War, Children, and Sacrifice

[16:30] And we didn't have—that was '37—and Mickey was born in '42. And I had taught school nine years then. And we went to Montgomery for him to work, make the living. And so it was time for our children.

So he was born June '42. You know that was during the war. Because '41 we were eating dinner on Sunday, and it came over the radio that Pearl Harbor had been bombed.

So it came time for him to be drafted. And he went back to—he was supposed to go to Tucker. And he went back to tell Mr. Lee, the man in charge of garages here and there I guess.

Anyhow, Mr. Lee says, "Will you take a letter?" He says, "I didn't come after a letter." "Well I'm going to send one."

And so he sent a letter. And Theron said everybody in front of him was saying, "I'm sorry we got to meet our quota, we got to meet our quota." And they got to him and they said, "You're more important where you are."

Because there were two—Gunner Phil and Maxwell Phil—and the depot was there. You know, that's—got supplies, kept supplies for the two things. And so he was there during the war.

[18:00] We moved to Montgomery after the three years at Murphy-Kellum and stayed there for four years and three months. And it was sat down on the friendliest corner in Montgomery, Alabama.

I had met a woman on the train. Her husband worked for the train, for the company. And she came to get her husband—he was a driver. And we got in the car and talked.

And on Saturday, the military up the street came down and said, "Go to Sunday school with me tomorrow." And we did. And we went in and sat down by Elizabeth—the girl that I'd sat in the car with. And she's my best friend now.

And she has—I had lots of health problems—in the hospital two or three times while we were there, four years and three months. And she was always there. And she said she prays for me every day. I don't know how in the world you could get a friend like that that lasted this long. But she puts up with me.

[19:00] And Mrs. Burton was the Sunday school teacher. I wish I could have been—I guess I tried—I would love to have copied her.

Her husband sold children's ready to wear from Monday through Friday. And she just gave her time to the 45 folks she had in her class. And every one of them felt like they were special.

She would be at the hospital. And I'd be there—probably every day—and have some flowers that she would have. And somebody said there aren't anybody—and give them to them.

And after we came back, she came out to live—I mean to visit, to see us. And we visited her until she died.

[20:00] And I was going to have—Mama was sick and she knew she was dying. And she asked if we'd come back and look after the three that had not finished school.

So the question was, "Theron, what do you think?" Well, he never grumbled and griped about moving. But Theron never hesitated. His mother had died and left a lot of children, and I guess he got used to knowing that you had to sacrifice.

So we moved back in this little house. It was too little for us—with a bed in the dining room and a bed in the living room and for a while—but anyhow—and a bed in the back end of the hall. And stayed four years.

Those last three children Mama wanted to be sure that they got their education. They did graduate from high school. It wasn't easy. That was the hardest thing I ever did in my life. But it was necessary. It wasn't easy for them either.

But Mama wanted them to have some supervision. And they couldn't have washed their own clothes and played basketball and all the things they did—could they? I don't think so.

But anyhow, it was hard. And Theron never grumbled at all. Never.