Life Changes
Jean took me out for a beer at the bar/restaurant where she used to work before she got married. We reminisced about the good old times and caught up on the new times. The afternoon just flew by so fast. Jean had to get home, but first, she dropped me off at my place and half-jokingly scolded me. “Get your act together now and shape up or ship out Bumble Bea.” Wow, she hadn’t called me that since we were kids. We both laughed as I said, “Seriously Jeanie, Thank You for everything.”
The new job was great. In no time at all I learned how to cook everything on the menu. A few of my old customers from Scotty’s started coming in and when word got around that Beatrice was back to work, more and more of my old customers came to the new diner. Frankie couldn’t have been happier. He gave me a raise after only three months on the job. I was flying high with a good hourly wage and sharing in on the tips too. We expanded the menu with some things that I knew how to make, like stuffed peppers, pigs in a blanket, meatloaf and gravy, corn beef, and cabbage. I started adding new things to the menu that I remembered from Mrs. Buhne’s great cooking. Like ham and lima bean soup, potato soup, fried chicken, cornbread, and potato pancakes. I also added a Pittsburgh favorite, frizzle burgers made with Isaly’s chipped ham. Eventually, to show his appreciation, Frankie created a new title for me. I was no longer just a fry cook; I was now known as the “Chief Chef.” Life couldn’t have been better.
Jean stopped in frequently during my lunch breaks so that we could sit in a booth and chat. I could tell that something was bothering her, but she never wanted to talk about it so I let it go. Within a few weeks though, she came in crying, so I had to force it out of her. “What is it, Jean? You have to tell me now.” Jean was so sad and upset when she told me she was getting divorced. She was going to take the kids and move into the trailer park behind the K-mart that weekend. She asked if I could come and help her move. “Yes, of course!” Wow, what a surprising flip-flop of our lives. Jean had everything going for her. I had nothing. And now I have everything going for me and she was struggling. How was she ever going to raise two girls as a single mother with no job? She told me that she would be getting some child support to get her started all over again. So sad. So so sad.
The next weekend I helped Jean move her clothes and things into a trailer at the trailer park. To my surprise, it was way nicer than I expected. It sure was a lot nicer than my basement apartment. It was bigger, brighter, and had everything. The big windows let in a lot of sunlight. It had two big bedrooms, a living room, a full kitchen, and a dining room with a real chandelier over the table, The rooms were wood-paneled and carpeted. This place was like a mansion. It was beautiful. I guess that’s why they started calling them mobile homes instead of trailers. It was like a real home. The kids, Ida and Belle, moved right in and started playing like they were at home already. Jean was still so sad though. As Jean was putting her clothes in a closet, I told her I’d be right back. I walked over to the K-mart shopping center and went into a place they called “The Lounge.” I asked the bar tender for a six-pack of Iron City beer to go. I knew that would remind Jean of home on Mayer Lane and perk her right up. We sat at the kitchen table and had a couple of beers and laughed about how bad-tasting that stuff was. Man, talk about harsh to swallow. But at least I was able to make Jean laugh again. I felt good about that.
It didn’t take long for Jean to pick up a few part-time bookkeeping jobs. Being the tough and very smart girl that I always knew her to be, she rather quickly bounced back to being her old pleasant self again. The next fall she even enrolled in Community College as a part-time student. She said that she wanted to get an accounting degree and never again have to rely on a man to support her. It took her a few years, actually about seven years, but she finally did it. She got her associate’s degree in accounting. One of the companies that she did part-time bookkeeping work for hired her on as the company controller. Man, I thought to myself, “That’s a big-time executive job with big pay!” Jean is a survivor and my hero!
About once a week, usually on Saturday night, Jean would get a babysitter so we could go out. “The Lounge was convenient and a nice place to hang out and drink. Iron City beer came out with a new brand called IC Light. It became very popular and I loved it. Jean graduated up to Jack Daniels and Coke. The name always reminded me of one of my favorite bands; The Charlie Daniels band. I loved their song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” One of the greatest things about going out with Jean was that we never had to buy drinks. Unlike me, somehow Jean always seemed to attract the men, even though she didn’t want anything to do with them. She had become indifferent toward them, and in fact, shunned them for the most part. I certainly could relate to that. But we still accepted their free drinks. That all changed one night when a guy named Allen boldly sat down at our table, uninvited. He made himself right at home, sitting there all relaxed and comfortable, friendly as could be. Before long I noticed Jean smiling more than usual. Allen asked Jean to dance and she smiled even bigger as she said “Sure, why not?” A new chapter in Jean’s life was about to begin.
RUCKSACK GRUNT - A Vietnam Veteran's Memoir 