Maude

  “Are you going to be in trouble?”

  “No, everyone in the room told how she started it. When Mitch asked me if I wanted her fired, I said no. I was over being mad by them. I wouldn’t have minded pulling out all her hair, but I didn’t want to be responsible for the girl losing her job.”

  Why didn’t you punch Ellis?”

  “He didn’t do anything wrong. He was trying to push her off him.”

  I’d seen Betty Sue’s outbursts of temper ever since she was a baby. This Maris person was lucky she got out of it with only a handful of hair missing.

  Chapter 48

  The war dragged on. When it started, everyone around us had been convinced that once the Americans got involved, it would be over in only a few months. By 1944, we could see it was going to be a long, hard fight.

  Chapter 49

  The one war I couldn’t win was the one being carried on in my own household. Evelyn complained about everything.

  She couldn’t have new clothes. Donna was too much work. Gene was gone too much, working as many overtime hours as he could get and leaving her alone with his family. Gene gave me too much money and didn’t give her enough. She didn’t like my cooking, but didn’t offer to help with the meals. She thought I was too fussy about keeping the house clean.

  I had a few complaints of my own. She left a trail of empty glasses and magazines wherever she went. Her jackets were left hanging on the backs of chairs. There were sometimes so many of her clothes on the doorknob to their room she couldn’t close the door.

  I bit my tongue. I gave up trying to be friends with the girl and simply tried to stay away from her as much as possible. I wanted to have it out with her, but I didn’t dare. I didn’t want to know what would happen if Gene had to choose between her and me.

  I knew Gene was still so taken by Evelyn that he would take her side. That was the way it was supposed to be, wasn’t it? She was his wife. I loved the baby something awful, all of us Foleys did, even Paul, but I couldn’t help wishing that none of us had ever laid eyes on her beautiful, pouting mother.

  One morning I came out of my room just as Evelyn started downstairs. I was several steps behind her, and a cold, hard feeling came over me. It was all I could do to keep myself from giving her the same push that George’s mother had given me all those years ago. I didn’t have it in me. The realization that I hated someone so much I would wish them dead made me sick to my stomach. I went back to my room to ask God for forgiveness.

  I’d been praying about the situation daily ever since Gene married Evelyn, and it was only getting worse. What was the use of praying, if prayers did nothing to help? But I kept on praying about it anyway.

  I was carrying a laundry basket full of clothes from the back yard one day when I heard arguing coming from Gene’s room. I stopped at the top of the stairs and listened. It was Gene and Evelyn. The girl’s voice was demanding. I could picture her, pouting, with her bottom lip stuck out. She yelled, “Your mother takes almost all your money, and I can’t even have a new dress. You ought to tell her that you’re cutting back on what you pay her.”

  Gene tried to reason with her. “Mom doesn’t take my money. I give it to her. If we’re going to live in her house, we ought to pay our way. There’s food, electricity, gas for the stove, and lots of other things that have to be paid for. Besides, she’s out in the back now taking our laundry in from the line.”

  “Well, if we’re such a burden, we ought to get a place of our own. I hate living here. She looks at me like she hates me. Even Betty Sue won’t talk to me anymore.”

  “Nobody hates you, Evelyn. Maybe if you did more to help out around the house, they would warm up to you.”

  “I’ve got a baby to take care of, and you expect me to clean up after them? Your mother is a fanatic anyway! Clean, clean, clean. She won’t even leave a glass in the sink overnight.”

  “That’s part of her religion, Evelyn. She’s always believed that cleanliness is next to Godliness.”

  “Well, my mother is just as religious as she is, and you won’t see her spending her life scrubbing and cleaning.”

  There was a pause in the argument, and I could picture Gene holding his tongue. Mrs. Mayse was far from a good housekeeper. The few times I’d been to her house, it was a mess. When we went over there, Ola was usually sitting of the front porch of the Mayse house on St. Paul, chatting with a neighbor.

  The first time she invited us to come inside, her housekeeping shocked me. Jackets and coats were thrown one on top of another on the dining room chairs. Schoolbooks were strewn on the table. The table, sink and drain boards were piled high with dishes. I could see where Evelyn got her habits. It was just as well Gene didn’t say anything about Ola’s housekeeping during his argument with Evelyn.

  I turned away from Gene’s door and went to my own room. I didn’t want to hear any more. I had the feeling Evelyn wouldn’t be happy until she talked Gene into moving out.

  Chapter 50

  I read about the war in every day’s paper and listened to it on the radio news every night. I never missed one of President Roosevelt’s “Fireside Chats.” I found it comforting that the President of the United States came into my living room from time to time. It was almost as if he were talking right to me and my family.

  I kept on praying for the troops, asking God to put a guardian angel in charge of each and every one of them.

  I encouraged every member of my house to do what they could for the war effort. George hadn’t bought another car but was still bumming rides from John to get to and from work. I gave some of my food rationing stamps to Bessie to help with the expenses. I stretched my groceries to the limit, skimping on butter and flour and other things to make them last as long as possible. I planned to plant another small victory garden in the summer, even though our patch of backyard was so small it wouldn’t yield much of a crop. I kept a can in the icebox for extra grease, and when it was full, I had George take it to the collection center and turn it in. Our tin cans were flattened and set out by the curb for pick-up. I can honestly say we did our best.

  Chapter 51

  Paul was crazy about Evelyn and hung around her every minute he could. He joked and clowned, trying to make her laugh. He would stuff a raw egg all the way into his mouth, sing silly songs, make faces, anything to get her attention. One morning, Evelyn was in the kitchen and got up to take the milk out of the icebox. When she went back to the table, Paul bowed and made a big show of being a gentleman. He pulled out her chair for her, grinned real big, and held it. When she went to sit down, he jerked it out from under her. Evelyn fell to the floor with a plop and sat there with her feet sticking straight out in front of her and her mouth open.

  I could see Paul was waiting for her laugh, and when it didn’t come, realized that he’d made a huge mistake. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he sobbed. I hurried over and helped Evelyn to her feet.

  “Paul didn’t mean anything by it, Evelyn. He would never try to hurt you. He was just clowning.”

  Evelyn didn’t answer, just turned, glared at me, and went upstairs. Paul went into the living room and sat on the chair by the window, staring out at the traffic. When Gene came in from work a few minutes later he could sense something was wrong. He picked Donna up out of her high chair, nuzzled her, then looked at me. “Where’s Evelyn?” he asked.

  I sighed but didn’t turn around. “She’s upstairs.”

  Gene hurried upstairs and didn’t come back down until I called to them that I had dinner on the table. While they were eating, he put his hand over Evelyn’s and made his announcement.

  “Evelyn and I have decided to get our own place. It’s just too hard to have two families under one roof.”

  I looked down at my plate, expecting George to make some sort of protest. He didn’t. He just kept on eating. “If that’s what you think best,” he said nonchalantly. “John will help. We can use his truck.”

  I fought the urge to pick up the bowl of mashed pota
toes and dump it on George’s head. How would we get by without the money Gene gave us each week? Knowing that nothing I had to say would make a difference, I remained silent while we ate.

  Washing up later in the kitchen, I hoped that having Evelyn out of the house would remove some of the un-Christian feelings I had toward the girl. Maybe it would all work out for the best.

  Gene found a little apartment for them a few miles farther out Jefferson Avenue. It was closer to his work, but farther from his family. They moved in with the furniture from Gene’s bedroom and some things that Ola and Smith Mayse gave them. Evelyn was all excited about having her own home. She looked so happy that I felt a little better about losing my boy, who was now 23 years old. Maybe if she were satisfied he would be satisfied, and that’s all any mother really wants.

  Gene brought the baby over for several hours every weekend, giving Evelyn some time to herself. He caught the bus a block from his apartment, and it was only a fifteen minute ride to our place. Evelyn never came with him, and that was fine with me. We would take turns playing with Donna, and I would fix a special meal. It was my one perfect day. I had Gene, Donna, and Betty Sue all with me at one time.

  When Gene left he would slip me some folded bills. At first I didn’t want to take them, but he insisted. He knew I was having a hard time making ends meet since he moved out. George was not one to volunteer for overtime. I wondered if Evelyn knew he was still giving me money. I figured not. If Evelyn had known, she would have put a stop to it, one way or another.

  On April 12th, 1945, President Roosevelt, passed away, and Harry Truman was sworn in as President. I prayed for him. I didn’t know a lot about him but had read that his language was sometimes salty. I didn’t like that, but decided I would wait and see how he did before I made any judgment about him.

  On May 9th, the Germans officially surrendered and the war in Europe was over.

  On August 6th, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. It was horrible, and to me it was what I envisioned as the wrath of God.

  Still, the Japanese would not surrender, and on August 9th, another bomb was dropped, this time on Nagasaki.

  On September 2nd, the Japanese gave up the struggle, and the world was finally at peace. The men would be coming home soon.

  On September 20th, little Donna turned three.

  Chapter 52

  Gene showed up at my house one Friday evening right before dinner. I’d always been proud of how he took care of himself, but he was a different person that night. His hair wasn’t combed, he had stubble, and his clothes looked like he’d been sleeping in them. When he walked in the kitchen, I nearly fainted at the sight of him.

  “What’s happened? Is Donna all right?”

  “I don’t know. Evelyn had Smith come get her. They took her and her clothes and the baby. She’s left me, Mom.”

  “When?”

  “Tuesday night. I kept thinking she would change her mind and come home. Tonight, I went over to the Mayse house and tried to talk to her, but she sent one of her sisters out to the porch to tell me it was too late. She wouldn’t even come out and talk to me.”

  “What did you fight over, Gene?”

  “That’s just it. We didn’t have any big fight, or anything like that. We were all right one day, and the next she wouldn’t have anything to do with me.” His face twisted, and I thought he was going to start crying. “I thought if I gave her what she wanted she would come to love me like I love her, but it never happened. Now, I guess she’s just glad to be rid of me.”

  He slumped down in a chair at the kitchen table and sobbed. A rush of anger ran all over me. If Evelyn had been in the room, I would have choked the life out of her. This was exactly what I’d feared the first time Evelyn came to my house, and Gene had that love-struck look on his face.

  I patted Gene’s shoulder, but I couldn’t speak until I made an effort to control my rage. How dare anyone hurt a man as good as Gene! How could she be so ungrateful? Gene rescued Evelyn when she was desperate, pregnant, and alone. He had been a good husband to her. He had loved her, had adored her, in fact. To see him hurting so, I wished for a minute that I had pushed her down the stairs that day.

  “You didn’t fight at all before she left?”

  “We argued about the money I gave you. She had my pay stub and she knew that I didn’t spend it all on rent and the things she wanted. She’s been after me about it all along.”

  My heart was breaking at the sight of my boy’s pain and the thought that I may have been part of it. “I’ll go talk to her tomorrow. Maybe I can get her to change her mind.”

  He shook his head. “It’s no use. She’s not coming back.”

  The next morning I walked the few blocks to the Mayse house on St. Paul Street. Ola answered the door. When she saw me, she looked sympathetic.

  I tried to smile but wasn’t very successful. “Ola, I’d like to talk to Evelyn, please.”

  “Come on in. I tried to talk to her last night but it didn’t do any good. She’s got her mind made up.”

  She held open the door and waved toward the sofa. “Sit down. I’ll get her.” I moved a pile of clothes over enough to sit.

  Ola called upstairs, “Evelyn, Mrs. Foley is here. She wants to talk to you.”

  “I don’t want to talk to her.”

  Ola’s big bosom heaved in a long sigh. “Get on down here and listen to what she has to say! That’s the least you can do.”

  I heard Evelyn stomping her feet as she came down the stairs. She came in and stood across the room from me, her arms crossed and her head tilted to one side. She gave me a stubborn look and jutted out her bottom lip in a pout as she did so often.

  I didn’t know where to begin but plunged in. “Evelyn, please come back to Gene. He loves you so much. He’s miserable with you and the baby gone.”

  “I’m not coming home. I’m getting a divorce.”

  A divorce? She was already thinking about a divorce? “Isn’t there anything we can do to change your mind? Gene said you were upset that he gave me money. I promise, I’ll never let him give me another penny.”

  “I don’t care, it’s too late now.”

  “But how will you make a living?”

  “Daddy already got me a job working with him at the Rubber Company. I’ll start Monday.”

  Working full time? “But what about Donna?”

  “You don’t have to worry about her. Mama will take care of her for me.”

  I realized it was hopeless. Evelyn must have been planning this all along. Jobs at the Rubber Company weren’t that easy to come by, especially now with the men coming home from the war. I thought again about the time I’d fought the impulse to shove Evelyn down the stairs. For the second time in one day, I regretted doing it.

  I asked, “You’ll still let us see the baby, won’t you?”

  Evelyn tilted her head as she thought it over. “Sure, anytime you want.”

  I rose to leave. “I hope you’ll change your mind someday, Evelyn. There won’t ever be a man who loves you more than Gene.”

  Evelyn didn’t say anything, only smirked, so I said goodbye to Ola and left.

  When I got home, Gene waited at the front door. He must have been watching for me out the window.

  “What did she say? Will she come back?”

  I shook my head. “She’s determined, Gene. I don’t think she’ll be back.”

  “What about the baby? Can I still see her?”

  “I already asked that. She said you could see her anytime you wanted. At least we have that. I hope she doesn’t change her mind about it.”

  “I’ll see her every minute I can.”

  The next day, Gene gave up his apartment and moved back into his room at our place. He said the landlord wasn’t sorry to see him go since the men were coming home, and since the demand for housing was at an all-time high, he could raise the rent considerably.

  Gene was back in the family as if Evelyn had never come into his life. The only d
ifference was he could still see his little girl. He was ordered to pay child support, and I never once heard him complain about it. In fact, he went way above that. He bought all Donna’s clothes and shoes as well.

  He stopped by the Mayse’s every Friday afternoon on his way back from work and brought Donna home with him. He returned her on Monday mornings on his way to the factory.

  Even after the divorce was final, he never lost hope that Evelyn would agree to come back to him. From time to time, she would let him take her to the movies and out to dinner.

  He pinned his hopes for the future on the day she would come back.

  Chapter 53

  About a year after the divorce, I was sweeping the walk out in front of the house one day when I looked up and saw Gene walking home from the bus stop. He stopped a few doors down to chat with a neighbor, Henry Wills. Henry knew both the Mayse and our families.

  Gene talked to him and smiled until Henry said something that caused Gene to step back so fast he almost tripped. His whole appearance changed. He said a hurried goodbye and ran the rest of the way home.

  He grabbed my arm. There were tears in his eyes. “Mom, Evelyn’s gotten married again. Now I’ll never get her back.”

  My heart broke for him all over again. I wondered if he would get over loving Evelyn. I hugged him. “I’m sorry, Gene. Maybe it’s all for the best.”

  He pressed his lips together and nodded. “I guess.” Then he had a horrified look. “Oh, God! What if they take Donna to live with them? They may not let us see her anymore.”

  I almost started crying myself. I couldn’t think of any words to comfort him. The thought of not being able to spend time with the little girl we loved so much was terrible. If that was what Evelyn wanted, I knew there might be nothing we could do about it. The courts always gave children to the mother.