Yesterday I found a little note from
Wayne, my husband, to his mother. He was four years old when he wrote it and missing
his mother very much. She was gone for ten weeks because she was struck down
with polio in July 1943.Wayne's baby sister, Kate, was six months old. A very
hard time for them all. The children moved in with their grandparents for those
ten weeks and maybe a little longer. I suppose Goldie spent his time, when not
working, at the Kaiser Hospital with Doris.
When Doris returned home there were
many people--nurses and others--to care for her and help her because she could
do nothing for a long time. And the children were kept from her. Eventually,
she could walk again--I do not know how long that took--with a cane and a brace
on her left leg. That is how I knew her.
During her convalescence at home,
Wayne was responsible for carrying and emptying the bedpan. Kate says he told
her years later that he liked doing that job because of the warmth of the
bedpan. It was warm like his mother.
The note breaks my heart. The printing
is large and irregular, but clearly it was important for him to write it. He
drew lines across the paper to help himself keep the words straight.
DEAR MAMA
I AM A GOOD BOY. HURRY UP AND GET WELL. WE
MISS YOU TOO. LOVE FROM KATE E AND WAYNE
Kate E is Kate Ellen.
It's the "I am a good boy"
that breaks my heart. I think he always wanted to be a good boy, especially for
his mother.
1 comment:
Yes--like maybe he thinks that if he is a good boy it will make her get better faster. I'm sure he was a good boy. My hearts breaks a little, too.
The love of a little boy for his mother is a nice thing to think about.
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