Fred was working with his co-workers at the Dubuque Star brewery a few days later. He was pouring the brew that was being made into a fermenter, when he felt a certain fullness in his chest. He tried to ignore it, but it was to no avail. It kept on. To the point where it brought a little pain.
"You okay, there, Fred?" A young man asked him, seeing Fred with a hand on his chest.
"Having a little chest pain, Ben..."
"Do you need a doctor? Why don't you sit down, take it easy..."
"I don't need a doc, I'll be fine." He said, taking a seat in a chair. "I'll just take a seat here and rest a minute." Fred sat there, hands on his knees, and breathed deeply.
"Having trouble breathing?"
"No...I'm fine." Fred answered. "Guess I'm just getting older." He chuckled.
"I think you should go home early. I'll go say something to the boss."
"Ben..."
"Better to be safe than sorry, Mr. Lay." Ben told him and went off to go talk to their boss man. He later returned.
"Boss says you can head out. Go home to your wife...I'd visit the doc while you're at it, Fred."
"No worries...I'll be okay."
And so Fred left the building, got into his old Model T Ford and drove home. It was a warmer day in early October, so Frances was hanging out laundry on the clothesline, when she saw her husband pull up, get out of the car and walk up their little sidewalk. Whatever was going on inside of him, started up again, and it was getting a bit worse this time.
"Well you're home early..." Frances exclaimed, walking down the length of the clothesline and met him by the well. "Fred, are you alright?" She laid hands on his shoulders and he seemed to lean against her, clutching his heart.
"Some chest pain..." He said, still holding his chest.
"I'll go call the doctor..." She said, as calm as she could be, though inwardly, she was scared to death!
"I don't need no doctor!" Fred insisted. "I'll be okay."
"I'm not taking any chances, Fred! I'm calling the doctor." Frances said and quickly guided him inside, through the kitchen, and had him sit by the window in her rocking chair. She walked over to the nice little wooden shelf where they kept their telephone, and rung up the doctor's number, explaining what was happening.
"I've got him sitting down right now..." She said, glancing over at him, worried. But she breathed with relief as the doctor said he would be over to their place as soon as possible. The doctor came by ready with the tools he needed.
"Having some chest pain, are ya now, Fred?" He asked.
"Little bit..." Fred breathed out, almost with a chuckle.
"Well, let's see if we can hear what's going on..." The doctor got his stethoscope from his bag. "If you'll just unbutton your shirt, please."
Fred started to unbutton his shirt halfway, and the Frances noticed he was having just a bit of trouble.
"Honey, I'll help you the rest of the way..." She smiled at him, unbuttoned his white shirt and helped him take it off, which made things go a lot more quicker. The doctor took his stethoscope and put it to Fred's hairy chest. He listened to his heartbeat, yet began to talk with Fred, keeping his mind off of it awhile.
"You're an inked man!" The doctor chuckled. "German eagle there, I see."
"Yeah..." Fred grinned, looking at the ink on his arm. "Got that while I was in the German army." He looked at the other tattoo on his other upper arm. Both tattoos were faded. "Can't remember this one...probably got it when I was drunk." He laughed a little to himself. "Probably got both of them when I was drunk, come to think of it!" Fred kidded, and he and the doctor had a good laugh.
Well, the doctor finished the visit after that. And finally told them the outcome. "Looks like you've had a slight heart attack, Mr. Lay."
Frances put her hands on her husband's shoulders. Fred didn't seem very alarmed, though.
"Doesn't seem to scare you any..."
"Well, doc...yeah, maybe a little. Both my parents died of heart trouble when I was very young."
"Kind of a wake-up call, then." The doctor said.
"I guess so...I'm as healthy as a horse though, doc..." Fred argued, with a laugh."Yeah, I've got a few bad habits, but not enough to kill me!"
"True...and this heart attack wasn't bad enough to kill you...but there's things you can do to prevent this happening more worse than the last time."
"I guess so..."
"Just call me if anything happens again..."
"We will, Doctor." Frances told him, seeing him out the door. She walked back to her husband and helped him with his shirt again.
"You can just take it easy, honey. You can stay here or in your favorite chair in the other room."
"Frances, I'm okay..."
"You just had a heart attack, Fred John!" She raised her voice a little, tears finally welling up in her eyes.
"Well, I'm alright now!" He said, getting up from the rocking chair. Frances placed her hands on his shoulders, which moved to his chest.
"Please...rest. I'll get what you need to stay comfortable." She said, gazing up into his gray eyes. "You really made me worried."
"I'm okay." He said, and held her hands in his.
"Just please, take it easy...In case it comes back again."
Fred kissed her forehead and looked at her, and gave in. "Alright...I'll take it easy. For the rest of the day."
"Fred."
"Okay!" He laughed. "For a few days if it makes you happy. We'll see how I feel then."
(
Some days later Frances was sitting in her rocking chair, watching the cars and people go by, like she usually did every day. She saw an old-fashioned motored ambulance pull up across the way by the neighbors, the Hedrick's. She saw that her son, Fred Jr. was in the driver's seat so she went out to talk to him.
"Everything alright, Freddie?"
"Hey Mama." Fred Jr. leaned his head out the window and kissed his mother on the cheek. "No actually...Sounds like old Mr. Hedrick's had a heart attack."
"Oh my...Will he be alright?"
Fred Jr. was solemn and shook his head no. "Word is, he's passed away. Just taking care of his corpse."
"That's too bad...We'll have to make it to the wake. Do you know when it is?"
"Tomorrow...10 to 5." He said. "Don't know about you, but I won't be going to that man's funeral. Too many things he's done to ruin this neighborhood." Fred Jr. said, shaking his head. "Never liked him."
"Freddie, it was only one thing...At least go to his wake. Try and be neighborly."
"Alright, I'll go...but just the wake."
"And how about you, Irene and my little granddaughter come for supper afterward? Helen and Eddie will be here too."
"Alright, I'll let Irene know. She'll want to bring something." Fred Jr. smiled a little.
"Speaking of which, I should make something for the Hedrick's."
"You always think of someway to help out, Mama." Fred Jr. smiled.
"Though this man's been quite a rotten neighbor, they need a little something at this time."
The next day was the wake for old Mr. Hedrick. Mrs. Hedrick and her daughters Marie and Evelyn, with other family members, were standing over by the casket, people paying their respects to the man. Mr John De Wachter, the funeral director was there as well.
Young Frank Tharpe shook the women's hands, and his eyes seemed to light up a bit when his hand touched Marie's. They stood there talking awhile.
"They really like each other. I bet you something's going on there." Helen whispered to her mother.
"I don't think so...I hear Frank's going to marry the sister."
"Why would he do that?! Mama, you can tell he loves Marie!" She whispered. "Just look at them together!"
"It's their own business."
"Yeah, that's true."
Frances and her family went up and talked with the family, and then walked up to the casket and paid their last respects to old Mr. Hedrick.
Just then an older woman burst through the doors and went up by the casket.
"Oh no...Klopper Kate! This can't go well." Helen whispered. Klopper Kate was a tough old pioneer woman who also lived out near Peru Road where the Lay's lived. Her real name was Kate Kinztle, and was called Klopper Kate because of the klick-klop sound that her old horse made as it plodded on down the road to the market.
"I bet she'll just pay her last respects to the family." Fred said.
"Pa, you forgot..." Fred Jr. said. "Old Kate Kintzle has had that life long feud with Mr. Hedrick. They hated each other!"
"I don't think she'd do something at a time like this...It's not the time or place."
Kate went straight to the casket and did something no one expected!
"Hedrick, you son of a bitch! You poisoned my dog, now you're dead too!" She said, shaking her fist in the corpse's face and walked right out of the funeral parlor! The Hedrick women stood there silent...as did everyone else in the funeral parlor. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the Hedrick's were notorious for dog poisoning!
"Who'd know after all these years someone would get back at old Hedrick!" Fred laughed, as his family was back at the house in the front room. "And who'd know it'd be old Buckskin Annie!" He laughed again, remembering the old woman's outburst at the funeral parlor.
"Why was she called "Buckskin Annie" if her name was Kate?" Eddie wondered.
"Oh, I forget why!..." Fred laughed. "Not important anyway."
"Old Hedrick poisoned nearly every dog in this neighborhood, it seemed like." Frances quietly said. "Well, what's done is done...you can't change it."
"He poisoned our Skippy." Fred Jr. spoke up. "What a good old dog."
"I remember Skippy!" Helen smiled.
"Gosh, I miss him." Fred Jr. sighed. "My favorite dog..."
"Oh honey!" Frances smiled at her son. "I think we have some photographs of you and Skippy in our old photo album. "Let me check." Frances went into her sitting room and looked in her sitting room and found the old black photo album and came back with it. She flipped through the pages of photos and found the one with Freddie and Skippy.
"Look at you two...you were so cute." Frances smiled.
"Hey look! I'm wearing my favorite cap!" Fred Jr. chuckled.
"I know! You wore it everywhere!" Helen smirked. "Wanted to look like a newsboy in a big city." She chuckled.
"Doggie..." Little Marlene was sitting on her father's lap, and the little girl, nearly two years old, pointed to the dog Skippy in the picture.
"Yep..doggie!" Fred Jr. smiled. "That was Skippy...Daddy's favorite doggie...And look there! Who's that, Marlene?"
"Boy..." She said quietly.
"Yeah., a boy...That boy is Daddy!"
"No!" The cute little wavy blonde haired toddler giggled. "You, Daddy!" Marlene said, and her little chubby fingers touched his face.
"That was Daddy!" Fred Jr. laughed, and touched the picture.
"Not Daddy!..." Marlene giggled and shook her head.
Frances was flipping through the photo album and came across a picture of her two when they were younger...arm around each other, standing side by side in front of a large brick building. "Look at you two!" She grinned. "Oh, I loved this photo."
"Didn't you look sassy?!" Eddie grinned and nudged his girlfriend, about the little look on her face in the photo.
"What do you mean 'look'?" Helen laughed. "I still am..." She winked at him, and he grinned at her.
"Honey, you were adorable!" Irene exclaimed to Fred Jr..."The little scrunch between your eyebrows!"
"Oh, I've always done that...you know I don't really like pictures taken of me!"
After supper, Fred. Jr. and his little family went home, Helen and Frances were cleaning up the kitchen, and Fred was talking with Eddie out in the front room.
"If it's alright, I'd like to take Helen up to Eagle Point...we can walk the whole thing."
"Walk off some supper." Fred chuckled.
"Yeah." Eddie laughed. "I was thinking of showing her some stuff I've done too."
"Nice.." Fred said and took a swig of whiskey. "I have a question..."
"Shoot."
"Things are getting pretty...close...between you two?"
"Well...yeah...Helen's one great girl." Eddie grinned.
"Damn right she is...she's mine!" Fred laughed. "...I trust that you treat her right."
"I do..." Eddie shifted in his chair. Unsure why he was so...nervous... all of a sudden. He was always so buddy-buddy with Fred!
"I'm sure you'll make a great son-in-law." Fred said, taking another swig of his whiskey.
"Son-in-law!" Eddie coughed a little and covered his mouth..."I've been wanting to talk to you about that...actually."
"You do want to marry my daughter..." Fred look at him. "Don't you?"
"Well...yeah!...Just not so soon...I need a house for us and such...I'm thinking I finish my work with the C.C.C...serve in the army...buy the things we need with the money I get..and maybe in a few years, get married."
"Good plan, son." Fred nodded, drinking his whiskey. "I like a good man who thinks toward the future and sets a few goals. It's a good character trait."
"Well...thank you." Eddie said. "I...think I'll go get Helen and we'll head out." He said, getting up and walking into the other room to the kitchen.
"Have a good time." Fred grinned and when they were gone, sat there smirking. "Kid's got the jitters...can't blame him with me creeping such a question on him like that!" He laughed to himself.
(
"What beautiful stonework you guys have done!" Helen exclaimed. They walked the whole park and were now at the end of Eagle Point Park.
"Thanks...Wanna go visit the fish pond?"
"There's a fish pond?!"
"Yeah..." Eddie said, taking her hand and they walked down the stone steps, part of the stone cliffs that went around both ponds...one a small rectangular one...and a larger oval-ish shaped one with a cute little waterfall. They stood by the little waterfall and looked out on the water, at the little lily pads floating. They walked to the edge and watched the little fish swim though the water. It was a cute sight to see...you just want to reach your hand in and catch some. Or jump in yourself and go swimming!
"How do you feel about me leaving and going off to the C.C.C?" Eddie asked quietly...his eyebrows scrunched. "Really...how do you feel?"
"You know I'd rather not have you leave!" She said. "I just...don't like it."
"Even if I went in the army?"
"And you'll get killed!" Helen spat, looking up at him. "I don't want you getting wounded or killed."
"I want to save up some money for us..." He said quickly.
"But Eddie!..." She went on..but stopped. "Wait a minute...us?"
"Yeah..us!" He smiled softly...slipping his hands around her waist. "We can get married...you would marry me, right?"
"Yes I would!" Helen exclaimed..."But...Eddie...a wedding...we need to live somewhere...think of all the money we need!...They say there's a Depression going on...some have lost jobs already here in Dubuque."
"Yeah...that's what I was saying about saving up money!" Eddie grinned. "I'm already saving up some from my C.C.C. money. I'm thinking once I'm done with that...I'd join the army and save up even more of what we need...then in a few years..."
"You've asked my father?"
"Actually he brought it on...but I was going to." Eddie smiled. "I'll get you a ring, too...it may take awhile but I'll get you one."
Helen smiled and her brown eyes gazed up at him. She kissed him and held onto him for quite awhile. "I guess you leaving won't be so bad..." She whispered. "You'll HAVE to come back!" Helen chuckled.
"Well...I haven't left yet..." Eddie smiled. "How about we head to my place? Huh?" He smiled and whispered in her ear. His lips brushed against her ear and it gave her shivers. The good kind!
"And you'll bring me home?" She smiled up at him.
"Maybe...I might just keep you and take you along to Minnesota and Arkansas with me!" He laughed and so did she. Then he gave her a kiss on the cheek. They walked to the house where he, his parents and his younger brother and sister lived...It started raining as they were out on the sidewalk leading up to the little white house. The cold rain picked up and they soon went inside.
Eddie kissed her and put his arms around her shivering body. "My gosh, you're all wet!"
"I'm okay." Helen laughed.
"I'm sure my sister's got something you can change into...Hey Rosey!" He called.
"Yeah?" She came into the next room.
"See if you got something she can change into."
"I think I've got something upstairs...Bert gave me a skirt that's too long on me. I'm sure it'll fit her!"
"Thanks Rosey, but I'm okay. I'll just sit by the fire...I'm not soaked!" She went into the kitchen where everyone was, sitting around the table, and was greeted by Mrs. Walbrun.
"Hallo!" She smiled. "Good to see you, Helen!..It rainingk, I hear?" Rose Walbrun said, in her broken English.
"Yes, I'm a little wet." Helen laughed.
"Take off your coat! You sit by fire." She smiled. "I make you some hot tea."
"Oh no! I'm alright!" Helen smiled.
"Oh yes, I make tea! Ist gute on rainy night." Mrs. Walbrun was already getting the tea ready, and so Eddie and Helen sat down at the kitchen table and they all talked.
"I went and showed her what the guys and I've been doing up at the park, Mother."
"Very nice! My Josef ist good vurker, yes?"
"Yes he is." Helen smiled at him and he wrapped an arm around her.
"Ve proud of ihm. As you are, I'm sure." She said, setting down cups of the tea when it was finally ready.
"I am." Helen smiled, looking at him, making him smile.
"You ask her for marriage yet, Josef?" Rose asked, smiling at the two of them.
"I did, Mother." He smiled.
"Set date yet?" She asked, smiling.
"Not yet." Helen answered, sipping her tea and let the warmth from it seep into her.
"We know for sure that we'll get married in a couple of years...I just know I need to save some money first.. Got some in the bank...but not enough for a fancy wedding." He said.
"It doesn't need to be fancy." Helen said, holding his hand.
"You just be thinking of what you want." Eddie smiled.
Helen finished her tea and yawned a little.
"You tired, babe? You can sneak up to my room and lay down." He said, rubbing her back.
"I'm not so tired..."
"I'll sneak up with you..." Eddie smiled, whispering in her ear.
"Well,...okay..." Helen felt his hands on her waist. She smiled and they both seemed to jump up and nearly race each other up the stairs to his room. Her heart was pounding from nervousness and adrenaline as they went into his room and she took a seat on his bed.
"You know I'm not going to be good the first time..." Helen whispered.
"I can teach you things!" He grinned, and gave her a sexy look. "I'm willing to teach you."
"I guess I'm willing to learn then." She breathed out a breath and smiled just a little. The bedroom door was locked and they sat on his bed, making out as usual...but it was sort of different. A little frightening, yet exciting...kind of like the storm. The rain poured on the roof, and thunder boomed and lightening flashed during the rainstorm.
Helen felt his hands around her waist and the palms of his hands and his fingers slinking up her back, and back down to her waist again, and she grabbed the back of his neck and was kissing him and he slipped his face down and started kissing her neck...She was so nervous, she was shaking without realizing it. Helen felt he must have noticed since he was holding her closer.
"I'm so nervous..." Helen whispered with a breath as Eddie began unbuttoning the back of her dress.
"You're alright." Eddie whispered and smiled at her. "No need to be nervous..." He sat there gazing into her deep brown eyes. Helen gave him a tender peck on the lips, and then taking a deep breath, she slid the dress sleeves off of her shoulders. She blushed and turned her face away while he sat there staring at her in her 1930's tan brasiere. The dress now bunching at the top of her waist.
"Hey!" Eddie grinned, taking his hand and gently bringing her face around to meet his. "What's eating you?!"
"I don't know..." She chuckled a little. "I'm a little self-contious...I guess." Helen mumbled..
"Don't hide those pretty peepers from me!" He smiled and looked into her eyes again. "You're a pip!"
"You really think so?" Helen smiled.
"I know so!" He grinned and kissed her. "You sure are a looker!" Eddie whispered and kissed her again..."Now let's get to...makin' whoopee...besides, you'd look plain dingy with your dress like that." He laughed.
"Making whoopee?!" She laughed, slipping out of the dress.
"That's what they're calling it now."
"Now THAT's...dingy!" Helen laughed, getting up, on her knees on the bed, and arms wrapped over his shoulders. "Why not just say making love?" She whispered and those thin little lips of hers grinned. With the rain still pouring outside...they continued. They began kissing again and Helen felt him undo her brasiere.
"This is...really happening." Helen breathed, with a little laugh to try and calm her nervousness.
"We'll go slow...trust me." Eddie smiled.
In a whirl, it seemed like to her,...he tugged off her underwear, letting his fingers touch her legs as he slid them down...and she mustered up the courage to help him undress. She helped him with the buttons on his shirt. And slid the white fabric off of his body. Her hands automatically went to his chest, feeling the short, course, dark hair...and then her hands went around to feel his strong, muscled back. All the while he was unbuttoning his pants and taking off his underwear.
"Let the learning begin, huh?" Helen chuckled. This was getting a bit easier now...but she was still a little nervous. She laid back on his bed with him on top of her. Laying there quietly, with Eddie hovering over her, she felt him slowly lay a hand on her maidenhood. In a few seconds, they made contact at last. Helen nearly shrieked and curled up in pain.
"Feels like you just shoved a stick up me!" She whispered quickly...and then they both burst out laughing at how funny that sounded.
"I'm sorry that hurt you...It gets a bit easier as you go." Eddie whispered, smiling at her. He kissed her and they tried once more...and Helen finally experienced it with him. Sex...the new, strange sounds of flesh smacking against flesh, and the feeling of it. Just feeling...him...where she hadn't before. The new and different, tingly feeling this gave her. The feeling of him touching her closer than he usually had done. This all happening with the rain drumming on the roof...Helen's nervous feeling had left and now it was peaceful and good. They lay there together when they were done, just listening to the rain pouring.
"Nothing like I had imagined..." Helen whispered, her head resting on his chest.
"Hmm?" He mumbled, glancing down at her.
"Well...you know...well, you might not, if you really think about it...women think romance, more-so than men maybe...I know I dreamed this would be so romantic and sexy...but it wasn't...really." She laughed a little and he just looked at her. "Oh, don't get me wrong!...It was good. Being with you feels nifty...It's just I just had it in my mind...romance, sexyiness...passion..."
"It will be..." He whispered. "I'll be back next month, November... We can have all the time in the world for this again...Ya follow?"
"Yes...And well..." She whispered. "You haven't left yet...we have this time now. Now...is now. Not tomorrow...not yesterday...but now." Helen smiled, closed her eyes and kissed him.
A/N: All the new, just mentioned characters in this chapter were real people, and so is what was said about them. Well, except for the young man named Ben in the beginning of the chapter...I just made him up and picked out a random name.
Even the thing with Klopper Kate and old Mr. Hedrick was true...especially what she said! Actually she swore a little more, but I didn't want to put so much in my story as I don't care for swearing.
People talked weird in the 1930's...seems funny at least to me. Some of them I have used without even knowing it...but I guess I'm old-fashioned. Lol. :) Anyway, here are the definitions for the words I used in this chapter. I kinda had fun putting them in the chapter. Peepers=eyes, pip= an attractive person, looker= pretty woman, making whoopee= making love. (this one I thought was VERY interesting...and silly. The other phrase used for it was pitching woo...again, weird/silly. Lol.) dingy= silly. What's eating you?= What's wrong? Ya follow?= do you understand? Nifty=great, excellent.
Hope you enjoyed it! Please review! :)
