America the beautiful
For our journey to America, we were ticketed on the Queen Mary, the second largest passenger ship at the time. First Class? Second class? I wish. Brother Nick recently said we traveled last class. Even the bathroom was at least 75 feet down the hall, but it wasn't an outhouse. However small the accommodations, we were going to America.
Our sleeping compartment was about as small as you can imagine for five people. Two bunk beds on each side with only a few feet of room between. Nicky and Anna, the youngest, shared a bunk. I had my own bunk as did Mother and Father, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
***
As much as I loved the TV, I sometimes enjoyed listening to the radio even more. We hadn’t owned a radio before and I guess I liked hearing the voices coming from this box on the kitchen table. It wasn't like talk radio today, they had actual characters involved in a plot and you had to use your imagination to create the scenes for yourself. The Lone Ranger show was one of my favorites.
***
(All these years later, Jerry is still one of my best friends, even though he moved to Houston about thirty years ago. He also married Joan's best friend, Marianne.)
"Jerry, learn me this," became my mantra that summer. It's amazing how quickly kids can learn a new language. It also amazed me how quickly I forgot the Austrian German dialect.
***
It seems that fate had a different reason for wanting me there that night. I'm sure Anna introduced me to the girl, but I don't remember her at all. No sooner did I get to where Anna and her friends congregated, someone introduced me to Joan Hanley. With that introduction, Cupid shot an arrow right into the center of my heart.
Five different people introduced me to Joan that night. With each introduction, Cupid shot another dart into my heart. Before night’s end, my shyness all but disappeared when in the presence of this girl I had fallen in love with at the first introduction.
***
Joan, upon hearing my plans, and how she was going to be a Mrs. Farmer living the great life in the country, shot it full of holes, tied a heavy anchor to it and sank it in the deepest part of the ocean. She wanted to make sure that idea never resurfaced.
***
I already had his name, Willis Reed, written on the order form, but in trying to make conversation, I said to him as I continued to write, "You're pretty tall. How tall are you"? I’ve forgotten exactly what he said, but I responded with, "Have you ever played any basketball"? Without cracking a smile, he said, "A little.”
To order:
Use this Paypal link to Buy now from account riverofml@yahoo.com
Please e-mail me at the above e-mail address where the book is to be sent.
For our journey to America, we were ticketed on the Queen Mary, the second largest passenger ship at the time. First Class? Second class? I wish. Brother Nick recently said we traveled last class. Even the bathroom was at least 75 feet down the hall, but it wasn't an outhouse. However small the accommodations, we were going to America.
Our sleeping compartment was about as small as you can imagine for five people. Two bunk beds on each side with only a few feet of room between. Nicky and Anna, the youngest, shared a bunk. I had my own bunk as did Mother and Father, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
***
As much as I loved the TV, I sometimes enjoyed listening to the radio even more. We hadn’t owned a radio before and I guess I liked hearing the voices coming from this box on the kitchen table. It wasn't like talk radio today, they had actual characters involved in a plot and you had to use your imagination to create the scenes for yourself. The Lone Ranger show was one of my favorites.
***
(All these years later, Jerry is still one of my best friends, even though he moved to Houston about thirty years ago. He also married Joan's best friend, Marianne.)
"Jerry, learn me this," became my mantra that summer. It's amazing how quickly kids can learn a new language. It also amazed me how quickly I forgot the Austrian German dialect.
***
It seems that fate had a different reason for wanting me there that night. I'm sure Anna introduced me to the girl, but I don't remember her at all. No sooner did I get to where Anna and her friends congregated, someone introduced me to Joan Hanley. With that introduction, Cupid shot an arrow right into the center of my heart.
Five different people introduced me to Joan that night. With each introduction, Cupid shot another dart into my heart. Before night’s end, my shyness all but disappeared when in the presence of this girl I had fallen in love with at the first introduction.
***
Joan, upon hearing my plans, and how she was going to be a Mrs. Farmer living the great life in the country, shot it full of holes, tied a heavy anchor to it and sank it in the deepest part of the ocean. She wanted to make sure that idea never resurfaced.
***
I already had his name, Willis Reed, written on the order form, but in trying to make conversation, I said to him as I continued to write, "You're pretty tall. How tall are you"? I’ve forgotten exactly what he said, but I responded with, "Have you ever played any basketball"? Without cracking a smile, he said, "A little.”
To order:
Use this Paypal link to Buy now from account riverofml@yahoo.com
Please e-mail me at the above e-mail address where the book is to be sent.
