As I walked into the foyer of the elderly home my palms began to sweat. I had not seen my great aunt in close to five years due to the distance she lived away, and I did not know what to expect when I saw her. The memories I have of her are of an imposing women who seemed to stand watch over her family. She is the last of her generation on a side of my family I know very little a bout. She holds the key to the stories I may never her if she does not disclose them. My father and I made our way up her floor, and as we did my dad reminded me of how much she disliked talking of the past and that she was never the storytelling type, which did not help my already nervous ego. We turned the corner and there she was waiting for us she smiled and
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Xavier’s, a Catholic all girls high school, Barbara’s world view was widened as World War II took its hold on the world. Her first personal experience with the war came when her oldest brother, Charles, was drafted into the effort in 1941, despite his father’s reassurance that he never would. Soon after Charlie was drafted, Ivo went next. Then out of nowhere it seemed all the men had disappeared. Barbara’s only true interaction with the men was when there were dances held for soldiers in town, these were some of the greatest times during her teenage years. They would meet young boys spend a great evening dancing and laughing, and never have to see them again. Though she never allowed herself to think about what those boys were going to return to once the got shipped back into …show more content…
Barbara never felt the need to really search for a husband or go out of her way to find dates. She was happy the way she had t then. Though Barbara did date along the way. She remembers her and Alice dating twin boys from Wisconsin named Jerry and Jimmy. The boys were sweet, but again the distance was too much for the young girls. Barbara’s parents also did not like the idea of the two girls traveling up there to see the boys, it came off as suspicious to them. So the two girls moved on never truly thinking that having a husband was a necessity. As time passed Barbara continued to provide for herself while living with Alice. Barbara remembers this time as the tranquil years, the years where not much occurred and she enjoyed her time working. She says working at the First National Bank of Chicago was where she made some of her best memories. Barbara worked at the bank for thirty-one years in total and she reminisces on them as some of the best years of her life. She only left once new management cam in, management that did not like her being there. So Barbara retired and Alice followed the same
Xavier’s, a Catholic all girls high school, Barbara’s world view was widened as World War II took its hold on the world. Her first personal experience with the war came when her oldest brother, Charles, was drafted into the effort in 1941, despite his father’s reassurance that he never would. Soon after Charlie was drafted, Ivo went next. Then out of nowhere it seemed all the men had disappeared. Barbara’s only true interaction with the men was when there were dances held for soldiers in town, these were some of the greatest times during her teenage years. They would meet young boys spend a great evening dancing and laughing, and never have to see them again. Though she never allowed herself to think about what those boys were going to return to once the got shipped back into …show more content…
Barbara never felt the need to really search for a husband or go out of her way to find dates. She was happy the way she had t then. Though Barbara did date along the way. She remembers her and Alice dating twin boys from Wisconsin named Jerry and Jimmy. The boys were sweet, but again the distance was too much for the young girls. Barbara’s parents also did not like the idea of the two girls traveling up there to see the boys, it came off as suspicious to them. So the two girls moved on never truly thinking that having a husband was a necessity. As time passed Barbara continued to provide for herself while living with Alice. Barbara remembers this time as the tranquil years, the years where not much occurred and she enjoyed her time working. She says working at the First National Bank of Chicago was where she made some of her best memories. Barbara worked at the bank for thirty-one years in total and she reminisces on them as some of the best years of her life. She only left once new management cam in, management that did not like her being there. So Barbara retired and Alice followed the same