Charlotte is our Centennial Baby
and Mom’s precious one. Shortly after
Charlotte came home from the hospital she got pneumonia and Mom had déjà vu not only with her being so ill
but the doctor ignoring her anxious concern.
She had Dr. Scott up to the house a three times and he said it was just flu. Mom could hear her wheezing breath and when
she called for Dr. Scott on the Sunday his wife said it was his day off and she
should take the baby to the hospital.
Charlotte was at death’s door, literally. Mom says that Emergency may not have admitted
Charlotte if Mom hadn’t told them that she had had the doctor in three times
already. Perhaps this was one of those
times that my parents experienced prejudice but when they actually saw how sick
Charlotte was they went into action. First
they put tubes into Charlotte’s side of her forehead but later they put it into
her ankle. She had scars for years. She was in the hospital for more than two
weeks.
Meanwhile the rest of us kids
lived in virtual hell because Dad got some home care nurse from the Salvation
Army who was NASTY. She wouldn’t give us
butter on our bread even though we had it in the house and had butter every day
of our life. She wouldn’t give us proper
milk. She made ghastly food. She bullied us. We complained to Dad and finally he got rid
of her and I took over. Thank the
Lord. And my siblings were actually
good, cooperating with me. (Probably
because they didn’t want another one of those nurses coming to the house). Unlike when Erik was born we didn’t have to
take the kitchen table out to hose down all the cereal glued to it. Jeanette and I cleaned the kitchen and did
the dishes. We didn’t cook but we could
make sandwiches. I think our neighbour
Mrs. Jorgensen came in and helped with dinners but I don’t remember that. I just remember we were allowed to take care
of ourselves.
When Charlotte came home we were
all relieved because we knew she had been in such danger. We had been allowed to go to the hospital
with Dad when he was visiting Mom and Charlotte. I vividly remember the tubes in the side of
her head, it really made an impression on me.
For Jeanette and I having a baby sister held special significance although
we never said it to each other. Jeanette
was devoted to the baby but at that time she was not dedicated babysitter
material. That fell to me … and that
saga will continue!
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