April 27, 1943. Anna writes to Dad. In the letter we get additional information on Easter and some of the goings-on. Anna also mentions that Stanley is expecting a promotion. Anna comments, “I hope he gets it because he was always conscientious and worked hard for everything he got. I also hope you will be promoted. I save space for you in my prayers and also Stanley.”
For all the preparation, Anna says that Easter “was very quiet. Nobody came. Eddie bought me a box of candy and mama a nice red plant.” I suppose there is nothing wrong with a nice quiet family holiday.
However, Easter was not without a some drama. “Billy (Eddie’s brother) sent Eddie a letter telling him that he has some money home and Eddie should go over there and take it and buy his father a pint and cigarettes and the mother candy and flowers. Such crust. We don’t live there and we can’t just go and take his money even if he gives us permission. Eddie bought candy for the mother and a pint for his father out of his own pocket. I wrote Billy and told him how the heck he expects Eddie to go over there and get the dough. I told him that next time he had better send us the money. I don’t want Eddie to foot all of Billy’s expenses.” Here I pause to make a personal observation. When did booze and cigarettes go out of fashion as Easter gifts for men? It must have been some time in the ’50s.
Anyway, we continue. Anna reports that they made the rounds of the family on Easter, visiting Eddie’s parents for dinner and also going to Mechanicsville to visit Aunt Green. You may recall from a previous letter that Aunt Green’s husband passed away a few weeks earlier. Anna reports, “She was all alone in the dark house and lonely. At first we thought no one was home but when she saw it was us she put the light on. Ed’s mother wanted Aunt Green to come to Albany for Easter but all of her step-kids promised to come up so she was going to wait for them. Only one came and stayed half an hour. I feel so sorry for her. We stayed two hours.”
Anna also reports that another aunt “was supposed to come over on Easter, but as usual she didn’t. She worked Easter Sunday and when she came home she probably had a few beers and went to sleep. She is all alone because [her daughter] got a 2 week vacation and went to see her French boyfriend. I think she went to be married. He liked her and sent her piles of letters, telegrams and phone calls. She wouldn’t take 2 weeks off and spend so much money for a ticket if she did not expect to get married.”
Anna also tells dad that she had some copes of some photos made for him and that they have received the post cards that he sent from Salt Lake City as well as the brochure from Salida, Colorado. She also says that Spring yard work has been going on. “Daddy and Eddie are cleaning and raking the yard. Daddy had cut down the plum tree by Shultz’s fence. You boys won’t know the place when you come back because everything will be changed.”