4:43 p.m. - 2005-08-27
the story continues
Life went on very well in the 3rd story apartment on N. Clark St, Chicago, Il. There was a nice back porch off the kitchen. It was high enough for a breeze to flow through. There was a stairway on the left side which had a locked gate. The children could play outside and be in a protected area and could be seen from the kitchen door or window. The yard below was mostly dirt. Some of the tenants grew vegetables to supplement their food choices.
Leonetta was a wonderful cook. She made the best cornstarch pudding. Susanna can taste it to this very day. And Donna made a unbelieveably delicious banana boston cream pie. Mmm, Susanna can still smell it and taste it too. It never lasted very long in that household either. For breakfast, the children often ate cereal out of the box. There were little comic books like comic strips inside if you ate down to the bottom.
The apartment was called a "shotgun" apartment because you could stand in the kitchen and shoot a gun that would go straight through to the livingroom. There were 3 bedrooms, one was off the kitchen, one was across from the bathroom where the hall had a built-in area for storage and the telephone sat on the counter.
Yes, they had their own phone but this one didn't have to be cranked. You lifted the receiver and the Operator came on. Then you said my number is W (as in Washington, E( as in Edward) L (as in Larry) another L (as in Larry) I (as in iodine) N (as in never) G (as in George) T (as in Tom) O (as in orange) and N (as in never.) Wellington 5-4680. Then you told the operator who's number you were calling. The next area was the diningroom which had a build-in buffet. and the front door. On one wall was a bookcase filled with Storybook Dolls. These were Madame Alexandra dolls, dressed in a story heroine like Cinderella. They came in a cardboard box. The children were NOT ALLOWED to touch them but they could be looked at as much as the children wanted.
insert photo)
From the dining room, you would enter the living room and there was another bedroom to the side. You could see a Catholic girls school across the street. It was surrounded by a high brick wall all the way around the block.
One Christmas Susanna had walked into the living room and just as she was about to sit on the couch, the white flocked Christmas tree which seemed to touch the ceiling, fell over. Susanna tried to get out of the way but the tree top hit her. She screamed and everyone rushed in to see what was wrong. The tree, being white flocking was fine, only a few ornaments broke and Susanna was not injured.
In 1949, Peggy Jo realized that she was pregnant again. On Feb. 3, 1950, a third daughter was brought home. Again, Susanna climbed on the dining room chair to check out the latest bundle. She was pleased to see a beautiful baby girl with Daddy's dimple. This baby was named Bonnie Jo. Jo for her grandmother, Josephine. **(yes, readers, I had changed the names but now it is getting too complicated)
Time continued to march on. Donald was now working as a salesman. He had a red convertible and loved to play golf and drive around with the convertible top down. He took his daughter Susanna (Terri) with him sometimes for a ride. He seemed to spend more time away from home. All females including 3 children under 6 was probably too much for him.
Susanna (Terri) started kindergarten. She was walked to and from school every day. When she walked around the corner of the apartment building, she always passed a newspaper stand on the left filled with all kinds of newspapers and magazines. But she was especially interested in the man who sat on the right side of the sidewalk. He had pencils in a cup and he was blind. Sometimes Mommy would give Terri a few pennies to drop into the cup. The blind man always said "Thank you, little Miss blue eyes." Terri could not figure out how the blind man knew she had blue eyes. And everytime she passed him, he would always say "Good morning, little Miss blue eyes." even if she didn't speak.
Terri liked school very much. She made friends at school. One afternoon a friend asked her if she wanted to come to his house and play. Of course, she said "yes" and they went to his house. What she didn't realize was her mother would not know where she was. After she played with the friend, she was walked home by his mother. When she got home, her parents scolded her and explained what she did was wrong. She was sent to bed without any supper. Terri still remembers lying in the top bunkbed watching the sun go down.
Terri and her sister, Virginia slept in the bedroom by the kitchen in a bunk bed. Peggy Jo and Donald slept in the bedroom by the bathroom. The baby, Bonnie was still in her crib in their bedroom. Leonetta and Donna slept in the bedroom by the livingroom in the front of the apartment..
Papa came to visit (Peggy Jo's Papa). He wanted to make Peggy Jo's birthday very special. He was doing very well financially and told her she could pick any place to go and he would pay for it. She decided she wanted to see a real strip show in a nice nightclub. Of course, Donald and Papa were very happy to agree with her choice of entertainment. She went to the fancy nightclub and was mesmerised by the talent and dancing of a "little person". She was not a midget, she was perfectly proportioned but her height was extremely short. Peggy Jo stared at her and almost memorized the routine. Afterwards, she told Papa she had a wonderful time. As she thanked him, he handed her a $100 bill and told her to spend it on anything she wanted. She had never even seen a $100 bill before and now she had one in her hand.
Papa stayed in Chicago for a few days. He even found a tavern in the neighborhood and took Susanna (Terri) along. She still remembers the smell of the alcohol. Papa put her up on the bar and fed her marishchio cherries out of his drinks. To this date, Terri loved marishchio cherries!
