Friday, August 20, 2004
JULY 1972....
I need to mention that when we saw George he had his arm in a sling. He was painting in the hold of his ship on a scaffold when he slipped and fell. He messed up his back and fractured his right arm. He was wearing a sling on his right arm when we saw him but it turned out to be a career change for him. Instead of a deck-ape he was assigned to the Disbursing Clerk until his arm was OK. Later on, the Clerk wanted to keep him because he was such dependable help…..plus he encouraged George to take some tests for rank. Sometimes things happen to impact the rest of our lives and this was one of those events.
We stood on the pier for quite a while watching as if his ship would come back…. finally, we headed for the pickup. We now were on our way up to Sacramento to see Becky. She and Marty, her husband, moved there to stay with his step-sister. Becky was pregnant and unable to work. She had been a waitress until then but now was unemployed and Marty was managing a Poor Boy’s Cafeteria. Becky was having trouble with her pregnancy and we wanted to see her before heading back to Missouri.
We found her address and visited that afternoon, stayed in our camper one night and saw her the next day. She was upbeat and optimistic about everything and insisted we should go home and not worry about her. We left later in the evening and stopped at a Herfy’s hamburger place for something to eat and were tired and hungry. We just started eating our burgers and fries when we noticed two cars come speeding into the parking lot….police cars. John quipped they must be coming to arrest someone.
They met the manager at the door and he handed them something. It was held up to the light and after a conference….came walking towards us. Of course we were completely in the dark as to why they were heading our way….when the policeman asked if we gave the manager a $20 bill. Warren said that he had and the policeman said the manager thought it was counterfeit because the color was “too green….it didn’t look right.” They asked where we got it and Warren told them he had been given the bill as change for a larger bill earlier in the day.
The policeman asked a few other questions and finally said he thought the bill was probably better than a new one since it was printed in the ‘30’s and better paper. The manager looked disappointed when the policeman was rather calm about the whole thing….and the policeman asked if he would except another bill in place of the one he was concerned about. Reluctantly, the manager agreed and handed the “bogus” bill back to Warren…..then wanted to charge us again for the meal.
By now Warren was getting a little upset and he told him he had already taken the money out of the first bill……whereas now he was just trading one bill for another. The policeman agreed with Warren and the manager had to fork over the $20. Of course it was quite a show for the other customers and after our meal getting cold we weren’t too happy with the whole experience. However…as all things go…they are always funnier after the dust settles and you replay the whole thing in your mind a few times. I must say it was exciting for a while. Incidentally, we used the bill the next day for a meal and no one said anything……………
We came home to Missouri and life went on as usual until the last day of the month. Warren’s brother called to tell us that Mom Gilbert died and the funeral would be August 3rd. We made quick arrangements to go back to Nampa and John went back to Shawnee….school would be starting soon for him. So once more we headed West. The family gathered together for her burial and we comforted one another in our loss. Afterwards when the service was over and we were back at their home I got a call from Marty’s step-sister telling me that Becky had the baby and had hemorrhaged twice…..she was having a hard time and thought I should come. We slept in our camper until 2:00am and headed South to Sacramento.
As we drove through the night and early dawn I wrote a few lines to express my feelings in losing mom Gilbert….and thinking about a new little girl in Sacramento that was my first grand-child. Twenty-two years ago I had the first grandchild in the Strain family born on the day they buried grandma Fielden. The similarities made interesting thoughts as we rolled on towards morning………….
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
We stood on the pier for quite a while watching as if his ship would come back…. finally, we headed for the pickup. We now were on our way up to Sacramento to see Becky. She and Marty, her husband, moved there to stay with his step-sister. Becky was pregnant and unable to work. She had been a waitress until then but now was unemployed and Marty was managing a Poor Boy’s Cafeteria. Becky was having trouble with her pregnancy and we wanted to see her before heading back to Missouri.
We found her address and visited that afternoon, stayed in our camper one night and saw her the next day. She was upbeat and optimistic about everything and insisted we should go home and not worry about her. We left later in the evening and stopped at a Herfy’s hamburger place for something to eat and were tired and hungry. We just started eating our burgers and fries when we noticed two cars come speeding into the parking lot….police cars. John quipped they must be coming to arrest someone.
They met the manager at the door and he handed them something. It was held up to the light and after a conference….came walking towards us. Of course we were completely in the dark as to why they were heading our way….when the policeman asked if we gave the manager a $20 bill. Warren said that he had and the policeman said the manager thought it was counterfeit because the color was “too green….it didn’t look right.” They asked where we got it and Warren told them he had been given the bill as change for a larger bill earlier in the day.
The policeman asked a few other questions and finally said he thought the bill was probably better than a new one since it was printed in the ‘30’s and better paper. The manager looked disappointed when the policeman was rather calm about the whole thing….and the policeman asked if he would except another bill in place of the one he was concerned about. Reluctantly, the manager agreed and handed the “bogus” bill back to Warren…..then wanted to charge us again for the meal.
By now Warren was getting a little upset and he told him he had already taken the money out of the first bill……whereas now he was just trading one bill for another. The policeman agreed with Warren and the manager had to fork over the $20. Of course it was quite a show for the other customers and after our meal getting cold we weren’t too happy with the whole experience. However…as all things go…they are always funnier after the dust settles and you replay the whole thing in your mind a few times. I must say it was exciting for a while. Incidentally, we used the bill the next day for a meal and no one said anything……………
We came home to Missouri and life went on as usual until the last day of the month. Warren’s brother called to tell us that Mom Gilbert died and the funeral would be August 3rd. We made quick arrangements to go back to Nampa and John went back to Shawnee….school would be starting soon for him. So once more we headed West. The family gathered together for her burial and we comforted one another in our loss. Afterwards when the service was over and we were back at their home I got a call from Marty’s step-sister telling me that Becky had the baby and had hemorrhaged twice…..she was having a hard time and thought I should come. We slept in our camper until 2:00am and headed South to Sacramento.
As we drove through the night and early dawn I wrote a few lines to express my feelings in losing mom Gilbert….and thinking about a new little girl in Sacramento that was my first grand-child. Twenty-two years ago I had the first grandchild in the Strain family born on the day they buried grandma Fielden. The similarities made interesting thoughts as we rolled on towards morning………….
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
