| Biographical Non-Fiction posted January 17, 2022 | Chapters: |
...141 142 -144- 144... 
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The end of another year in the life of Shelby family.
A chapter in the book Remembering Yesterday
Saying Good-bye to 1994
by BethShelby
| Background This chapter is out of order. it belongs after chapter 144 |
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.
As the summer of 1994 drew to a close, Connie learned that Charlie was thinking of changing his major, and he wanted to check out the colleges in the Chattanooga area. She told me that he would be coming to visit and would be staying in our guest room. He had a grandmother who lived in North Alabama, and Charlie talked his parents into paying her a visit and bringing him along. Since Boaz, Alabama wasn't that far from Chattanooga, Connie agreed to go down and pick him up.
It was your first time to meet Charlie. Don and I had met him earlier when we were in Newton. You and Charlie got off to a good start, because he was easy to talk to, and he seemed to know a lot about things you found interesting. Like you, he was a typical Mississippi country boy, and since he was a member of the same denomination we belonged to, the two of you had common interests. This was unusual because you weren't one for small-talk, and you'd not found much in common with other love interests our children had dragged in.
No one mentioned to Charlie the guest room where he would be staying was also the place where we kept Connie' s parakeet. Charlie must have noticed the cage, but he wasn't aware the bird was able to open the cage door and fly free. We awoke the following morning to a blood curdling yell from the guest room. We all rushed to see what might have happened to our house guest. We found Charlie ducking and batting the air with his hands, while a very disturbed little bird circled the room trying to figure out who was this unfriendly stranger who dared to invade his territory. The parakeet was used to being allowed to sit on our shoulders and peck at our cheek. We thought Charlie's reaction was hilarious, but Connie didn't seem to appreciate our sense of humor.
Charlie stayed a couple of days. I assume Connie showed him the colleges Chattanooga had to offer, but he didn't intend to move here for the fall semester. He had decided he wanted to become an EMT and would be going to Mississippi Southern College in Hattiesburg for the fall semester. Connie took him to Atlanta one of the days, and they visited Don and Kimberly. She also took him to a place she and her friends liked called Little Five Points. Charlie declared it to be a 'Sodom and Gomorrah'. To a Mississippi country boy, it was a bit too wild.
Connie took him back to Alabama the following day, to ride home with his parents. She met his grandmother who was part Indian. Charlie told her when they had family reunions, one relative came in full native Indian costume with headdress.
When Connie got back in school this time, she was at the University. Her old boyfriend, Lenny, was a student there, in the process of getting two majors. Lenny's sister was also in school there, and she was in one of Connie's classes. By this time, Lenny had a steady girlfriend, who was attending UTC. Connie and Lenny talked briefly once, when she asked to borrow a cage for a hamster she'd brought from camp. He seemed nervous about being around her. She was told by others his new girlfriend was extremely jealous of her. She learned just how jealous when the girl confronted her and let her know Lenny was off limits, and he was now her property.
With Charlie back in Mississippi and Connie back in college, she found time to do things with other friends, both girls and boys. She did things, from time to time, with J.P, but he realized he was no longer the main guy in her life. Connie got upset if much time passed without hearing from Charlie. For a while they talked on the phone, but his parents, as well as you and I, did our best to discourage those expensive, long-distance phone calls. They began to write letters to each other. Connie let me read some of the letters. He was creative and he often wrote poetry to her. I was impressed with his writing ability, but not so much his spelling, which was pretty awful.
Don called asking us for a loan because they were in financial trouble, and Kimberly was scheduled to give birth in a little over a month. We loaned them $3,000, but time would prove we wouldn't be getting any of it back. We had them sign a loan agreement, but they had some astronomical school loans, and Don still was waiting to take his boards in order to become a certified Chiropractor.
On the morning of October 5, Don called us excited because Kimberly was in labor. She had a midwife who would be delivering the baby. Don asked if we would be coming down. I had thought about it, but I knew I hadn't wanted anyone in the family there, other than you, when I gave birth. I told him we'd come later to see our new grandchild. Kimberly's mom went down immediately. Don called back later that afternoon to let us know that Lauren Elizabeth Jane Shelby was a healthy baby and Kimberly was doing fine. I think Connie was more excited than anyone. Kimberly had used mine and her mother's names, but the little girl would be called Lauren. She was our first grandchild, and our son was thrilled to be a father.
We did go the following Sunday to see our granddaughter, and it was fun to be able to cuddle the new addition and to know our family line would continue. At least, one of our four had provided us with a grandchild. Time would tell if there would be more.
Shortly after the baby was born Don spent the weekend taking his boards, and he passed them. He had done a fine job of reworking the house which had been trashed when they bought it. It was their plan to sell the house, move back to Chattanooga and see if he could find an established Chiropractor, who would let him come in with him, until he could get his own practice off the ground.
Christi was continuing to live with us and do massages and work at her receptionist job. She was seeing a lot of different guys. Just when it looked as though she was interested in one, she would sabotage the relationship by finding someone else she found more to her liking. There was a club near us that had live music at night, and she persuaded them to let her perform there. At least twice a week she sang country songs, and occasionally she was able to get her friend Jack to sing with her. Christi had a good voice, but her life went in too many different directions. She might have done well in office work, but she was always on the verge of getting fired for coming in late. She might have had a successful massage business, but she made her clients wait, and she talked too much while doing the massages and wasn't professional enough with folding her sheets and towels.
I was using my free time to do a little writing of poems and short stories, and Christi decided she wanted to be a writer. She tried her hand at writing country songs and wanted to write and publish a self-help book. She had read a lot of self-help books dealing with her problems, and now she felt qualified to write a book, although she hadn't conquered her own issues. With so many different interests, she had no time to hone her skills in any one direction.
Carol was dealing with her problems too, but at least, she seemed to be able to handle them herself. Things were up the air as to whether or not she would be able to stay where she was. Living with Pam was touch and go. Pam was kept in turmoil over Phil, who she had hoped to have move into the apartment. In November, Pam gave up on Phil and decided to take a job in Crossville. Carol had the choice of continuing to rent the garage apartment, and she was much happier after Pam moved out. She invited Connie to move in with her and Connie loved the idea. Now our household was once again at three with Christi still at home.
Carol changed jobs in December leaving Memorial Hospital to work for a rehab hospital. She was also taking a computer course at the community college in case she decided she wanted to get out of nursing entirely.
In December, Mom called me and said she had cataracts which had to be removed and asked if I could come and take her to Meridian to have the surgery. Dad was eighty-four and had bad eyesight as well, and she didn't trust his driving. I went down and took her to have one eye done. The second eye was scheduled for January. I also took her to the heart doctor while there, because she had had some concerns in that area and her cholesterol was extremely high.
I brought Mom and Dad back to Chattanooga with me to stay a few days, because they were anxious to see their new great-grandchild. It was Dad's first time to visit our house in Chattanooga. Don and Kimberly brought the baby over and Mom got to hold her all afternoon. I was glad I got to take pictures with the two of them with the baby, because as it turned out, there wouldn't be another chance.
Evan is 66 and a retired drafting supervisor from Chevron Oil.
Beth is 57 and has had a variety of jobs. She is presently working temporary jobs.
Carol is 32, recently divorced, and a nurse, working at a hospital in Chattanooga and living in an apartment.
Don is a twin. He is 31, a recent graduate of Life Chiropractic College
Christi is Don’s twin. She is working as a receptionist at a chemical company and doing massages on the side.
Kimberly Dye is Don’s wife. She is a nurse working in Atlanta. She will give birth to their first child in this chapter.
Lauren Elizabeth Jane Shelby is the new baby that is born in the chapter.
Connie is our youngest daughter. She is twenty-one. She and a junior in college.
J.P. is Connie's last boyfriend. Charlie is her new boy Connie's met at camp. Lenny is a boyfriend from highschool she dated three years.
Pam is Carol's roommate and Phil is Pam's husband who is soon to be an ex.
Jane is Kimberly's mother.
As the summer of 1994 drew to a close, Connie learned that Charlie was thinking of changing his major, and he wanted to check out the colleges in the Chattanooga area. She told me that he would be coming to visit and would be staying in our guest room. He had a grandmother who lived in North Alabama, and Charlie talked his parents into paying her a visit and bringing him along. Since Boaz, Alabama wasn't that far from Chattanooga, Connie agreed to go down and pick him up.
It was your first time to meet Charlie. Don and I had met him earlier when we were in Newton. You and Charlie got off to a good start, because he was easy to talk to, and he seemed to know a lot about things you found interesting. Like you, he was a typical Mississippi country boy, and since he was a member of the same denomination we belonged to, the two of you had common interests. This was unusual because you weren't one for small-talk, and you'd not found much in common with other love interests our children had dragged in.
No one mentioned to Charlie the guest room where he would be staying was also the place where we kept Connie' s parakeet. Charlie must have noticed the cage, but he wasn't aware the bird was able to open the cage door and fly free. We awoke the following morning to a blood curdling yell from the guest room. We all rushed to see what might have happened to our house guest. We found Charlie ducking and batting the air with his hands, while a very disturbed little bird circled the room trying to figure out who was this unfriendly stranger who dared to invade his territory. The parakeet was used to being allowed to sit on our shoulders and peck at our cheek. We thought Charlie's reaction was hilarious, but Connie didn't seem to appreciate our sense of humor.
Charlie stayed a couple of days. I assume Connie showed him the colleges Chattanooga had to offer, but he didn't intend to move here for the fall semester. He had decided he wanted to become an EMT and would be going to Mississippi Southern College in Hattiesburg for the fall semester. Connie took him to Atlanta one of the days, and they visited Don and Kimberly. She also took him to a place she and her friends liked called Little Five Points. Charlie declared it to be a 'Sodom and Gomorrah'. To a Mississippi country boy, it was a bit too wild.
Connie took him back to Alabama the following day, to ride home with his parents. She met his grandmother who was part Indian. Charlie told her when they had family reunions, one relative came in full native Indian costume with headdress.
When Connie got back in school this time, she was at the University. Her old boyfriend, Lenny, was a student there, in the process of getting two majors. Lenny's sister was also in school there, and she was in one of Connie's classes. By this time, Lenny had a steady girlfriend, who was attending UTC. Connie and Lenny talked briefly once, when she asked to borrow a cage for a hamster she'd brought from camp. He seemed nervous about being around her. She was told by others his new girlfriend was extremely jealous of her. She learned just how jealous when the girl confronted her and let her know Lenny was off limits, and he was now her property.
With Charlie back in Mississippi and Connie back in college, she found time to do things with other friends, both girls and boys. She did things, from time to time, with J.P, but he realized he was no longer the main guy in her life. Connie got upset if much time passed without hearing from Charlie. For a while they talked on the phone, but his parents, as well as you and I, did our best to discourage those expensive, long-distance phone calls. They began to write letters to each other. Connie let me read some of the letters. He was creative and he often wrote poetry to her. I was impressed with his writing ability, but not so much his spelling, which was pretty awful.
Don called asking us for a loan because they were in financial trouble, and Kimberly was scheduled to give birth in a little over a month. We loaned them $3,000, but time would prove we wouldn't be getting any of it back. We had them sign a loan agreement, but they had some astronomical school loans, and Don still was waiting to take his boards in order to become a certified Chiropractor.
On the morning of October 5, Don called us excited because Kimberly was in labor. She had a midwife who would be delivering the baby. Don asked if we would be coming down. I had thought about it, but I knew I hadn't wanted anyone in the family there, other than you, when I gave birth. I told him we'd come later to see our new grandchild. Kimberly's mom went down immediately. Don called back later that afternoon to let us know that Lauren Elizabeth Jane Shelby was a healthy baby and Kimberly was doing fine. I think Connie was more excited than anyone. Kimberly had used mine and her mother's names, but the little girl would be called Lauren. She was our first grandchild, and our son was thrilled to be a father.
We did go the following Sunday to see our granddaughter, and it was fun to be able to cuddle the new addition and to know our family line would continue. At least, one of our four had provided us with a grandchild. Time would tell if there would be more.
Shortly after the baby was born Don spent the weekend taking his boards, and he passed them. He had done a fine job of reworking the house which had been trashed when they bought it. It was their plan to sell the house, move back to Chattanooga and see if he could find an established Chiropractor, who would let him come in with him, until he could get his own practice off the ground.
Christi was continuing to live with us and do massages and work at her receptionist job. She was seeing a lot of different guys. Just when it looked as though she was interested in one, she would sabotage the relationship by finding someone else she found more to her liking. There was a club near us that had live music at night, and she persuaded them to let her perform there. At least twice a week she sang country songs, and occasionally she was able to get her friend Jack to sing with her. Christi had a good voice, but her life went in too many different directions. She might have done well in office work, but she was always on the verge of getting fired for coming in late. She might have had a successful massage business, but she made her clients wait, and she talked too much while doing the massages and wasn't professional enough with folding her sheets and towels.
I was using my free time to do a little writing of poems and short stories, and Christi decided she wanted to be a writer. She tried her hand at writing country songs and wanted to write and publish a self-help book. She had read a lot of self-help books dealing with her problems, and now she felt qualified to write a book, although she hadn't conquered her own issues. With so many different interests, she had no time to hone her skills in any one direction.
Carol was dealing with her problems too, but at least, she seemed to be able to handle them herself. Things were up the air as to whether or not she would be able to stay where she was. Living with Pam was touch and go. Pam was kept in turmoil over Phil, who she had hoped to have move into the apartment. In November, Pam gave up on Phil and decided to take a job in Crossville. Carol had the choice of continuing to rent the garage apartment, and she was much happier after Pam moved out. She invited Connie to move in with her and Connie loved the idea. Now our household was once again at three with Christi still at home.
Carol changed jobs in December leaving Memorial Hospital to work for a rehab hospital. She was also taking a computer course at the community college in case she decided she wanted to get out of nursing entirely.
In December, Mom called me and said she had cataracts which had to be removed and asked if I could come and take her to Meridian to have the surgery. Dad was eighty-four and had bad eyesight as well, and she didn't trust his driving. I went down and took her to have one eye done. The second eye was scheduled for January. I also took her to the heart doctor while there, because she had had some concerns in that area and her cholesterol was extremely high.
I brought Mom and Dad back to Chattanooga with me to stay a few days, because they were anxious to see their new great-grandchild. It was Dad's first time to visit our house in Chattanooga. Don and Kimberly brought the baby over and Mom got to hold her all afternoon. I was glad I got to take pictures with the two of them with the baby, because as it turned out, there wouldn't be another chance.
Evan is 66 and a retired drafting supervisor from Chevron Oil.
Beth is 57 and has had a variety of jobs. She is presently working temporary jobs.
Carol is 32, recently divorced, and a nurse, working at a hospital in Chattanooga and living in an apartment.
Don is a twin. He is 31, a recent graduate of Life Chiropractic College
Christi is Don’s twin. She is working as a receptionist at a chemical company and doing massages on the side.
Kimberly Dye is Don’s wife. She is a nurse working in Atlanta. She will give birth to their first child in this chapter.
Lauren Elizabeth Jane Shelby is the new baby that is born in the chapter.
Connie is our youngest daughter. She is twenty-one. She and a junior in college.
J.P. is Connie's last boyfriend. Charlie is her new boy Connie's met at camp. Lenny is a boyfriend from highschool she dated three years.
Pam is Carol's roommate and Phil is Pam's husband who is soon to be an ex.
Jane is Kimberly's mother.
 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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