I was
forced to marry and lived on West Main Street with my in-laws - who
were wonderful by the way. My husband never missed a party or dance
after the wedding -- he was a kid too. I did not care . The baby was
comfort and helped me to come to grips with the loss of my Father and
Brother - I was finally peaceful..
Dick
never missed a party or dance either - the only difference with Dick
was that he sometimes headed home around midnight (he always had a job
and needed to sleep) If he went by the house and saw my lights on he
would stop in to see me and Jerry (he called him Spike) We would talk
softly about the activities of his evening and he always kept me up to
date with very important teenage business. If Spike was awake he always
wanted to hold him - grinning from ear to ear.
One
Saturday morning a big truck from Ticknor's stopped at my door and a
rocking chair came out of the back. A rocking chair for me and Spike -
it was from Dick ( he was about 18 years old at the time.) He told me
later he thought I needed a rocking chair to rock my baby - (I think he
may have seen his Mother rocking babies as his family was larger than
most.) Needless to say I spent many hours in that chair with Mr. Spike
- we both loved it. Sometime rocking while listening to Dick tell me
all the news of my peers - sometimes with Spike in Dick's arms and a big
grin on his face.