dad came home with the news he had found a job. She understood why Daddy cried, but not why Uncle Cory was crying.