First Year Continues

Sunday, August 30, 2009

First Year Continued

Starting back to school to finish my senior year was definitely different than any of my previous high school years. After all, I was the only married student in the whole school! Initially, I reported to the office to let them know my new married status. I was now a Brackett and wanted everyone to know. I had my schedule and started classes on time. During these first few weeks of married life we lived with my parents. Jim would get up and go off to work while I got ready for school. My heart was not really in to finishing out my senior year, sadly to say. When I found out for sure that I was going to have a baby I made the decision to drop out. This was sometime in November of 1960. I remember going around to all of my teachers and letting them know of my decision. Mr. Byrd was my bookkeeping teacher and he did not want me to leave. He said that he would help me finish and get my diploma. Stubborn girl that I was I wouldn't listen and said no to his offer. I did not realize how significant his offer to help was. All I wanted was to be free of studying and getting up each day for school. Looking back, I can see that the early effects of pregnancy were probably taking a toll on me. I was tired and my body was changing, though at the time I was still thin and you couldn't tell by looking at me that I was pregnant. I'm sure that my parents experienced a lot of disappointment in that decision! Sometime during the Fall of 1960, Jim and I moved out of my parents home and into our first apartment. It was not long after leaving school that I got a job at Hutzler's Dept. store in Baltimore city. I didn't mind working like I did going to school. I had to take a bus into the city in order to get to Hutzlers. Some days I worked 5 - 6 hrs and Jim would come into town and meet me for dinner. I remember wearing my first maternity clothes in the month of December. I really wanted everyone who saw me to know that I was going to be a mother! During that season of my life, I was young, in love and and excited about life. I can remember that during most of my growing up years I had a fascination for babies and loved babysitting infants. I was very adept in caring for young children. I had a lot of experience with my youngest brother Greg. I was 13 when he was born and he was my special delight! Our first Christmas was wonderful and we bought gifts for everyone on both sides. The first tree was a pine, very few ornaments but lovely. The early part of the new year seemed to creep along as I was counting the days and weeks till the baby was due. The old saying, "a watched pot never boils" is exactly what it was like to wait for my baby to arrive. But as surely as the sun comes up each day, the months passed and before I knew it was June. My memories of the start of June 1961 were bittersweet. I was remembering that all my friends were graduating from high school, going to prom and all the other special occasions that graduation brings with it. I felt sad but also happy at the same time. My decision to marry and drop out of school was one I had made and many times over the years have had to learn hard lessons and to live with those choices. Three baby showers were given by friends and family and that went a long way toward chasing any blues away and brought the enjoyment of the love and best wishes from so many. We had all the essentials for welcoming our new baby. The waiting was almost over! to be continued