In the Quiet – Part Three
We settled in at Riesel, Texas. Orlin worked in Mart and . . . Norman White thought he could use some help at the Riesel Rustler newspaper and shop. Norman taught me to run a hand-feed press. There was an ongoing order for the postcards that was used for the gas meter reading. When Orlin came home from work, he may not have been the only one with some ink on the hands. I enjoyed meeting the people that came through the shop. Norman’s son Scottie worked on the paper prep and had a never-empty bottle of “soda water” setting not far away. If memory serves me it was Big Red.
The church in Riesel was a very social congregation. There were activities on any evening of the week. I take it back . . . there also was a church for the colored people in the Riesel area. Both were based on the Baptist theology. I did get to hear a bit about the colored church as the White’s housekeeper, Bertha, was in the day-to-day routine at the White’s household. Bertha had been with Norman and Elaine for decades. Elaine’s mother lived with them and that involved the need for Bertha. Bertha was skeptical of me for a time. We ended up in a good place.
We had moved to Riesel in February and that summer Mom and Dad came to check us out. The town rolled out the carpet for them. Dad being curious, got a full tour via Norman White of the cotton gins. Mom helped with some things in the house as we were determined to make the living room a bit more user friendly. It was a great visit.
There may have been a life outside of Riesel but it passed us by. When it was known that there was an acre of pasture land for sale . . . guess what? We paid the $150.00 and took a good look at the building on the acre. It was a chicken dwelling. Not large enough to be called a chicken house and too large to fit the category of a chicken coop. We worked on that building non-stop. There was water to the lot but not septic. Orlin and I dug the hole for the septic tank. Remember, Texas . . . it didn’t have to be covered with very much dirt. The septic lines were the next to dig and we had a bathroom with a sink and a shower. We never did get past having any more than the sink in the area we made for a kitchen.
We were happy homeowners. I planted flowers that had been shared from those that had plenty. Our first Christmas we had made Christmas decorations for outside and of course the perfect Charlie Brown Christmas tree that we had cut down in someone’s pasture. It may have been more of a ceder tree than an evergreen. It worked and it looked wonderful. When I was outside, I always checked the area where the flowerbeds had been made as I lost my 1962 class ring in that area while working with the dirt. Never did find it.
In time Orlin decided to work in Waco at a printing company. It was a bit of a longer driver but the pay and benefits were a good fit. It would be just getting dark when he would arrive home. It was about the same time as the “Good Humor” truck from Mart was making his rounds up and down the streets. The echo of the music couldn’t be denied. Supper would be ready and we would settle in for the evening. If we enjoyed the porch, there would end up having someone stop in for a chat. There was the T-P hamburger shop in town. On rare occasions we found our way there. To this day, I remember how tasty those burgers were.
I had a small portable sewing machine and I could be kept busy either sewing for myself or making Barbie clothes for Scottie’s two little girls. The Pundt Mercantile store sold pre-cut lengths of fabric. One stop shopping when the milk would be purchased.
Somewhere between the place that Orlin worked in Waco and the distance it took to reach Riesel, someone talked Orlin into selling insurance. The area that he had was interesting. It was basically tenant workers. I did ride with Orlin once or twice. Not more than that. It was off-putting to see the meager living condition with a string of children on the front stoop. It seemed these people would have been thrilled to visit a shoe store rather than think about an insurance premium. After several times of going with Orlin, I was very content to go to work and run the hand-feed press, log my hours and be home with supper waiting.
During the summer school break, my brothers, Calvin and Michael, came to visit up. That was huge for these two fellows. I don’t think Michael even had his driver’s license as yet. It was special having them. Mom and dad had sent them packing with traveler checks for the trip. There was a cooler with frozen farm fresh beef and pork. What a treat. The boys enjoyed several trips to the T.P.
If selling insurance to colored tenant workers didn’t work out, maybe selling Lutheran Brotherhood insurance would be a better fit. Once signed up, the surprise was that the area would be in Waco. Orlin had found a small bungalow to rent. Sight unseen, I rounded up and got ready for the move. Our sweet little home needed to be abandoned as we were moving. The people of Riesel were sad to see us go. Norman joked that he would now have to train some other Yankee to do the hand-feed. I was sad to be going. I had just found out that we were pregnant. By late October we would be parents.
Waco, to me, was a huge city. The 1956 Buick hearse was no more. We had one car, and we had date nights when we went grocery shopping. Orlin and Norman White were in the Lion’s Club. The club met in Waco. Elaine White would ride along with Norman and visit me while the fellows were at the meetings. We found a very friendly church and met many young couples. It felt like it could be a good thing. Several of the gals close in my age would stop by. Not for coffee! The drink of choice was sweet tea. I was crocheting baby clothes and sewing receiving blankets. There were plans to be made.
–to be continued.
