Why We Said Goodbye

August 1955

Texas

            Margaret Houlihan unlocked the door to her apartment as quickly as she could.  She had her hands full, and could hear her phone ringing inside.  When she got the door open, she ran to the kitchen to get the phone.  She quickly sat the bags down, and picked up the phone.  "Hello," she said breathlessly.

            "Hello," a woman said.  "Is this Margaret Houlihan?"

            "Yes it is," Margaret said as she tried to catch her breath.  She didn't recognize the voice on the other end.  "Can I help you?"

            "My name is Mildred Potter."

            "Mrs. Potter?"  She said in disbelief.  She had never spoken to the woman before.  She hadn't kept in touch with any of her friends since the war ended.

            "Yes," came the confirmation.  "You're a hard woman to track down."

            Margaret was still confused as to why the lady had called her.  She had never met or talked to the woman before.  "Yeah, well I'm not in the army anymore, and most people probably don't know where to find me."

            "Yes I found that out," the woman said.  "I'm calling on behalf of my husband.  He's been asking for you."

            Margaret was worried about the tone in the woman's voice.  "Is something wrong?"

            "I'm afraid so.  He had a heart attack about a week ago."

            Margaret felt her heart drop to her stomach.  She sat down on one of the chairs at the kitchen table.  "Is he okay?"

            Mildred heard the panic in the young woman's voice.  "We're not sure yet.  He's still in the hospital, but he may be able to come home in the next few days.  He's been asking for you, honey.  Do you think you could come and see him?"

            Margaret didn't even have to think.  "Of course I will."

            "You are a hard person to get a hold of.  It took me four days to get your number, and two days just to get you to answer the phone."

            "Well I almost missed it.  I just walked in the door."

            "You must be a busy lady," the woman said.  She had heard about Margaret and had heard what a hard worker the woman was.

            "Yes I am," Margaret said.  "I'm usually very busy during the week."

            "I'll tell Sherman that I got a hold of you.  He'll be very happy to hear that.  Do you know when you'll be able to make it here?"

            "Well, as soon as I can get a flight out of here I'll be there.  I'll get a hotel room when I get there, and I'll call you to find out where to go."

            "Oh no.  You'll be staying with me."

            "I can't do that," she said.  It was nice of the woman to offer, but she didn't feel right about it.

            "I insist.  I don't want you to stay at a hotel.  You're like a daughter to Sherman, and he made me promise when I got a hold of you, you would stay at our house."

            "That's a really nice offer, but trust me; it would be easier for me to stay at a hotel.  I'll have my daughter with me."

            Mildred smiled.  She didn't know that the major had a daughter.  That would explain why Margaret was no longer in the army.  "I love children.  She's more than welcome in my home.  How old is she?"

            "Seventeen months," Margaret answered.  "Are you sure you don't mind?"

            "No," Mildred said.  "Sherman would throw a fit if he knew that you and your daughter were staying at a hotel."

            "Okay," Margaret said with a smile.  "I have to go pick her up right now, so I'll have to let you go."  Mildred gave Margaret her home address and phone number.  They got all the information traded, and Mildred promised to have a crib in Margaret's room for the baby.

            Margaret left her house and went to pick up her daughter.  Emily was at the sitters for the day.  Margaret worked five days a week, and since she was a single mom, the little girl had to go to a sitter.  Two days a week Emily was with her grandmother, but the other three she was with a sitter.  Margaret would have loved to stay home with her baby, but that wasn't an option for her.

            Margaret walked in the door with her curly blonde headed daughter on her hip.  She gave the baby a kiss, and put her down.  "Momma has some phone calls to make.  You be a good girl and play for a while."  Emily smiled at her mother and then toddled over to a pile of her toys.  Margaret had the house baby proofed, and didn't have to worry much about what Emily could get into.

            Margaret went to the kitchen and started making phone calls to find a flight for her and her daughter.  When she had that done, she called her work, the sitter, and her mother.  Margaret's mother lived there in Texas and that was the main reason that Margaret chose to live there.

            Margaret was sitting at the table talking to her mother when Emily walked over to her.  She held her hands up to her mother.  Margaret picked her up and sat her on her lap.  Emily sat there for a minute while Margaret talked, but then got fussy.  "Just a minute," she said to her daughter.

            Kate could hear her granddaughter and knew what was wrong.  "I'll let you go so you can get her dinner.  Call me when you get to Missouri."

            "I will," she said as she adjusted her squirming daughter. 

            "I love you, and tell my granddaughter I love her too."

            "I will," Margaret smiled.  "I love you," she said and then hung up.  She focused all her attention on her baby.  "That was Grammie and she said she loves you.  Are you hungry?  I bet you are.  It's past your normal dinner time."

            "Oood Momma," the little girl said.

            "I know," Margaret said.  "You sit here," she said putting the child in a highchair.  "Momma will get you some dinner."  Margaret gave the little girl a couple of crackers while she made dinner for the two of them.  She talked to Emily while she prepared a quick dinner. 

            "You and I are going on a trip in the morning.  We're going to go see an old friend of mine.  You're gonna love him, I know you will.  We're going to go on an airplane.  Can you say plane?"

            "Pane."  Emily said with a smile.

            "Very good.  You're going to be a good girl, aren't you?"  Emily shook her head yes making her blonde ringlets bounce.  Margaret smiled at her gorgeous child.  "We'll see how you do with your first plane ride."

            Margaret finished fixing dinner for herself and Emily, and then they ate.  After that, Margaret started getting all of Emily's things together for the trip.  She had learned that although babies are small, they don't pack lightly.  She needed bottles, diapers, a lot of clothes, toys, a certain blanket, and many, many other things.

            Their flight was an early one.  Margaret had a lot to do, and wanted to get some rest.  Normally she would sleep on flights, but she knew that wasn't going to happen with her daughter.  When she finished packing, she put her daughter to bed, and then went to bed herself.  She was very worried about the Colonel, and started feeling guilty for losing touch.