June 16, 1945: A letter from Anna to Dad which she included with a card that she sent him for his birthday. Anna notes that the letter is “from the three of us yet but who knows by the time you get this letter a new fellow will have made his debut into this world. …The baby is supposed to be due next week but the doctor and I expected him all this week but I am still home.” Anna adds that the doctor made a house call (remember those) to see her and that she hope the baby comes on time as she has “cramps and pains and aches” and feels “miserable all the time.”
As much as Albany is cold and snow covered in the winter, June brings a “hot spell” and “the city sizzles.” As one might expect during the warmer weather, thunderstorms have moved their way through the city. Anna writes that during one storm “Terry sat by me so quietly. I asked her if she was scared and she said NO but she cuddled up against me and neither moved nor said a word. Lightning and thunder were terrific and it struck a house in our fair city.”
In other news from the house, Eddie modified the bathtub with “a pipe with a shower”. Now it seems the family has taken to showering rather than taking baths. Anna writes, “At first, Terry was scared of it but now daddy gives her her daily washing…and she just loves it…she squeals with delight.”
While Anna is on the topic of Terry, she writes “Terry has taken a fancy toward nudism. It is so hot and I don’t blame her. I put her pajamas on when she goes to bed, so she takes them off. She manages to take off what clothes she has on also and runs around nude in the house and we sure get a kick out of her. She probably takes after you because no doubt you too are walking around half naked.”
Before wrapping up the letter, Anna asks that Dad send some pictures that she sent to him home rather than forwarding them on to Stanley “because he wrote us he expects to be home and they would only get lost following [him] to Europe and then back home. She closes, “Wish me luck and say a prayer because I’ll need it.”
Next up: More from the Marianas