As I grew older, I
became more aware that money was scarce. I
accepted this as fact and observed that money was scarce for everyfamily in town. There was no such thing as "instant
gratification" in the Depression years. I understood this very well because in 1933,
at age eight, I asked for a bicycle for my birthday. I didn't get one
so I asked for a bicycle for Christmas. Christmas came and there was no
bicycle by the tree.
I had
developed a mantra by my ninth birthday. I knew exactly
what I wanted, "a twenty-six-inch blue and white
Elgin bike with balloon tires, a basket on the handlebars and a
light." My ninth birthday passed with no bike in sight. My
mantra was included in my prayers at night. When wishing opportunities
came up, such as splitting a turkey wishbone or
finding a four leaf clover or the "first star I see tonight,"
I repeated my description starting with, "a
twenty-six-inch blue and white Elgin ... "
In November ofl934, my sister, Mildred,
planned a magnificent surprise birthday party for
my mother. Mildred was twenty-three years old and had a job as a
secretary. All the aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors and special
friends were invited. The house was packed. There must have been one
hundred people milling around, laughing and talking. My sister was very busy seeing that
everyone was having a good time.
My cousin, Shirley, and I looked for something
to do to amuse
ourselves. The grown up conversations held no interest
for us. I
looked at the dining room table. It
was decorated beautifully and
Mom's best dishes were being set on the sideboard
in preparation for a buffet. In the center of the table was a great tray of
fruit. Polished apples gleamed in the candle light, and perfect rosy
pears peeked out from artistically placed grapes.
Suddenly, I had an idea.
"I know! Let's
play Cleopatra!'' "How do you play that?" Shirley asked. "I'll show you.
Just follow me," and I picked up the fruit-laden tray and carried it to my
parent's bedroom, thinking they won't need it for a while, and I'll return it
when the buffet starts. Handing Shirley the grapes, I threw myself
on the bed and declared that I was Cleopatra and Shirley was my slave. "All
you have to do is wave that paper fan at me and drop grapes
in my mouth, one at a time."
Shirley was a sweet girl,
very acquiescent; and, because she was younger
than me, it was easy to get her to follow my instructions. She dutifully
dropped the grapes in my mouth and waved the fan while I, Cleopatra on her
barge, enjoyed the luxury. This went on for quite a while until Shirley was
tired of her role as slave. "When's it
going to be my turn to be Cleopatra?"
I dismissed this
request with an impatient wave of my hand. "Just keep feeding me the
grapes. I'll tell you when it's your turn."
"But the grapes are a 1m ost gone.”
"Well
then," I ordered, "Give me one of those
pears."
Eventually, Shirley had been compliant long
enough. She dropped
6 HoLES IN MY ShoEs the
fruit on the bed and went in search of my mother.
"Alice won't let me have a turn to be
Cleopatra!" My mother and Mildred came into the
bedroom to see what Shirley was complaining about. Mildred took one
look at the skeleton grape vine and the fruit all over the bed and gave
me a look I will never forget. She turned and stomped out of the
room and my mother shook her head at me as she gathered what was
left of the centerpiece.
The next morning my
mother told me, "Well, you've really done it this time! Your sister has been
saving her money all year to buy you a bicycle for Christmas,
but after your stunt last night you can just forget about
it."
So,
Christmas of 1934 came and went, and no bike was by the
Christmas tree. I really didn't expect to see one.
July 1935 came. I
made the same wish as I blew out
my birthday candles but my blue
and white Elgin didn't materialize.
By Christmas of 1935, I had given up all hope
of ever getting a bicycle. I descended the stairs on
Christmas morning and there, in front of the Christmas tree, stood my
twenty-six-inch blue and white Elgin bike with balloon tires, a basket on the handlebars
and a light .. The Christmas lights reflected on the fenders. My mother
and father, sister and brother were smiling at me,
and I screamed and jumped with joy. My dreams, my prayers, my wishes had come true.
I dressed quickly and took my bike out in the melting snow to show my
friends. Such a long wait and such utter happiness!
The long wait
for a bicycle was not in retribution for the Cleopatra debacle as I found out
many years later. The money that had been saved for my
bike was used for unexpected family needs and it took another year to save enough
for my gift.
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