When my little brother David and I were students at Michigan
Avenue Elementary School at the corner of Michigan and West Fourth Avenues in
Columbus, Ohio, USA, our dad worked nights at Jeffrey Manufacturing Company. We
lived at 507 West Second Avenue, a multi-storied structure reminiscent of the house
in the popular holiday movie A Christmas
Story. I took the photo shown here of my parents Roma and Lee in the
backyard of that house sometime in the late 1950s.
Our dad was a machine operator, a
punch press operator, I seem to recall. He and my mother are both gone now, and
there isn’t anyone left in the family with whom I can verify whether or not I
am accurate on that score. By the time David and I were home from school in the
afternoons, dad had been home from work for hours and was in bed. And when we
were in bed for the night, dad was up and out of the door for work. One of the mother-sounds
I hear so often in my memory’s ear is, “Shhhhhh, your daddy is sleeping!”
Because
of his work schedule, dad was a weekend dad, and most of his home time was in
the garage. If we wanted to spend any time with him at all, we stepped into the
garage, more than likely. Or, we caught him on the run between the house and
garage on his bathroom and coffee breaks. Dad was either working on his car, or
the car of one of his brothers, or of our mother’s brothers, or of a friend’s.
He was handy and generous in that way.
Our family structure was not unlike
so many other blue-collar families across America in the mid-twentieth century,
a hardworking, do-it-yourself father; a hardworking, stay-at-home and
do-it-yourself mom, and their little nest of children. The balance of power was
pretty well equal in our home. I think my parents were a good match in that regard,
and their children benefited from it. For that I am grateful.
Columbus, Ohio, USA, and multi-award-winning author, Linda Lee Greene has authored and published four books. All of them are available worldwide in eBook and soft cover at online booksellers. Her latest novel, CRADLE OF THE SERPENT (goo.gl/i3UkAV) was designated as a finalist in the 2018 American Fiction Awards Competition. It was also awarded a 5 Star Review by Readers’ Favorites. In addition, she was the winner of the 2018 Peter Hills Memorial Writing Competition. Scheduled for release in early 2019 is her novel, A CHANCE AT THE MOON. It will be available in soft cover and eBook at Amazon.com. An extensive exhibition of Greene’s artwork can be viewed at www.gallery-llgreene.com
Wonderful post. My compliments!
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