Secrets

Originally Written in 2020 During the Covid-19 Pandemic                                              

 

Okay.  I’m still here.  Where is “here?”  Well, our lower-level rec room which is connected to “THE ROOM!”  Yes, THE ROOM!  The room that used to store many boxes of photo albums, framed pictures and tons of miscellaneous newspaper clippings and what I call “stuff!”  Right now, I have at least 10 BINS to sort through before I can consider myself DONE!  Just so you know – my definition of a “bin” is a container that is twice the size of a box.

 

My original goal of creating new photo albums for each of my four adult children is done.  I’ve made photo albums for two of my nephews.  The grandkids albums will be completed last.  Right now, I’m going through my mom’s boxes.  Pictures from her baby, childhood, and teen years through her 58 years of marriage to my dad are separated into their appropriate piles on my card table.

 

I’ve had moments when I laugh.  Moments when I cry.  Moments when I “talk” to mom and ask her the big question:  “WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?”  I can pick out mom, dad, their close friends, grandma and grandpa, and first-string relatives.  The others were obviously important enough that she saved the picture.  Now and then – but rarely – she wrote names on the back of the picture.  Names that mostly meant nothing to me.  I’m sure you can guess where those pictures landed.

 

I’ve been emailing and texting with my sister over the last few weeks.  Mostly sending funny or poignant pictures that I know she’ll enjoy having.  Last Saturday turned out to be a very heavy ”discovery” day that sent our cell phones on fire!

 

Discovery #1:  I found a newspaper article that mom had saved about a memorial service that was held for parents who had lost a baby through miscarriage, stillborn or died in the first months of life.  Across the top of the page, mom wrote the following:

 

"Our Billy - born Sept. 17, 1951 - Forest Lake Clinic Hospital - Dr. Ruggles.  Bert buried Billy in Calgary Cemetery by a fence.  He looked like Steve.  He had a dimple in his chin.  I was about 6 months pregnant.  Dr. Ruggles said the unusually long cord was wound around his leg - he would have a deformed leg.  A sweet baby." 

 

I don't recall mom ever talking to me about Billy.  All I knew was that I was in second grade and dad had to get me ready for my school picture.  He either took me to the beauty shop to get a permanent or I had just received a permanent.  Anyway, he combed my hair and, of course, it looked terrible.  All mom ever told me was that Billy was a stillborn.

 

I wonder if dad received permission to bury Billy?  What was his middle name?  Did he get baptized in the hospital like I did? (Called "conditional baptism" - until a priest could be found).  I asked my sister if mom had ever talked to her about Billy.  She couldn’t add anything.  I’m sad in that Billy is my brother and I don’t know anything about him.  I wish I would have asked mom more questions.

 

Discovery #2:  I found a yellowed undated newspaper article with the following headline:  “Five Local Hunters nabbed:  bagged 55 birds in one day.”  Hmmmm, why did mom save this article?  I discovered that one of the five hunters was my dad!  My “honest, wouldn’t-ever-break-the law, church-going, well-respected and loved” dad!  My dad – who I knew was the best daddy in the whole wide world -- was arrested!  Each hunter was fined $30 plus court costs of $4.50.  And…. their five guns were confiscated by the state and 11 ducks were taken from each hunter.  When they were arrested, they had 55 ducks in their possession.  The daily limit is four per hunter or a grand total of 20.

 

So my questions are:  Did they ever get their guns back?  What did the State do with their guns?  Gave them away?  Sold them?  Kept them?  Are they still in a back room somewhere in Detroit Lakes?  What happened to all the ducks the Sherriff took?  Did they end up on the Sherriff’s dining room table? 

 

I’ll never know.  My sister was as surprised as I was.  Another secret known only to those who have passed away several years ago.

 

Discovery #3:    I found a picture of a young man standing outside a hotel.  It must have been a fairly cool day in that he wore a hat and an overcoat.  He looked very tall.  He did not look familiar to me; so, I turned the picture over and this is what mom wrote:  “Cliff Booth 1935:  The only other fellow I fell in love with – before Bert, of course.  His dad owned a store in Wyoming (MN) and he’d go to the Wyoming hotel (next door) to call me almost every morning.”

 

WHAT?  Another secret from mom.  I knew she was engaged to Herbie Holmes prior to meeting dad.  And she never really talked about him.  Just that he was a nice guy but when she met dad, Herbie had to go!  If Cliff and dad were the only ones she was ever in love with – why was she engaged to Herbie?  Did she love him, too?  But – who is Cliff Booth?  I called my sister.  She was also amazed.  Cliff looked older than a teenager so this probably wasn’t a teen-aged crush.  MOM!  I want DETAILS!  Who is Cliff Booth?  How did you meet?  Why did you break up?  Were you ever engaged to him?  DETAILS! 

 

Do I dare Google him?  Well, I did.  I Googled “Cliff Booth.”  The first match that came up told me that in the recent movie entitled Once Upon A Time In..Hollywood, Brad Pitt played a professional stuntman named Cliff Booth who is loosely BASED ON A REAL PERSON!

 

MOM!  Brad Pitt!  Cliff Booth is a real person!  Is he YOUR Cliff Booth?  I want ANSWERS!  I need DETAILS.  This secret died with you.  Well, I bet you are laughing now…. Right?