Little Sister No. 3

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!