Authors: Donna Mabry
Evelyn ate as much as any of the men. She grew bigger
every day. Gene doted on her, bringing little gifts home
with him the way he used to do for me, and buying her
special candy. If they were in the same room he was
always touching her, his hand on her arm, his arm
around her waist, or holding her hand. I could clearly
see that she didn’t return his affection. For so many
years, I’d longed for George to touch me that way. It
made me want to smack her to see that she didn’t
appreciate it at all.
Every man in my house loved Evelyn, including
Paul. She and George formed a bond almost
immediately, laughing together, leaning in to whisper
to one another.
Her mother and father pretty much stayed away
from our place. When George asked about them, she
told him that her mother had her hands full with so
many children. There were six still at home, including
a toddler. It was a full time job to see after them, even
if Freda, the oldest after Evelyn, did a lot to help.
Once Evelyn was living with us, her friendship
with Betty Sue cooled off. I understood that. Betty Sue
was crowded out of her place with her father the same
way I was crowded out of Gene’s time. Sometimes,
when Gene or George was making over Evelyn, how
pretty she was, or something like that, Betty Sue would
stomp up the stairs and slam her door. I could hear her
up there, crashing around her room. A few times, she
and Evelyn exchanged sharp words and I saw Betty
Sue clench up her fist. I knew that if she weren’t afraid
of what Gene might do, she would have punched
Evelyn right in the nose.
Paul followed Evelyn around like a puppy. He
was fourteen and would do anything to get her
attention, making faces like a six-year-old, standing on
his head in the corner, telling stupid jokes to make her
laugh.
By the end of August, Evelyn weighed almost
two hundred pounds. She turned eighteen on August
28
th
.
On the 17th of the September, her water broke,
and Gene went next door to Bessie’s to call the doctor.
We Foleys were still scrimping to pay the bills and a
car of our own and a telephone were still luxuries to
us.
Gene was told to take her to Cottage Hospital in
Grosse Pointe Farms, several miles down Jefferson
Avenue. There were closer hospitals, but many were
flooded with American soldiers and sailors recovering
from the battles going on in the Pacific and Africa.
They took her bag and left. Gene was gone all
night. When he came home the next day, he told me all
about it. Evelyn was admitted to the hospital. They put
her on a gurney and left it at the end of a line of
gurneys placed in the hall. There weren’t any rooms
available at the time, but they promised her she would
get a room as soon as possible. Gene said he stood next
to her and held her hand. After several hours, a kind
nurse brought him a chair and put it against the wall so
he could sit.
Evelyn labored all day on the 19th and the baby
still hadn’t been born. Gene came home for a few
minutes to tell us what was happening, take a bath, and
change clothes, then went back to the hospital.
I had five babies born at home with no drugs and
not much help. I wondered, how bad could it be to give
birth in a hospital?
Gene said he sat on his chair, still in the hospital
corridor, for another long night while Evelyn suffered
even more than she had the day and night before. From
time to time one doctor or another would come by, lift
the sheet and do a quick examination. He would pat
her hand and say, “Don’t worry, it won’t be long now,”
and go his way.
They explained to Gene that drugs were in short
supply and childbearing was the most natural thing in
the world, not something to waste painkillers on when
boys were dying all over the world. When Gene told
us how she was suffering, even I felt sorry for her.
It was early on the morning of Sunday,
September 20
th
, that the pains got the worst. Still,
Evelyn wasn’t offered any medicine to help her. Her
crying and moaning became screams, and the doctor
called several nurses who rolled out curtained
partitions and placed them around her gurney to give
her a little privacy. Gene was sent to the waiting room
where he paced and prayed and worried. He called
Bessie’s again to tell us that the baby was finally on its
way into the world.
Shortly after that, the nurse came and informed
him that Evelyn had a healthy baby girl, nine pounds,
fourteen ounces, and that the baby was doing just fine,
but the mother had lost a lot of blood, and her hip had
been dislocated. They finally put Evelyn in a ward that
had eight beds crowded in a room built for four.
Gene was led to her and stayed there with her for
several more hours. When the nurse came in carrying
the baby for Evelyn to breast-feed, he was sent out of
the room. After a half-hour, the nurse came out
carrying the baby, and he followed her down to the
nursery. He was told to go stand in front of the
window, and he could see his baby. She laid it in a little
bed next to the side wall of the nursery. When the nurse
saw him craning his neck to look at it, she rolled the
bed over to the window so he could get a better view.
Evelyn stayed in the hospital for three more days
in a ward so packed there was barely room for the
nurse to walk between the beds. Gene went back to
work on Monday, but was at the hospital that night
until they chased him out.
He went on and on about that baby, like there’d
never been another baby born in the world. He visited
with Evelyn for a while each afternoon and spent the
rest of the time staring at the pink bundle in the
nursery.
Gene borrowed an extra bed from Bessie and put
it in the dining room so Evelyn wouldn’t have to walk
up and down stairs for a while.
On Wednesday, the doctor decided Evelyn had
recovered enough, and she and the baby were sent
home in an ambulance. I met them in front of the
house. Gene handed the baby to me, and he and
George locked hands, lifted Evelyn out of the
ambulance, and carried her in the house.
I pulled the blanket away from the baby’s face,
expecting to see a miniature Evelyn. What I saw about
knocked me out. I was holding a copy of my Lulu. The
baby’s head was perfectly round, her skin pink. She
opened deep blue eyes and looked up at me, then
closed them and went back to sleep. Her head was
covered in soft, blonde fuzz. She looked, for all the
world exactly the way Lulu looked when she was first
put in my arms so many years before.
I made no move to go inside. I stood for several
minutes on the sidewalk and finally went up the steps.
I sat in the rocker on the front porch, rocking and
staring at the child I’d expected to resent, but who
already filled my heart to overflowing with love. Her
plump, pink cheeks and blonde head seemed all too
familiar to me, taking me back so many years to
another baby girl. I knew this baby wasn’t my blood,
but my heart stirred all the same.
I didn’t know how much time passed when Gene
came out to get me. He reached out his hands for the
baby. “The doctor told Evelyn she had to nurse her
every three hours, even if she had to wake her up, and
it’s way past that now.”
I made no move to hand her over. I just rocked
and stared at that baby’s face. Gene said, “Mom, I have
to take her inside.”
I stood and held the baby even closer to my
chest. I started toward the door, and Gene held it open
for me. I carried her to the dining room that had been
made into a temporary bedroom for Evelyn, and
stopped several feet from the bed. Evelyn held out her
arms expectantly, but I couldn’t give her the precious
bundle. Evelyn frowned, “Give me the baby, Mrs.
Foley. I have to feed her now.”
Still, I clutched the baby to myself. It woke and
started crying. I still made no move to give that little
girl to her mother. Gene put his hand on my elbow,
“Mom, give Donna to Evelyn.”
The sound of the name woke me. “Donna? Is that
her name? Donna?’
Evelyn smiled, “Donna Lee, after Donna Reed,
the movie star.”
“What about Lee? Is that one of your friends?”
“No, I just thought it sounded right, Donna Lee
Foley,” Evelyn said, still holding out her arms for the
baby, who began crying even louder.
I looked down at that little face again and finally
handed her to Gene, who gave her to Evelyn. I turned
and left the room.
I went back out to the porch and Gene came out
and took the chair next to me. We sat without speaking
for a while, looking out at the passing cars.
Gene put his hand on mine and told me what went
on at the hospital, “I don’t know what happened to me,
Mom. When I saw that baby it was like a whole part
of me that I didn’t even know existed woke. My mind
hasn’t been off her for a split second ever since. I
thought that I could never love anyone the way I love
Evelyn, but that baby has changed my mind. I don’t
care if she does belong to someone else, she’s mine.
Does that make any sense at all?”
I rocked and nodded. “It’s a funny thing, that
feeling. It doesn’t always come when it’s supposed to,
and sometimes it happens when you weren’t even
looking for it.”
“Is that the way you felt when we were born?”
I didn’t answer right away. I looked out at the
street and kept my face turned away from my son. I
would never lie to him.
“Mom?”
“Like I said, it doesn’t always come when it’s
supposed to.”
Now there were two females in the house that
got all the men’s attention. Even Betty Sue and Paul
took to the baby. We all wanted to hold her when
Evelyn wasn’t feeding her. Gene and George would
come in from work and go straight to Donna, cooing
and talking to her until it was time for her to get her
bath and go to sleep.
In a few weeks, Evelyn was strong enough to
move her bed back upstairs to Gene’s room. She lost
the extra baby-weight right off, and in only six months
was as slim as ever.
My own body had thickened a little with each
birth, and I couldn’t help but resent how fast Evelyn
got her figure back. I was happy to tend to the baby
when Evelyn wanted Gene to take her to the movies or
anywhere else.
Betty Sue helped when she could, but she was
still in school. I shopped for groceries, cooked all the
meals, washed, folded and ironed for the seven of us,
and did all the cleaning, including Gene and Evelyn’s
room. Evelyn slept late, fed the baby, and read movie
star magazines.
I was sorry my eyes had begun to fail and I
couldn’t sew and embroider the little dresses for
Donna that I made for my other girls. I doted on that
baby all the same. Whenever I shopped, I always
found enough extra money to buy her something, even
if only a pair of knit booties with little balls on the
strings.
The child thrived, surrounded by smiling,
adoring adults. By the time she was a few months old,
Paul was carrying her around the house perched on one
hip so much George teased him that he’d be lop-sided
for the rest of his life. It even softened my heart for the
boy. If Paul could love this child the same as the rest
of us loved her, maybe he wasn’t as hopeless a case as
I’d feared.
A little banner with a blue star on it representing a
family member in the armed forces hung in the
window of our front door. Early one Saturday
afternoon in the spring of 1944, it shook when
someone knocked.
There stood my oldest son, Bud. His job was
training new recruits. His commanding officer must
have really liked him, because he didn’t set a very
good example for the men. He spent most of his leave
time drunk in the stockade, so we hadn’t seen him for
over two years. He gave me and Paul a quick hug, then
grabbed his sister Betty Sue and lifted her off the floor,
twirling her around. When he set her down, he turned
his attention to his father, hugging him first and then
shaking his hand as if he would never let it go.
After Gene came to see what was going on, Bud
grabbed his hand, pumping it up and down. “I hear
you’re an old married man now, with a baby to boot.
Let’s meet the old ball and chain.”
Gene smiled sheepishly. “Okay. I’ll call her.”
He went to the bottom of the stairs and called up,
“Evelyn, come on down here. I’ve got someone I want
you to meet.”
Evelyn stuck her head out of the bedroom door,
“Just a minute, Gene, I’m…” her voice trailed off
when she saw the tall, handsome man in uniform
standing next to Gene. She came bouncing down the
stairs with a flirtatious smile. I saw the look on Bud’s
face, and I couldn’t help but snicker. He was already
just as hypnotized by her as the rest of the men in the
house.
Gene wrapped his arm around her waist,
claiming her as his own. “Evelyn, this is my big
brother, Bud. Bud, this is my wife, Evelyn.”
Bud never took his eyes off Evelyn. After a
moment, he was jarred out of his trance, realizing he
needed to say something. He slapped Gene on the
shoulder. “How did an ugly mug like you ever catch
this beauty?”
There was an awkward silence, and then George
said, “We just locked her up in the kitchen and
wouldn’t let her leave until she married one of us.
Since I’m taken, and Paul was too young, she got stuck
with Gene.”
Bud held Evelyn’s hand. “Well, I’m sorry you
didn’t keep her locked up till I got here. I would have
kept her for myself.”
Gene tightened his grip on Evelyn, pulling her
against him. “Well, she’s all mine. You missed the boat
on that one.”
Bud shook his head. “Too bad. That’s what I get
for not getting shipped out sooner.”
George’s face turned white. “What do you mean,
shipped out? I thought they would keep you here to
train the new recruits.”
“All good things must come to an end. Just about
every unit at Ft. Knox is shipping out. The war won’t
last much longer. I’ve got two weeks leave, and then
I’m getting my unit ready to go overseas.”
George’s voice thickened. “Where are they
sending you?”
“Who knows? Everything’s a secret nowadays.
You know what they say,
loose lips sink ships
.”
I patted Bud on the arm. “You’ll be safe. I’ll pray
for you every night. Right now, I’ll make you a special
dinner, anything you want.”
“Anything?”
I smiled. “What would you like?”
“I’ll take about ten pieces of that fried chicken
and some of those float-on-air biscuits and mashed
potatoes and the gravy so thick it won’t even pour.”
“Good as done. I don’t even have to go to the
store.”
George wrapped his arm around Bud’s shoulder.
“I’m going to take all three of my boys out for a beer,
Maude. We’ll be back in no time.”
My heart sank. I knew if Bud started drinking,
he wouldn’t stop. “Why don’t you just stay home and
let Bud tell you about what he’s been doing? I know
Paul would like to hear his adventures.”
“Paul can go with us,” said George. “He can
have a Coke-cola. I want to show my boy off a little.
He looks so good in that uniform, and he’s going off
to serve his country. I’m proud of him. Look at his
sleeve. He’s got his sergeant’s stripes back again.”
George walked next to Bud with his arm still
draped over his shoulder. They were the same height
and build, and had the same gait. From the back, only
the uniform and a little gray in George’s hair told them
apart. Gene walked behind, and Paul ran in circles
around them
I called after them, “Dinner will be on the table
at six.”
I had dinner on the table at six sharp. I walked to
the front door every ten minutes and peered down the
street, but there was still no sign of them. Finally, at
seven, Evelyn began to complain. “I’m hungry, let’s
eat.”
Betty Sue joined in, “Let them eat when they get
in, Mom.”
So we three women had our dinner. Usually a
healthy eater, I just pushed my food around. After
dinner, Evelyn took Donna back upstairs to bathe her
and tuck her in for the night. Betty Sue and I took the
plates to the kitchen and threw a cloth over the food on
the table. The men could eat it cold when they came
home, whenever that would be. I heard the radio in
Gene’s room come on. I knew I wouldn’t see Evelyn
again that night. It was no loss to me. Every minute
spent alone with her was tiresome. I had nothing to say
to the girl.
Gene and Paul came in around nine o’clock. I
met them at the door, “Where are your father and
Bud?” I asked. I leaned close enough to Gene that I
could smell his breath. There was no trace of beer.
“They’re still down at the beer garden,” Gene
said. “The two of them are telling jokes and stories,
and they’ve got everyone laughing at them. You know
how they are.”
“Yes, I know how they are. I’m glad you had the
good sense to come home sober.” Gene was always the
one I could depend upon, always my good boy.
“Paul and I did have one Dr Pepper too many.
Didn’t we Paul?” Gene elbowed Paul in the ribs.
Paul smiled. “Yeah, but we won’t have a
hangover in the morning, will we?”
“That’s right,” Gene answered.
I prodded Paul toward the stairs. “Get to bed or
there’s no way I can get you up for church in the
morning.”
Paul sulked and hung his head. “I don’t want to
go to church.”
“I don’t care what you want. Get upstairs this
minute.”
Paul turned and, grumbling to himself, went to
his room.
Gene gave me a quick hug. “I better get upstairs
myself or Evelyn will be chewing me out.”
I watched him with a frown as he went up.
Before he married, he never missed a Sunday service,
but I wouldn’t call him to get up early in the morning.
Evelyn’s mother was a Baptist, and the girl refused to
go to church with me, but didn’t make any effort to go
with her mother, either. Since Evelyn didn’t go, Gene
stopped going. He preferred to spend every possible
minute with his beautiful wife and daughter.
I felt it was George’s fault that members of my
family showed disrespect to church attendance. He’d
set the example. I didn’t even try to stifle the
resentment gnawing at me.
I went to bed, but lay awake in the dark and
listened for George and Bud to come home. It was after
midnight when I heard the sound of voices singing
loudly and George and Bud stumbling up the front
steps. I almost ran to meet them.
I planted myself in front of them as they came in
the door. They held one another up, and both of them
ignored me. They reeked of beer and cigarettes. Bud
practically fell on the sofa and went right to sleep.
George took Bud’s shoes off and covered him with a
blanket. I went back to bed.
I got up early the next morning and dressed for
church. Paul refused to get out of bed, kicking at my
hand when I pulled on his foot to wake him. I finally
gave it up, and Betty Sue and I went next door and rode
with Bessie and her family. I was grateful Bessie had
the good sense not to ask about them. I knew she had
to have heard the men come home.
George had to work the next day, so Bud went out
alone Sunday night.
Monday afternoon, when George came home
from work in John’s truck, he brought a full size set of
bedding with him. He’d bought it second-hand from
one of the men he worked with at the factory.
I asked, “What’s that for, George?”
“I’m putting it in the basement for Bud. I don’t
want him to have to sleep on that sofa. It’s too short
for him.”
“He’s only going to be here for two weeks, and
he’ll be drunk most of that time. What are we going to
do with it then?”
George lowered his head and glared at me. “He’s
going off to war, Maude. If he’s scared and feels the
need to ease that a little by drinking before he goes,
then that’s all right with me. I’m scared myself. Once
he leaves, we may never see our boy again, and I’m
going to treat him right while I still have him.”
I threw my hands in the air and went back to the
kitchen.
George and Bud went out together that night.
George came home early by himself and came to bed
without his supper. I lay with my back to him and said
nothing. Sometime early in the morning, I woke when
I heard Bud come staggering in and going to the
basement. I guessed George explained the
arrangement to him.
Bud came home drunk every night. George went
out and drank with him on Fridays and Saturdays.
The two weeks leave came and went, and Bud
made no move to pack up and re-join his company.
I asked him, “Won’t you get in trouble?”
“Nah. Me and the Old Man are buddies. I saved
his life one time.”
“How did you do that?’
“I had a bunch of new recruits out on the firing
range when the Old Man came to check us out. One of
the greenhorns went a little nuts. He pointed his rifle
at the Old Man and said he was going to kill him. I got
between them and said he’d have to shoot me first.”
“Oh, Bud! That was so brave of you!”
“Not really. I knew the boy was just scared of
going off to war. I talked to him until I could see he
was calming down. He finally put down the rifle, and
they took him off to the infirmary. We never saw him
again. Since then, the Old Man goes out of his way to
make my life easier. That’s why I got my stripes back.”
One afternoon at the end of the third week, two
MPs came to the door looking for Bud. He was still
sleeping, and when I called down to him, he came and
greeted the MPs like old friends. The three of them
slapped one another on the back and joked like longlost brothers. I couldn’t believe it. Like his father, Bud
certainly could charm the birds out of the trees.
The next thing I knew, the three of them had
gone off somewhere. They didn’t come back until
early morning. I found one sleeping on the sofa and
Bud on the floor. The other one slept in Bud’s bed.
They went out drinking together the next night and the
next.
Two more MPs came to the door, and Bud
greeted them as heartily as he had the first pair. I
couldn’t help but wonder if he’d made friends with
every MP in his camp. As often as he’d lost his stripes
over the years, I figured he probably was on a firstname basis with each and every one of them. This new
pair must have had had stricter orders than the last and
refused the offer of a beer. Bud finally gathered up his
things and the five of them left after Bud gave hugs
and handshakes all around. He promised to write
home.
George stood on the porch and watched them
drive away with his oldest son, carrying him back to
Kentucky and then to the war. He didn’t come inside
for a long time, and when he did, he went straight to
the basement.
He didn’t come up until he had to get ready for
work Monday morning. I went about my business. I
knew I couldn’t comfort him, but I promised myself I
would remember Bud in my prayers every night as
much for George’s sake as for Bud’s.