| Biographical Non-Fiction posted May 4, 2021 | Chapters: |
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Evan is recovering from hip surgery.
A chapter in the book Remembering Yesterday
The Fall of 1990
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.
The first few days you were out of the hospital were rough. I helped you bathe and dress before I left for work, but you didn’t like me leaving you. Christi and Connie were there, so you weren’t alone, but I don’t think they were much help. I did have to take off work again to take you to the doctor, because you were convinced Christi couldn’t handle that job. Your walker folded up easily, so that wasn’t that much of a problem. The physical therapist came every day for a while. You liked him for his witty personality, but you didn’t like the work he made you do.
After a week at home, your brother, Rhomas, and sister, Maxine, came up and stayed with you for several days. They took you to the mall, rented a wheelchair, and rolled you all over the place. You enjoyed the company and Maxine made sure you got lunch. You had lost some weight following the surgery. Since Christi wasn't much help in that department, you were starting to have to put your own meals together.
Don and Kimberly came back from the honeymoon with pictures of the trip. They had both spent so much money on the wedding and the trip to Aruba, that their financial condition was causing them to panic. They’d both been working as hard as they could to clear up some debts. It seemed that they were exhausted and fighting over everything. We gave them more money than we’d planned since they obviously needed it. Their financial situation was putting a real strain on their relationship. Don shocked us by saying that they had to go away somewhere for a few days to try to salvage their marriage. It was a bad sign to have things go sour so quickly. It didn’t help knowing the money we gave to help with their finances was being used for another trip. In addition to the trip, they’d bought an expensive Chow puppy.
Apparently, neither of them knew the meaning of spending only what they could afford. You and I didn’t know how to manage money either, but we learned rather quickly. I still remember when you got paid on Friday, and we were broke by Monday. I can remember owing four loan companies at once, and pawning our watches and a pistol to make it until payday. That got old fast. Common sense kicks in eventually. We never asked our parents for money, but we did appreciate the vegetable care packages.
Christi was supposed to be taking a beauty course, but she wasn’t going to class regularly, and when she did go, she took your van. She had decided she didn't want to be a hairdresser, and she wanted out, but she was told if she dropped the course, she would have to pay back the grant money she got in order to take the course. She kept ruining the clutch on her car. She was on her fourth one. It had a warranty, but only the part was guaranteed, so she was driving her current boyfriend crazy, trying to replace them for her. At the moment, he was someone named Lee.
We insisted that she do something about the kittens, which the stray cat she’d brought home gave birth to in our garage. She called the TV station and put our number out on the air. The number had barely aired, when a man called and said he’d take two of the kittens. Actually, I think it was the only call we got. When he came by to pick them up, he was on a motorcycle. Christi talked him into taking three of them. I can only imagine how he was able to get those cats back to his place. Cats go bananas when they have to ride in a car.
I didn’t see him, but Connie and Christi described him as grungy. He lived on a houseboat. He had a long, dirty-blond ponytail and a scraggly beard. We didn’t realize it at the time but he evidently felt that having adopted our kittens made him a part of our family. It would be a while before we heard the last of this character. He’d barely gotten back to his boat, when he called back to give a "kitten update." He said they loved their new home. This was the first of many kitty reports. If I happened to answer the phone when he called, he’d call me “Mom.” I was too shocked to correct him.
On Halloween, Christi decorated the house and made herself up to look like a witch. When the doorbell rang, she answered the door with a kitten in her hand. She actually got rid of two more of them this way. I often wondered how the mothers reacted to that for a treat. I hoped the kids couldn’t remember which doorbell they happened to ring that night.
As the school year progressed, Connie shocked us by suddenly becoming the kind of student we’d always thought she could be, if she ever got interested in school. English was her best subject, and she was making excellent grades in everything she was taking. I wondered if the difference was that Lenny was only available to spend time with her on weekends. She and a girlfriend went up to visit him one weekend. He was in a fraternity, but Connie said his fraternity brothers asked her why he had suddenly stopped wanting to hang around them anymore. Lenny decided, after the first semester, that this engineering school wasn’t for him, and he planned to come back and go to college in Chattanooga for the Spring semester.
Connie had a job at the mall working at a Haagen-Dazs ice cream parlor. She worked for several months, but was finally laid off, and we never found out why. She said her boss's girlfriend didn't like her. We did eventually learn that our daughter and some of her friends toilet-papered the owner’s house on Halloween night. Those kind of things always came to light so long after the fact, that the statute of limitations has passed for punishment.
Don was concerned because the instructors at Life College were really pushing the New Age movement. He and Kimberly felt that it went against their beliefs.
The newlyweds were spending the weekend with us, and Connie and Lenny were here. They all got to talking about religion and they were up until three in the morning, still discussing their beliefs. Don said Lenny was really interested. He seemed to be going through some crisis in his life, and he was becoming a more serious person. The next weekend, Lenny didn’t come back to Chattanooga. He said Don got him interested in the Bible and he’d never read it, so he went to the library and checked out a copy. He said he didn’t know there were so many interesting stories in it. I found that strange, because his mother was Episcopalian, and she was even thinking about becoming a minister.
Carol and Glen went to his parents in Georgia for Thanksgiving, because he wanted to go hunting. Connie's best friend from New Orleans, Lesley, came up to spend Thanksgiving with her. We celebrated Thanksgiving early here on the Sunday before the holiday, so Don and Kimberly could be with us. Lesley flew into Atlanta. Connie and some friends picked her up from the airport terminal. Lesley was shocked at how large our house was. Our house in New Orleans was much smaller and on a tiny lot.
You didn’t go with us to Mississippi for Thanksgiving, because you didn’t think you felt like traveling that far yet. We went in Connie’s car, so she drove. Lesley and Lenny went with us. Lenny had spent the night at our house. When I went in to wake the kids, I was shocked to find all three of them asleep in the same bed. Lenny told me not to worry, because the girls didn’t let him get under the cover, and he nearly froze all night. Lenny, Lesley and Christi rode in the back seat of Connie's car and teased her about her driving. They started playing a card game, and I think Connie was jealous, because they seemed to be having so much fun.
We all spent Thanksgiving night at Mom and Dads' house, and on Friday we went to Hattiesburg to meet Lesley’s mom, Diane. We all ate lunch together at a Morrison’s Cafeteria and went shopping afterward. The kids wanted to go back to Chattanooga, so we drove back Friday evening rather than Sunday. Lenny really liked my Mom and Dad and said he was glad he came. Mom liked Lenny as well, and Connie was on her best behavior, so she didn't antagonize Mom as she has at times.
You were very happy to see us back two days early.
Evan is 62 and a retired drafting supervisor from Chevron Oil.
Beth is 53 and has had a variety of jobs. She is presently working with a local printing company.
Carol is 30, a nurse at Florida Hospital in Orlando. She is married and living in Florida.
Glen Egolf is Carol’s husband. He is 27 and soon will get his nursing degree from Southern College in Orlando.
Don is a twin. He is 27 and at Life Chiropractic College.
Christi is Don’s twin. She is working toward becoming a massage therapist.
Kimberly Dye is Don’s wife. She is a nurse working in Atlanta near Don's school.
Connie is our youngest daughter. She is seventeen. She is in her senior year of high school.
Others mentioned: Helen and Maxine: Evan's sisters. Rhomas is Evan's brother Lee is Christi's friend. Lesley is Connie's friend from New Orleans. Diane is Lesley's mother and my friend.
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.
The first few days you were out of the hospital were rough. I helped you bathe and dress before I left for work, but you didn’t like me leaving you. Christi and Connie were there, so you weren’t alone, but I don’t think they were much help. I did have to take off work again to take you to the doctor, because you were convinced Christi couldn’t handle that job. Your walker folded up easily, so that wasn’t that much of a problem. The physical therapist came every day for a while. You liked him for his witty personality, but you didn’t like the work he made you do.
After a week at home, your brother, Rhomas, and sister, Maxine, came up and stayed with you for several days. They took you to the mall, rented a wheelchair, and rolled you all over the place. You enjoyed the company and Maxine made sure you got lunch. You had lost some weight following the surgery. Since Christi wasn't much help in that department, you were starting to have to put your own meals together.
Don and Kimberly came back from the honeymoon with pictures of the trip. They had both spent so much money on the wedding and the trip to Aruba, that their financial condition was causing them to panic. They’d both been working as hard as they could to clear up some debts. It seemed that they were exhausted and fighting over everything. We gave them more money than we’d planned since they obviously needed it. Their financial situation was putting a real strain on their relationship. Don shocked us by saying that they had to go away somewhere for a few days to try to salvage their marriage. It was a bad sign to have things go sour so quickly. It didn’t help knowing the money we gave to help with their finances was being used for another trip. In addition to the trip, they’d bought an expensive Chow puppy.
Apparently, neither of them knew the meaning of spending only what they could afford. You and I didn’t know how to manage money either, but we learned rather quickly. I still remember when you got paid on Friday, and we were broke by Monday. I can remember owing four loan companies at once, and pawning our watches and a pistol to make it until payday. That got old fast. Common sense kicks in eventually. We never asked our parents for money, but we did appreciate the vegetable care packages.
Christi was supposed to be taking a beauty course, but she wasn’t going to class regularly, and when she did go, she took your van. She had decided she didn't want to be a hairdresser, and she wanted out, but she was told if she dropped the course, she would have to pay back the grant money she got in order to take the course. She kept ruining the clutch on her car. She was on her fourth one. It had a warranty, but only the part was guaranteed, so she was driving her current boyfriend crazy, trying to replace them for her. At the moment, he was someone named Lee.
We insisted that she do something about the kittens, which the stray cat she’d brought home gave birth to in our garage. She called the TV station and put our number out on the air. The number had barely aired, when a man called and said he’d take two of the kittens. Actually, I think it was the only call we got. When he came by to pick them up, he was on a motorcycle. Christi talked him into taking three of them. I can only imagine how he was able to get those cats back to his place. Cats go bananas when they have to ride in a car.
I didn’t see him, but Connie and Christi described him as grungy. He lived on a houseboat. He had a long, dirty-blond ponytail and a scraggly beard. We didn’t realize it at the time but he evidently felt that having adopted our kittens made him a part of our family. It would be a while before we heard the last of this character. He’d barely gotten back to his boat, when he called back to give a "kitten update." He said they loved their new home. This was the first of many kitty reports. If I happened to answer the phone when he called, he’d call me “Mom.” I was too shocked to correct him.
On Halloween, Christi decorated the house and made herself up to look like a witch. When the doorbell rang, she answered the door with a kitten in her hand. She actually got rid of two more of them this way. I often wondered how the mothers reacted to that for a treat. I hoped the kids couldn’t remember which doorbell they happened to ring that night.
As the school year progressed, Connie shocked us by suddenly becoming the kind of student we’d always thought she could be, if she ever got interested in school. English was her best subject, and she was making excellent grades in everything she was taking. I wondered if the difference was that Lenny was only available to spend time with her on weekends. She and a girlfriend went up to visit him one weekend. He was in a fraternity, but Connie said his fraternity brothers asked her why he had suddenly stopped wanting to hang around them anymore. Lenny decided, after the first semester, that this engineering school wasn’t for him, and he planned to come back and go to college in Chattanooga for the Spring semester.
Connie had a job at the mall working at a Haagen-Dazs ice cream parlor. She worked for several months, but was finally laid off, and we never found out why. She said her boss's girlfriend didn't like her. We did eventually learn that our daughter and some of her friends toilet-papered the owner’s house on Halloween night. Those kind of things always came to light so long after the fact, that the statute of limitations has passed for punishment.
Don was concerned because the instructors at Life College were really pushing the New Age movement. He and Kimberly felt that it went against their beliefs.
The newlyweds were spending the weekend with us, and Connie and Lenny were here. They all got to talking about religion and they were up until three in the morning, still discussing their beliefs. Don said Lenny was really interested. He seemed to be going through some crisis in his life, and he was becoming a more serious person. The next weekend, Lenny didn’t come back to Chattanooga. He said Don got him interested in the Bible and he’d never read it, so he went to the library and checked out a copy. He said he didn’t know there were so many interesting stories in it. I found that strange, because his mother was Episcopalian, and she was even thinking about becoming a minister.
Carol and Glen went to his parents in Georgia for Thanksgiving, because he wanted to go hunting. Connie's best friend from New Orleans, Lesley, came up to spend Thanksgiving with her. We celebrated Thanksgiving early here on the Sunday before the holiday, so Don and Kimberly could be with us. Lesley flew into Atlanta. Connie and some friends picked her up from the airport terminal. Lesley was shocked at how large our house was. Our house in New Orleans was much smaller and on a tiny lot.
You didn’t go with us to Mississippi for Thanksgiving, because you didn’t think you felt like traveling that far yet. We went in Connie’s car, so she drove. Lesley and Lenny went with us. Lenny had spent the night at our house. When I went in to wake the kids, I was shocked to find all three of them asleep in the same bed. Lenny told me not to worry, because the girls didn’t let him get under the cover, and he nearly froze all night. Lenny, Lesley and Christi rode in the back seat of Connie's car and teased her about her driving. They started playing a card game, and I think Connie was jealous, because they seemed to be having so much fun.
We all spent Thanksgiving night at Mom and Dads' house, and on Friday we went to Hattiesburg to meet Lesley’s mom, Diane. We all ate lunch together at a Morrison’s Cafeteria and went shopping afterward. The kids wanted to go back to Chattanooga, so we drove back Friday evening rather than Sunday. Lenny really liked my Mom and Dad and said he was glad he came. Mom liked Lenny as well, and Connie was on her best behavior, so she didn't antagonize Mom as she has at times.
You were very happy to see us back two days early.
Evan is 62 and a retired drafting supervisor from Chevron Oil.
Beth is 53 and has had a variety of jobs. She is presently working with a local printing company.
Carol is 30, a nurse at Florida Hospital in Orlando. She is married and living in Florida.
Glen Egolf is Carol’s husband. He is 27 and soon will get his nursing degree from Southern College in Orlando.
Don is a twin. He is 27 and at Life Chiropractic College.
Christi is Don’s twin. She is working toward becoming a massage therapist.
Kimberly Dye is Don’s wife. She is a nurse working in Atlanta near Don's school.
Connie is our youngest daughter. She is seventeen. She is in her senior year of high school.
Others mentioned: Helen and Maxine: Evan's sisters. Rhomas is Evan's brother Lee is Christi's friend. Lesley is Connie's friend from New Orleans. Diane is Lesley's mother and my friend.
The first few days you were out of the hospital were rough. I helped you bathe and dress before I left for work, but you didn’t like me leaving you. Christi and Connie were there, so you weren’t alone, but I don’t think they were much help. I did have to take off work again to take you to the doctor, because you were convinced Christi couldn’t handle that job. Your walker folded up easily, so that wasn’t that much of a problem. The physical therapist came every day for a while. You liked him for his witty personality, but you didn’t like the work he made you do.
After a week at home, your brother, Rhomas, and sister, Maxine, came up and stayed with you for several days. They took you to the mall, rented a wheelchair, and rolled you all over the place. You enjoyed the company and Maxine made sure you got lunch. You had lost some weight following the surgery. Since Christi wasn't much help in that department, you were starting to have to put your own meals together.
Don and Kimberly came back from the honeymoon with pictures of the trip. They had both spent so much money on the wedding and the trip to Aruba, that their financial condition was causing them to panic. They’d both been working as hard as they could to clear up some debts. It seemed that they were exhausted and fighting over everything. We gave them more money than we’d planned since they obviously needed it. Their financial situation was putting a real strain on their relationship. Don shocked us by saying that they had to go away somewhere for a few days to try to salvage their marriage. It was a bad sign to have things go sour so quickly. It didn’t help knowing the money we gave to help with their finances was being used for another trip. In addition to the trip, they’d bought an expensive Chow puppy.
Apparently, neither of them knew the meaning of spending only what they could afford. You and I didn’t know how to manage money either, but we learned rather quickly. I still remember when you got paid on Friday, and we were broke by Monday. I can remember owing four loan companies at once, and pawning our watches and a pistol to make it until payday. That got old fast. Common sense kicks in eventually. We never asked our parents for money, but we did appreciate the vegetable care packages.
Christi was supposed to be taking a beauty course, but she wasn’t going to class regularly, and when she did go, she took your van. She had decided she didn't want to be a hairdresser, and she wanted out, but she was told if she dropped the course, she would have to pay back the grant money she got in order to take the course. She kept ruining the clutch on her car. She was on her fourth one. It had a warranty, but only the part was guaranteed, so she was driving her current boyfriend crazy, trying to replace them for her. At the moment, he was someone named Lee.
We insisted that she do something about the kittens, which the stray cat she’d brought home gave birth to in our garage. She called the TV station and put our number out on the air. The number had barely aired, when a man called and said he’d take two of the kittens. Actually, I think it was the only call we got. When he came by to pick them up, he was on a motorcycle. Christi talked him into taking three of them. I can only imagine how he was able to get those cats back to his place. Cats go bananas when they have to ride in a car.
I didn’t see him, but Connie and Christi described him as grungy. He lived on a houseboat. He had a long, dirty-blond ponytail and a scraggly beard. We didn’t realize it at the time but he evidently felt that having adopted our kittens made him a part of our family. It would be a while before we heard the last of this character. He’d barely gotten back to his boat, when he called back to give a "kitten update." He said they loved their new home. This was the first of many kitty reports. If I happened to answer the phone when he called, he’d call me “Mom.” I was too shocked to correct him.
On Halloween, Christi decorated the house and made herself up to look like a witch. When the doorbell rang, she answered the door with a kitten in her hand. She actually got rid of two more of them this way. I often wondered how the mothers reacted to that for a treat. I hoped the kids couldn’t remember which doorbell they happened to ring that night.
As the school year progressed, Connie shocked us by suddenly becoming the kind of student we’d always thought she could be, if she ever got interested in school. English was her best subject, and she was making excellent grades in everything she was taking. I wondered if the difference was that Lenny was only available to spend time with her on weekends. She and a girlfriend went up to visit him one weekend. He was in a fraternity, but Connie said his fraternity brothers asked her why he had suddenly stopped wanting to hang around them anymore. Lenny decided, after the first semester, that this engineering school wasn’t for him, and he planned to come back and go to college in Chattanooga for the Spring semester.
Connie had a job at the mall working at a Haagen-Dazs ice cream parlor. She worked for several months, but was finally laid off, and we never found out why. She said her boss's girlfriend didn't like her. We did eventually learn that our daughter and some of her friends toilet-papered the owner’s house on Halloween night. Those kind of things always came to light so long after the fact, that the statute of limitations has passed for punishment.
Don was concerned because the instructors at Life College were really pushing the New Age movement. He and Kimberly felt that it went against their beliefs.
The newlyweds were spending the weekend with us, and Connie and Lenny were here. They all got to talking about religion and they were up until three in the morning, still discussing their beliefs. Don said Lenny was really interested. He seemed to be going through some crisis in his life, and he was becoming a more serious person. The next weekend, Lenny didn’t come back to Chattanooga. He said Don got him interested in the Bible and he’d never read it, so he went to the library and checked out a copy. He said he didn’t know there were so many interesting stories in it. I found that strange, because his mother was Episcopalian, and she was even thinking about becoming a minister.
Carol and Glen went to his parents in Georgia for Thanksgiving, because he wanted to go hunting. Connie's best friend from New Orleans, Lesley, came up to spend Thanksgiving with her. We celebrated Thanksgiving early here on the Sunday before the holiday, so Don and Kimberly could be with us. Lesley flew into Atlanta. Connie and some friends picked her up from the airport terminal. Lesley was shocked at how large our house was. Our house in New Orleans was much smaller and on a tiny lot.
You didn’t go with us to Mississippi for Thanksgiving, because you didn’t think you felt like traveling that far yet. We went in Connie’s car, so she drove. Lesley and Lenny went with us. Lenny had spent the night at our house. When I went in to wake the kids, I was shocked to find all three of them asleep in the same bed. Lenny told me not to worry, because the girls didn’t let him get under the cover, and he nearly froze all night. Lenny, Lesley and Christi rode in the back seat of Connie's car and teased her about her driving. They started playing a card game, and I think Connie was jealous, because they seemed to be having so much fun.
We all spent Thanksgiving night at Mom and Dads' house, and on Friday we went to Hattiesburg to meet Lesley’s mom, Diane. We all ate lunch together at a Morrison’s Cafeteria and went shopping afterward. The kids wanted to go back to Chattanooga, so we drove back Friday evening rather than Sunday. Lenny really liked my Mom and Dad and said he was glad he came. Mom liked Lenny as well, and Connie was on her best behavior, so she didn't antagonize Mom as she has at times.
You were very happy to see us back two days early.
Evan is 62 and a retired drafting supervisor from Chevron Oil.
Beth is 53 and has had a variety of jobs. She is presently working with a local printing company.
Carol is 30, a nurse at Florida Hospital in Orlando. She is married and living in Florida.
Glen Egolf is Carol’s husband. He is 27 and soon will get his nursing degree from Southern College in Orlando.
Don is a twin. He is 27 and at Life Chiropractic College.
Christi is Don’s twin. She is working toward becoming a massage therapist.
Kimberly Dye is Don’s wife. She is a nurse working in Atlanta near Don's school.
Connie is our youngest daughter. She is seventeen. She is in her senior year of high school.
Others mentioned: Helen and Maxine: Evan's sisters. Rhomas is Evan's brother Lee is Christi's friend. Lesley is Connie's friend from New Orleans. Diane is Lesley's mother and my friend.
 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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