Page 8 of The Nash Sisters

This affects their reputation in the Wilson County.

Money, money, money . . .

Mother knocked on the door again and softly said, “Frank, let’s talk this out. Dinner is ready. You need to eat. You didn’t eat a thing at lunch. Please come to the table.”

I told her I would be there in a minute. I heard her exhale like she had overcome a really big problem.

We did not talk about The Problem until dinner was finished. Mother rambled on about the weather turning cool, the fall vegetables that needed to be planted, and so on and so on. Neither Dad nor I paid attention.

As Mother cleared the dishes from the table, I said to them, “Please let me talk and you just listen. Let’s not shout.” There was no emotion in my voice, just calmness because I had thought this through.

“Dad, I know you are upset because you don’t think I am old enough to take on this kind of responsibility. Well, I think I am. And I am taking this on. You will not have to be bothered with what you think is my mistake. I will get a job at the cotton mill. They pay pretty well and are always looking for good help. Ethel is a great baker and seamstress. She already has people that pay her for that. After the baby is older she will go after more clients.”

“Mother, I know this is not what you planned for me. It actually is not the timeline I planned out either. But I love Ethel as much as you love Dad. Once you fell in love, could you think about not being with Dad? Even before you got married?” She looked lovingly at Dad and shook her head.

I told them Ethel’s mother had said we could live with her family, if we wanted to. She has a big enough house. Ethel’s sister, Dianne is moving out when she gets married in a few months. Then there will be an extra room. Ethel’s sisters Annie and Caroline can help around the house and with the baby while Ethel and I work. I also said since they worried about our family reputation there was another option. I was thinking Ethel and I could move away before everyone knows about the baby. If we decided to move back to Wilson County someday, we could do it long after people have stopped counting the months between marriage and fatherhood.

The tears flowed from my mother’s eyes. Dad sat silently with his hands holding his head as if exhausted. I got up from my chair and hugged them both.

I said, “To both of you I want to say I did not intend to hurt or disappoint you. I knew you would be surprised by our news, but I did not think you would hate me for it. You raised me to be a good person. I thought you would support me and be a little proud of how I am taking responsibility.”

Then I walked back to my room and locked the door.

I climbed out of the window and walked the two miles to Ethel’s house. She and I planned that I would come by after I told my parents the news. When I reached her house, the sky was black but lit by a full moon. There was Ethel, out in the front yard, sitting in the swing that was made for Caroline. Ethel was swinging slowly. As I got closer, I noticed the breeze she was making as she swung. Her dress was blowing, covering the seat and the ropes below her hands. The light from the house appeared just behind her hair. It looked like she was a flying angel. She was so pretty that I could hardly breathe. Once I came into view, she jumped down from the swing and ran over to me. She grabbed my hand. I wanted to kiss her so bad, but we tried not to do that where people could see.

“How did it go?” she asked.

“It was horrible. They are disappointed in me. They think we are too young. They screamed and hollered for what seemed like hours.”

I told her most of the rest of the story. She listened so quietly, it felt like I could talk forever. When I paused, she leaned over to me and said, “Frank, that must have been so awful. I am sorry.” Those were the words I spoke to her before we made love the first time.

Ethel’s mother called from inside the house, “You okay out there? Frank, how did it go with your parents?”

I fudged a bit with the truth saying, “It was okay, Mrs. Nash. We still have some things to figure out.”

Mrs. Nash came to the screen door and said, “Frank, you and Ethel will figure it all out. And in the end, we are going to have a beautiful baby! Praise God!”

Ethel and I agreed with that. We are lucky to have each other. I know we are going to work this out but, man, I am a little stumped about how it will all go.

MAY 1928

Ethel

Plans Change

Best laid plans, they say, can come undone. That was certainly true for me and Frank. We were to get married as soon as we could and become a normal family. The Pollards had a different plan, and they made Frank an offer. The baby had different plans too. Here’s the way it all went.

AS TIME FOR THE BIRTH approached, Frank worked hard to help me be ready for the baby. It was decided. Frank would not be around for long after the baby was born. He had agreed to his parent’s terms. He figured we could have the best of both worlds in the agreement. The marriage would be postponed until next year. He would stay in Wilson County until Blue Ridge School started in September. In return, his parents would pay for Frank’s three years of college prep school, buy him a car, and give him cash to live on. We decided, but did not tell anyone, that I would join him in Virginia with the baby as soon as we could.

Our house has four bedrooms. Momma’s room, Caroline and Annie shared a room, Dianne’s room and my bedroom. Since Dianne would be moving out soon, her bedroom would be vacant. Momma said I could have Dianne’s room for the baby. I wanted the baby with me, so we decided to divide my room into two rooms. That way Caroline and Annie could have their own rooms. We would put up a curtain to divide my side of the room from the baby’s part. That way we could really have a baby room. Momma said it is best that the baby can’t see the momma all the time, day and night. The baby wouldn’t sleep soundly and would just want to be in Momma’s arms. Since she was a momma of four girls, I guess she was an expert at these kinds of things.

After a long day in school and finishing daily chores at the farm, Frank came to my house to paint the baby’s room. I set the table for dinner so Frank could eat before getting started on the room. Every time I saw Frank lately, my face would flush and tears began pooling in my eyes. It was harder and harder to keep from crying.

Dianne said the emotions were probably due to pregnancy more than our situation. During one of my crying jags last month, Dianne said, “You are strong, Ethel. You always have been the strongest of us girls. You will be fine raising this baby without a man.’’

I had not told my best friend and sister the plans that Frank and I had in mind. I would not be raising this baby alone.

As Frank entered the house, he removed his cap and moved quickly to the kitchen. “Hey, E, how are you feeling today?” he said as he kissed me on the cheek.

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