by: Marsha Hammond

Lying here in my hospital bed waiting for death to come and claim me, my mind wanders back in time to a place long ago. I am unable to write but can talk into the tape recorder that my great grandson, Jacob, brought to me.

I need to cleanse myself of past sins. I still have a very hard time believing what happened was a sin but I will leave it up to the listener to judge an old lady’s story. I did what I did for love and what was the only choice I had at the time. I make no apologies except to my beloved niece Sarah who should have been told the truth years and years ago.

Harmony - May 1925

Screams came from the upstairs bedroom of the little house in the center of Harmony, Massachusetts. Abigail was giving birth to her second and last child. Scream after scream rang throughout the house. Adam paced up and down, helpless to do anything but listen to the cries of his wife. Abigail’s mother was with her as was the midwife. All was going according to schedule, or so he was told. Each scream from his wife tore into his very soul. He loved her and their son but each time she gave birth, it was harder for her.

Upstairs, Abigail lay sweating and in pain. She was begging her mother, the midwife, and God to let her die. She couldn’t stand the pain. No one listened and the pain tore through her stomach again and again. She wanted to push this baby out of her womb. She pushed and screamed each time the pain would start to build. The midwife told her to push very hard. Abigail did as she was told and she felt herself being torn apart. She wanted to die until all at once she heard the cry of her newborn child. Weeping and laughing at the same time, she asked if the baby was healthy. The midwife beamed and said she had a beautiful healthy child.

Abigail’s mother went downstairs to Adam. She smiled and hugged him. She told him that he had a beautiful baby daughter and that Abigail was just fine. Relieved at the news, Adam bounded up the stairs to see his wife and daughter.

Abigail was lying propped up on pillows holding a little baby girl to her breast. Adam was overcome with emotion. He kissed Abigail and the baby and asked what her name was. Abigail said her name is Rebecca Anne.

Harmony - May 1941

Becky awoke to a warm spring morning. The birds were chirping outside her bedroom window and all seemed right in her world.

Today was Becky’s sixteenth birthday. She hoped Mama would bake her a chocolate cake with that special icing she put on birthday cakes. She would have cake and homemade ice cream when she returned from Boston.

Just thinking of taking the train to Boston made her happy. Her big brother John and his wife Mary were taking her there for a special birthday treat. They had tickets to a play. She didn’t care if it was the matinee she felt like it was opening night and she was the toast of the town. Mama always told her that she daydreamed too much and perhaps she did. What else was there to do in this small town where she was born and grew up? Even Uncle Abe always said this was a one-horse town and he wouldn’t be at all surprised to hear they shot the horse long ago.

After dressing in her Sunday best, she went downstairs to eat breakfast and wait for John and Mary to arrive. They arrived shortly after Becky finished eating and helping Mama with the dishes. She kissed Mama goodbye and Abigail told her to be careful in the big city especially now that the war was on and there were so many lonely sailors and other servicemen in the city looking for a little fun. Becky just looked at her mother and smiled. They both knew Becky wouldn’t be one of those loose girls that held a man’s hand and kissed him openly. Her father gave her a hug and pressed some money into her hand. He told her to buy herself something very special for her birthday. She kissed his cheek and thanked him and promised she would.

The train ride into the city seemed endless. Becky was so excited she wanted to get up and sing and dance and shout. She told this to Mary who laughed at her. Mary was 5 years older and much wiser than Becky.

They arrived at North Station amid the bustle of the workday crowds and passengers headed for exotic destinations like New York City and Philadelphia. The station was crowded the men in uniform. Several spoke to Becky as they made their way through the crowds. She didn’t answer but was delighted that they noticed her and felt she was grownup enough to talk to and whistle at.

The play was wonderful and the seats perfect. All too soon it ended. John suggested they get some refreshment before the train ride back to Harmony. They went to a lovely ice cream parlor where there was music playing and some sailors were dancing. Becky wished with all her heart that one would ask her to dance but of course none did. She thought it must be like something out of a play to be held in a man’s arms and sway to the music. She had danced with Papa at John’s wedding but that wasn’t the same.

John and Mary had an appointment with a business associate so they asked Becky if she would be all right just shopping or perhaps reading the stones in the old Grannery burial grounds. She was delighted to be left on her own for a little while.
Becky wandered about just looking in the shop windows. She saw a sign over one of the door that said USO Club. She had no idea what that was but was soon to find out. A group of young women started to go inside and one beckoned to her to come too. Becky couldn’t contain her curiosity so followed the other women inside. There she found a whole lot of servicemen. They were talking, dancing with the women, and eating doughnuts and drinking coffee. One sailor asked her to dance. She didn’t hesitate, she went right out on the floor and danced the jitterbug with him.

Becky danced and danced with many different men. She didn’t notice the one soldier over in the corner watching her. He was sure he was in the same room as an angel. He thought she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. He wanted to talk to her and get to know her but he was afraid she would reject him. He was Army and she seemed to only want to dance with the sailors.

Getting up his courage he walked over to Becky and said: “hello, my name is Jim, Jim Harrington. Becky smiled and said her name was Rebecca Rosen but her friends call her Becky. They danced a slow dance and Becky found herself thinking about being Cinderella and that Jim was Prince Charming who had come to sweep her off her feet and take her home to his castle. Maybe Mama was right, she did daydream too much!

When the music stopped, they still held hands. Becky had never felt this way before. It was like she had known Jim all her life and that somehow they belonged together. Was he really the man of her dreams? She knew nothing about him except he was in the Army and his name. She knew he wasn’t from Massachusetts because he had a strange accent. He was tall, very dark haired, with twinkling blue eyes and of Irish background. She never thought for a moment what Papa would say if she told him that she met the most wonderful man and he was Irish. Papa always told her that people were their happiest when they stuck with their own kind. She had no idea what her own kind was other than one of the boring men in Harmony. She didn’t want to live in Harmony her whole life, she wanted adventure and her heart was telling her that she wanted this man who was holding her hand in his.

She glanced at the big clock on the wall and realized it was time for her to go and meet up with John and Mary. She told Jim how nice it was to meet him. He held her hand a long time and asked if she would write to him as he was scheduled to go to training at Fort Dix in New Jersey in the morning and to go to England right after his training. She promised she would. She could not stand the thought of not ever hearing from him or seeing him again. She was in love for the very first time in her life.

Jim walked out of the USO Club holding her hand. He delivered her safely to John and Mary. A few pleasantries were exchanged and then it was time to catch the train back to Harmony. Becky looked into Jim’s eyes and he looked back with intensity and longing that she could feel to her very soul. He kissed her hand and then turned and walked away, taking Becky’s heart with him.
All the way home, on the train, Becky thought of Jim. She wanted to remember every detail of that magical time with him. She wanted to etch in her mind every detail of his face, his broad shoulders, his big but gentle hands and most of all how it felt to be held in his arms as they danced.

She would remember how she felt on her sixteenth birthday for the rest of her life. She knew there would never be another as magical as this one was.