| Biographical Non-Fiction posted February 6, 2021 | Chapters: |
...98 99 -100- 101... 
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For a few months, we had to live the best way we could.
A chapter in the book Remembering Yesterday
Living Like Gypsies
by BethShelby
For new readers, who may not have read my author notes, this is written in a conversational way as I talk to my deceased husband. When I refer to someone just as "you" this means I am addressing my husband, Evan.
Since we wouldn’t be closing the sale of our home until December, we decided to leave Don in Metairie, so he could continue working at his construction job and look after the house. We didn’t need to move the furniture because we hadn’t yet found a place in Tennessee. Don was happy with that arrangement because he was dreading leaving his girlfriend, Denise. She was upset because he was going to be moving.
It was September, and Connie had started her year as a Freshman at the Collegedale Academy. Each day after school, she was supposed to walk to the nearby apartment which Christi was sharing with a friend.
Carol and Glen were still packing to make their move to Florida, so you had nowhere to stay. You drove back to Metairie to pick me up so we could go back and find a place to live until the house closed. We didn’t like the idea of Christi being responsible for Connie, because we knew she could be a handful. You had barely gotten back home when we got a call from Christi, saying Connie had not shown up after school. She called Carol in a panic, but Carol didn't know what to do either. It was after dark and they had no idea where Connie was. Of course, we were both worried sick, but we were too far away to do anything other than wait for more news.
Fortunately, Christi called us back in the middle of the night, saying that Connie had just gotten in. Some girl she had met at school asked if she would like to go to Six Flags, in Atlanta, with her family. We got Connie on the phone and told her not to ever leave again without letting Christi know where she was. We knew the girl’s parents must have paid her way, because Connie didn’t have the kind of money to get into an expensive amusement park.
When we realized that Christi wasn’t going to be able to make sure Connie stayed out of trouble, we contacted the college and learned that there was guest lodging in one of the campus buildings reserved for visiting parents of college students. For the next month, they allowed us to rent a room and bath, and pay for it weekly. We picked Connie up from school each day. Then we got a notice that we would have to be out by the end of October, because it was a special week for parents and all the rooms had been reserved for that week.
Jane, our Realtor, knew a man who had an empty house he would allow us to rent until December, when our house would close. We were hoping to buy a house in the area soon, but until we did, we didn’t want to move our furniture from Metairie. Our solution was to load the van with a coffee table, a couple of chairs, a TV and a piece of our sectional, which converted into a bed. Luckily, the house had a working kitchen, complete with refrigerator, so we planned to live minimalistically for the last month.
Connie chose to stay with Christi again, since she had a place to sleep there. We soon realized we couldn’t really sleep on the lumpy sofa bed, so we bought a mattress set and put it on the floor of one of the bedrooms. Jane continued to show us houses and we made an offer on one in Chattanooga, but it really wasn’t something we were thrilled with. It already had a contract on it, and we were relieved when the other party bought it.
One Sunday afternoon, we were riding around in a Chattanooga neighborhood when we saw a large two-story house at the end of a cul-de-sac that had an unusual style. They were having an open house. I said, “Oh I love that style. Let’s go look at that one.”
You said, “That's got to be way out of our price range. We can’t afford that. There’s no point of us looking at something we can’t buy.”
“I know we can’t afford it, but it’s so cool. I’d just like to see what it looks like inside. Can’t we at least look since it’s open?”
“Ok, if that’s what you want to do, but I think we’re wasting our time.”
Inside, the house had a large open area with a sunken great room and a 27-foot cathedral ceiling, which featured a stone fireplace that went all the way to the top of the tapered ceiling. The large foyer, dining room, and kitchen were connected with window-like openings into the great room. There was a stairway with landings at the end of the great room that led to a long balcony overlooking the room.
The house had four bedrooms, three full baths, a large pantry, and a separate laundry room. It was finished out a bit like a hunting lodge with rough textured cedar in the great room. The upstairs master suite also had a fireplace,a deck, and two closets., one of which was a huge walk-in. The house was nicely landscaped. and on a one-acre lot. The two-car oversized garage was on the lower level.
It had been on the market for a while, and the price had dropped from $110,000 to $96,000. It was still above our price range, but we were shocked that it was as low as it was. We picked up a brochure and decided to have Jane make an offer for us. We offered $85,000. The owner came off only $200. We came up to $87,000. Again he countered with another $200 off. It was apparent this wasn’t going anywhere.
We told Jane to make one final offer for $92,000, and let him know it was a cash offer and it would be our final offer. To our amazement. he accepted it because he was buying a house in Memphis and having to make loan payments on both houses. We set the closing date for the day after our house would close in Metairie.
We had gotten $7,000 from your mom’s estate after the money was divided among five kids and her funeral was paid for. We had enough cash without having to take more from the money we’d gotten when you retired. Jane was ecstatic. We learned it was the first house she’d ever sold, and the fact that it was a cash sale made her assume we had money. Now, she wanted her daughter to meet Don even more.
November rolled around and President Reagan’s second term came to an end. It probably was a good thing because he was still sharp enough to be president, although he sometimes fell asleep during long boring meetings.
Not too far into the New Year, he would announce to the world that he’d been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and so began his long journey that all who get this diagnosis must travel. He had been a favorite president for many, and we would miss him. His vice-president, George W. Bush, won the election, and so the Republican party stayed in control.
I went out and registered with a temporary agency and was sent to the hospital to work, pulling patient files and hanging X-rays for doctors.
Thanksgiving was coming up and you bought a turkey and all the fixings and cooked Thanksgiving dinner. I had to work at the hospital that morning, so you did all the work by yourself. You invited Christi and her friend over for dinner that evening.
When I came home, I was shocked to find a large table of food. You had taken the hinges off of a door and had laid it across two sawhorses you found in the downstairs garage. It was a great feast and it proved that no matter the circumstances, we could still find reasons to give thanks and celebrate.
For new readers, who may not have read my author notes, this is written in a conversational way as I talk to my deceased husband. When I refer to someone just as "you" this means I am addressing my husband, Evan.
Since we wouldn’t be closing the sale of our home until December, we decided to leave Don in Metairie, so he could continue working at his construction job and look after the house. We didn’t need to move the furniture because we hadn’t yet found a place in Tennessee. Don was happy with that arrangement because he was dreading leaving his girlfriend, Denise. She was upset because he was going to be moving.
It was September, and Connie had started her year as a Freshman at the Collegedale Academy. Each day after school, she was supposed to walk to the nearby apartment which Christi was sharing with a friend.
Carol and Glen were still packing to make their move to Florida, so you had nowhere to stay. You drove back to Metairie to pick me up so we could go back and find a place to live until the house closed. We didn’t like the idea of Christi being responsible for Connie, because we knew she could be a handful. You had barely gotten back home when we got a call from Christi, saying Connie had not shown up after school. She called Carol in a panic, but Carol didn't know what to do either. It was after dark and they had no idea where Connie was. Of course, we were both worried sick, but we were too far away to do anything other than wait for more news.
Fortunately, Christi called us back in the middle of the night, saying that Connie had just gotten in. Some girl she had met at school asked if she would like to go to Six Flags, in Atlanta, with her family. We got Connie on the phone and told her not to ever leave again without letting Christi know where she was. We knew the girl’s parents must have paid her way, because Connie didn’t have the kind of money to get into an expensive amusement park.
When we realized that Christi wasn’t going to be able to make sure Connie stayed out of trouble, we contacted the college and learned that there was guest lodging in one of the campus buildings reserved for visiting parents of college students. For the next month, they allowed us to rent a room and bath, and pay for it weekly. We picked Connie up from school each day. Then we got a notice that we would have to be out by the end of October, because it was a special week for parents and all the rooms had been reserved for that week.
Jane, our Realtor, knew a man who had an empty house he would allow us to rent until December, when our house would close. We were hoping to buy a house in the area soon, but until we did, we didn’t want to move our furniture from Metairie. Our solution was to load the van with a coffee table, a couple of chairs, a TV and a piece of our sectional, which converted into a bed. Luckily, the house had a working kitchen, complete with refrigerator, so we planned to live minimalistically for the last month.
Connie chose to stay with Christi again, since she had a place to sleep there. We soon realized we couldn’t really sleep on the lumpy sofa bed, so we bought a mattress set and put it on the floor of one of the bedrooms. Jane continued to show us houses and we made an offer on one in Chattanooga, but it really wasn’t something we were thrilled with. It already had a contract on it, and we were relieved when the other party bought it.
One Sunday afternoon, we were riding around in a Chattanooga neighborhood when we saw a large two-story house at the end of a cul-de-sac that had an unusual style. They were having an open house. I said, “Oh I love that style. Let’s go look at that one.”
You said, “That's got to be way out of our price range. We can’t afford that. There’s no point of us looking at something we can’t buy.”
“I know we can’t afford it, but it’s so cool. I’d just like to see what it looks like inside. Can’t we at least look since it’s open?”
“Ok, if that’s what you want to do, but I think we’re wasting our time.”
Inside, the house had a large open area with a sunken great room and a 27-foot cathedral ceiling, which featured a stone fireplace that went all the way to the top of the tapered ceiling. The large foyer, dining room, and kitchen were connected with window-like openings into the great room. There was a stairway with landings at the end of the great room that led to a long balcony overlooking the room.
The house had four bedrooms, three full baths, a large pantry, and a separate laundry room. It was finished out a bit like a hunting lodge with rough textured cedar in the great room. The upstairs master suite also had a fireplace,a deck, and two closets., one of which was a huge walk-in. The house was nicely landscaped. and on a one-acre lot. The two-car oversized garage was on the lower level.
It had been on the market for a while, and the price had dropped from $110,000 to $96,000. It was still above our price range, but we were shocked that it was as low as it was. We picked up a brochure and decided to have Jane make an offer for us. We offered $85,000. The owner came off only $200. We came up to $87,000. Again he countered with another $200 off. It was apparent this wasn’t going anywhere.
We told Jane to make one final offer for $92,000, and let him know it was a cash offer and it would be our final offer. To our amazement. he accepted it because he was buying a house in Memphis and having to make loan payments on both houses. We set the closing date for the day after our house would close in Metairie.
We had gotten $7,000 from your mom’s estate after the money was divided among five kids and her funeral was paid for. We had enough cash without having to take more from the money we’d gotten when you retired. Jane was ecstatic. We learned it was the first house she’d ever sold, and the fact that it was a cash sale made her assume we had money. Now, she wanted her daughter to meet Don even more.
November rolled around and President Reagan’s second term came to an end. It probably was a good thing because he was still sharp enough to be president, although he sometimes fell asleep during long boring meetings.
Not too far into the New Year, he would announce to the world that he’d been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and so began his long journey that all who get this diagnosis must travel. He had been a favorite president for many, and we would miss him. His vice-president, George W. Bush, won the election, and so the Republican party stayed in control.
I went out and registered with a temporary agency and was sent to the hospital to work, pulling patient files and hanging X-rays for doctors.
Thanksgiving was coming up and you bought a turkey and all the fixings and cooked Thanksgiving dinner. I had to work at the hospital that morning, so you did all the work by yourself. You invited Christi and her friend over for dinner that evening.
When I came home, I was shocked to find a large table of food. You had taken the hinges off of a door and had laid it across two sawhorses you found in the downstairs garage. It was a great feast and it proved that no matter the circumstances, we could still find reasons to give thanks and celebrate.
Since we wouldn’t be closing the sale of our home until December, we decided to leave Don in Metairie, so he could continue working at his construction job and look after the house. We didn’t need to move the furniture because we hadn’t yet found a place in Tennessee. Don was happy with that arrangement because he was dreading leaving his girlfriend, Denise. She was upset because he was going to be moving.
It was September, and Connie had started her year as a Freshman at the Collegedale Academy. Each day after school, she was supposed to walk to the nearby apartment which Christi was sharing with a friend.
Carol and Glen were still packing to make their move to Florida, so you had nowhere to stay. You drove back to Metairie to pick me up so we could go back and find a place to live until the house closed. We didn’t like the idea of Christi being responsible for Connie, because we knew she could be a handful. You had barely gotten back home when we got a call from Christi, saying Connie had not shown up after school. She called Carol in a panic, but Carol didn't know what to do either. It was after dark and they had no idea where Connie was. Of course, we were both worried sick, but we were too far away to do anything other than wait for more news.
Fortunately, Christi called us back in the middle of the night, saying that Connie had just gotten in. Some girl she had met at school asked if she would like to go to Six Flags, in Atlanta, with her family. We got Connie on the phone and told her not to ever leave again without letting Christi know where she was. We knew the girl’s parents must have paid her way, because Connie didn’t have the kind of money to get into an expensive amusement park.
When we realized that Christi wasn’t going to be able to make sure Connie stayed out of trouble, we contacted the college and learned that there was guest lodging in one of the campus buildings reserved for visiting parents of college students. For the next month, they allowed us to rent a room and bath, and pay for it weekly. We picked Connie up from school each day. Then we got a notice that we would have to be out by the end of October, because it was a special week for parents and all the rooms had been reserved for that week.
Jane, our Realtor, knew a man who had an empty house he would allow us to rent until December, when our house would close. We were hoping to buy a house in the area soon, but until we did, we didn’t want to move our furniture from Metairie. Our solution was to load the van with a coffee table, a couple of chairs, a TV and a piece of our sectional, which converted into a bed. Luckily, the house had a working kitchen, complete with refrigerator, so we planned to live minimalistically for the last month.
Connie chose to stay with Christi again, since she had a place to sleep there. We soon realized we couldn’t really sleep on the lumpy sofa bed, so we bought a mattress set and put it on the floor of one of the bedrooms. Jane continued to show us houses and we made an offer on one in Chattanooga, but it really wasn’t something we were thrilled with. It already had a contract on it, and we were relieved when the other party bought it.
One Sunday afternoon, we were riding around in a Chattanooga neighborhood when we saw a large two-story house at the end of a cul-de-sac that had an unusual style. They were having an open house. I said, “Oh I love that style. Let’s go look at that one.”
You said, “That's got to be way out of our price range. We can’t afford that. There’s no point of us looking at something we can’t buy.”
“I know we can’t afford it, but it’s so cool. I’d just like to see what it looks like inside. Can’t we at least look since it’s open?”
“Ok, if that’s what you want to do, but I think we’re wasting our time.”
Inside, the house had a large open area with a sunken great room and a 27-foot cathedral ceiling, which featured a stone fireplace that went all the way to the top of the tapered ceiling. The large foyer, dining room, and kitchen were connected with window-like openings into the great room. There was a stairway with landings at the end of the great room that led to a long balcony overlooking the room.
The house had four bedrooms, three full baths, a large pantry, and a separate laundry room. It was finished out a bit like a hunting lodge with rough textured cedar in the great room. The upstairs master suite also had a fireplace,a deck, and two closets., one of which was a huge walk-in. The house was nicely landscaped. and on a one-acre lot. The two-car oversized garage was on the lower level.
It had been on the market for a while, and the price had dropped from $110,000 to $96,000. It was still above our price range, but we were shocked that it was as low as it was. We picked up a brochure and decided to have Jane make an offer for us. We offered $85,000. The owner came off only $200. We came up to $87,000. Again he countered with another $200 off. It was apparent this wasn’t going anywhere.
We told Jane to make one final offer for $92,000, and let him know it was a cash offer and it would be our final offer. To our amazement. he accepted it because he was buying a house in Memphis and having to make loan payments on both houses. We set the closing date for the day after our house would close in Metairie.
We had gotten $7,000 from your mom’s estate after the money was divided among five kids and her funeral was paid for. We had enough cash without having to take more from the money we’d gotten when you retired. Jane was ecstatic. We learned it was the first house she’d ever sold, and the fact that it was a cash sale made her assume we had money. Now, she wanted her daughter to meet Don even more.
November rolled around and President Reagan’s second term came to an end. It probably was a good thing because he was still sharp enough to be president, although he sometimes fell asleep during long boring meetings.
Not too far into the New Year, he would announce to the world that he’d been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and so began his long journey that all who get this diagnosis must travel. He had been a favorite president for many, and we would miss him. His vice-president, George W. Bush, won the election, and so the Republican party stayed in control.
I went out and registered with a temporary agency and was sent to the hospital to work, pulling patient files and hanging X-rays for doctors.
Thanksgiving was coming up and you bought a turkey and all the fixings and cooked Thanksgiving dinner. I had to work at the hospital that morning, so you did all the work by yourself. You invited Christi and her friend over for dinner that evening.
When I came home, I was shocked to find a large table of food. You had taken the hinges off of a door and had laid it across two sawhorses you found in the downstairs garage. It was a great feast and it proved that no matter the circumstances, we could still find reasons to give thanks and celebrate.
 Recognized |
I'm continuing to recall memories of life with my deceased husband, Evan, as if I am talking aloud to him. I'm doing this because I want my children to know us as we knew each other and not just as their parents.
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