California Second cousin
I can bet, you can think of someone from your growing years who made you feel awkward and even a little bit inferior. My someone was the daughter of Mom's cousin. A California girl.
We had nothing in common, except family and our birthday. Our Mother's had grown up cousins and best friends. E was like the sister Mom never had. She was the daughter of Granddad S's sister. But E wasn't as lucky as Mom. Remember it was war time. Mom and Dad married and he went off to war. E's boyfriend went off to war and then she discovered she was pregnant. No marriage, and he didn't come home from the war. That's all I know, and I didn't learn that till much, much later. Mom was E's biggest support during the scandal that always brought ruin to a young woman in the mid '40's. The two women actually went into labor together and shared a hospital room. C.A.B. was born two hours before I was. Our Mother's called us "the twins" and we share the same middle name. They were together constantly, till Dad took Mom to Iowa. Then E took C to California where no one knew her story. I don't know if C ever knew her story, she sure never acted like it, and it was never mentioned when they visited Ohio. E was soon married in California and had a second little girl. They only made it back to Ohio a few times. One of those times was when we stayed with Granddad and Grandmom S and C and I were told about the ghost in the cemetary near their house. The night we had so much trouble going to sleep.
The visit that made me feel so awkward was the year we were 12 going on 13 and 18. That is, I was going on 13 and C was going on 18. She was already wearing a BRA!!!! She had already had her first date. (I couldn't date till I was 15) She wore bikini's to the beach. She lived in Ventura near Disneyland. She was tiny, petite, beautiful, sophisticated, and DEVELOPED. She was a California Woman and I was a mid-Ohio country girl. We had gotten along ok on previous visits, but this was different. Still, our Mothers were best of friends. C and I would probably never have spent more than 10 minutes together under any other circumstances. Expecially since she could see the difference as well as I could. And, she wasn't above letting me know it.
Usually on those visits, we got together in Van Wert. This time the family gathered at our farm for a weekend. Mom's parents were there too. Which was more than our farm house really had room for. Granddad S had a Nash Rambler that he had won in a dealership contest. It was all decked out in the newest options available in 1957. One of which was a front seat that folded down and joined the back seat in a quite comfortable bed. So, it was decided that C and I could camp out in the car. An adventure that I loved. But, I discovered my city cousin wasn't as comfortable in the country as I was. As soon as it got dark, the farm sounds were turning C into a quivering ball of terror. Every time I'd doze off, she would shake me awake to identify some new noise. Cows. Hogs. Tree branches in the wind. Farm cats. (Ever heard one of them screech?) A family of owls. Bats. Even insects. It went on and on. Sheer exhaustion finally let me ignore her. Till just before dawn. I woke up feeling like I couldn't breathe. I was gasping, but still couldn't get any air. C was sitting with her knees drawn up to her chin and it didn't look like she was breathing well either. As I came more awake, I realized she had rolled up the cars windows tight. Now the advertisements for the Nash Rambler said that it was airtight enough to float on a lake. Our windows were steamed over and I realized just how airtight that car was. I bounded for the nearest window and had my head hanging our gasping for a full lung of fresh country air. Then I started yelling at C that she could have killed us. She was crying and with great big sobs she was trying to tell me how scared she was with the windows down.
That's how I realized I wouldn't trade her city sophisication for my country smarts for anything in the world. I never did manage to convince C that we were safer in my country then in her city. But, I bet it was true even back then.
We only saw each other on one more visit after that. Maybe it was our teen activities that kept them from coming back to Ohio. Or we just grew up. We wrote a few times, but still didn't have anything in common. Even our Mothers grew apart and the letters eventually stopped. Or something happened that I don't know about. Once Granddad S was gone, we didn't hear much from any of that side of the family. They were Granddads family and it seemed that if Grandmom couldn't have family, she didn't want Granddad to either. I do think of "my twin" once in a while. But, I don't know where she is or even what her name could be by now. And, I'm sure if I did find her, we still wouldn't have anything in common. That side of the family is really unknown to me. Another legacy from Mom's Mother.
We had nothing in common, except family and our birthday. Our Mother's had grown up cousins and best friends. E was like the sister Mom never had. She was the daughter of Granddad S's sister. But E wasn't as lucky as Mom. Remember it was war time. Mom and Dad married and he went off to war. E's boyfriend went off to war and then she discovered she was pregnant. No marriage, and he didn't come home from the war. That's all I know, and I didn't learn that till much, much later. Mom was E's biggest support during the scandal that always brought ruin to a young woman in the mid '40's. The two women actually went into labor together and shared a hospital room. C.A.B. was born two hours before I was. Our Mother's called us "the twins" and we share the same middle name. They were together constantly, till Dad took Mom to Iowa. Then E took C to California where no one knew her story. I don't know if C ever knew her story, she sure never acted like it, and it was never mentioned when they visited Ohio. E was soon married in California and had a second little girl. They only made it back to Ohio a few times. One of those times was when we stayed with Granddad and Grandmom S and C and I were told about the ghost in the cemetary near their house. The night we had so much trouble going to sleep.
The visit that made me feel so awkward was the year we were 12 going on 13 and 18. That is, I was going on 13 and C was going on 18. She was already wearing a BRA!!!! She had already had her first date. (I couldn't date till I was 15) She wore bikini's to the beach. She lived in Ventura near Disneyland. She was tiny, petite, beautiful, sophisticated, and DEVELOPED. She was a California Woman and I was a mid-Ohio country girl. We had gotten along ok on previous visits, but this was different. Still, our Mothers were best of friends. C and I would probably never have spent more than 10 minutes together under any other circumstances. Expecially since she could see the difference as well as I could. And, she wasn't above letting me know it.
Usually on those visits, we got together in Van Wert. This time the family gathered at our farm for a weekend. Mom's parents were there too. Which was more than our farm house really had room for. Granddad S had a Nash Rambler that he had won in a dealership contest. It was all decked out in the newest options available in 1957. One of which was a front seat that folded down and joined the back seat in a quite comfortable bed. So, it was decided that C and I could camp out in the car. An adventure that I loved. But, I discovered my city cousin wasn't as comfortable in the country as I was. As soon as it got dark, the farm sounds were turning C into a quivering ball of terror. Every time I'd doze off, she would shake me awake to identify some new noise. Cows. Hogs. Tree branches in the wind. Farm cats. (Ever heard one of them screech?) A family of owls. Bats. Even insects. It went on and on. Sheer exhaustion finally let me ignore her. Till just before dawn. I woke up feeling like I couldn't breathe. I was gasping, but still couldn't get any air. C was sitting with her knees drawn up to her chin and it didn't look like she was breathing well either. As I came more awake, I realized she had rolled up the cars windows tight. Now the advertisements for the Nash Rambler said that it was airtight enough to float on a lake. Our windows were steamed over and I realized just how airtight that car was. I bounded for the nearest window and had my head hanging our gasping for a full lung of fresh country air. Then I started yelling at C that she could have killed us. She was crying and with great big sobs she was trying to tell me how scared she was with the windows down.
That's how I realized I wouldn't trade her city sophisication for my country smarts for anything in the world. I never did manage to convince C that we were safer in my country then in her city. But, I bet it was true even back then.
We only saw each other on one more visit after that. Maybe it was our teen activities that kept them from coming back to Ohio. Or we just grew up. We wrote a few times, but still didn't have anything in common. Even our Mothers grew apart and the letters eventually stopped. Or something happened that I don't know about. Once Granddad S was gone, we didn't hear much from any of that side of the family. They were Granddads family and it seemed that if Grandmom couldn't have family, she didn't want Granddad to either. I do think of "my twin" once in a while. But, I don't know where she is or even what her name could be by now. And, I'm sure if I did find her, we still wouldn't have anything in common. That side of the family is really unknown to me. Another legacy from Mom's Mother.
posted by LeeAnn | 6:46 PM
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