A Year in the Life of Emilie Jones

By Jen Selinsky

"A Year in the Life of Emilie Jones" is fictional work. The book is a diary written from the perspective of housewife, Emilie Jones, in 1956. The diary is made to look real, and the reader gets the impression that Emilie somehow picked out a drama-filled year to reprsent in her writing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jen Selinsky
• Release date: May 28, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311075543

Jen Selinsky

Jen Selinsky was born in Pittsburgh, PA. In 2003, she earned her bachelor's degree in English from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. In 2004, she earned her master's degree in library science from the same school. Jen has worked as a professional librarian for over twelve years. She has published more than 170 books, most of which contain poetry. Her work can be found on the following sites: Lulu, Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, Barnes & Noble/Nook, Smashwords, and Pen It! Publications. She has also been featured in publications such as: The Courier Journal, Explorer Magazine, Liphar Magazine, and Indiana Libraries. Jen lives in Sellersburg, IN with her husband.

Book preview

Introduction

On June 20, 2005, our family suffered the loss of a loved one. This was the day when my beloved Great Aunt, Emilie Jones, passed away. The news came as a shock to us, even though she was only a few months shy of turning eighty-five years old. Aunt Emilie, or so I called her, was loved and admired by everyone in the family, especially by me, because we had grown increasingly close over the years.

After things had calmed down a little, we all went over to her house and sorted through her possessions. It was not something that any of us necessarily wanted to do, but it had to be done, regardless.

Since most of us are a sentimental bunch, we decided to keep a great deal of what we found. I soon found myself rooting through drawers in an old cabinet she kept, hoping to come across anything interesting.

Aunt Emilie was a typical woman of her time, not very likely to have any secrets, or so I thought. It piqued my curiosity when I came across an old book that looked like it would have been abandoned for years—probably because it was considered misplaced; I found it in one of the tiny compartments of a drawer which didn’t look like it contained much inside.

I turned around and made sure no one was looking and quickly slid it into my deep jeans pocket. The diary had no problem fitting in there because it was so small. I also was a little curious as to why her children and grandchildren had overlooked the little diary. Perhaps, they might have thought that there was not anything interesting in that drawer.

It’s not that I didn’t want to tell anyone about my discovery, but I was almost sure my mother or father would tell me to stop looking in places where I wasn’t supposed to be.

But my reader should be glad that I chose to share this because I am about to show you Great Aunt Emilie’s diary for the year 1956. Everything she has written seems to tell a great story.

When I got home that night, I started to delve into the secret life of my great aunt. I also locked the door so that my parents and sister, who was also staying the night, would not come in and interfere with what I was about to discover. Once I finished reading the book, I told myself how surprised I was at having discovered that most of this information was new to me.

To the knowledge of everyone in the family, Great-Aunt Emilie did not keep any other yearly diaries or undergo any other methods to record personal events, except through photographs, doctor bills, and very few scattered letters sent to all her correspondents. It was as if fate ordained her to keep a record of this year because a lot of significant events happened in 1956.

Mom and Dad would understand me taking the diary and keeping it for myself, but they would not necessarily approve of me transcribing it and distributing it on the Internet.

The thought has crossed my mind several times, but I am afraid that I’m not much of a writer, even though this is not my work. I am, however, a great lover of literature. I must also admit that I’m happy to say that I have gained my family’s support when it comes to my love of reading.

Though I had to be coaxed into undergoing all the labors and hours of this transcription, my mother and sister thought that I should type the book and save it on my computer’s hard drive instead of merely having the book bound. Eventually, however, I decided to publish it online for the rest of the world to see. I did not edit much, as most of the content is as she wrote it.

To my great relief, my family was not upset at me for publishing and posting the book online. They are proud of this accomplishment, despite what I’d initially thought. I know that Emilie would be proud as well as others read about her life.

-Samantha Ellington, June 2008

Sunday, January 1, 1956

Stanley and I had our party last night—New Year’s Eve. It lasted until nearly 2:00 a.m. The kids were sent to bed early, as they got to stay here. They were supposed to be watched by Julie’s sister at her home, but she had other plans for the evening. I only had two drinks, but Stanley had much more than that, as he gathered around all his friends. He likes his job, but he is glad to have this time off because he feels a bit stressed about his performance at work. He hasn’t told me so, but I heard him tell others. Tonight, Stanley’s a talker, and once his friends get him going, it’s hard to make him be quiet. I enjoyed spending time with Judy and Betty. It was nice hearing about their lives and how much they looked forward to the new year. It makes me glad to know that I have my own children to share this time with because I know that they are gifts from God.

Monday, January 2, 1956

Stanley wanted to start taking all the Christmas lights and decorations down, but the kids and I wanted to keep them up. Once I told him Mommy’s tradition of keeping them up until the Epiphany of Christ on January 6th, he wasn’t that hard to convince. I told him I wanted to teach Michael and Stacy tradition to go along with religion. He just shrugged and told me that was a good thing for me to do.

Tuesday, January 3, 1956

Now that the kids are settled back in school, it gives me more time to think and get things done around the house. Boo-Boo, the dog, surely misses them, and he scampers about the house looking for some company. It’s really quite cute and sort of funny. Even though I have all this time to myself, I must admit that I get lonely when nobody is around. I do what I can in the quiet as long as the time goes by. Sometimes, Betty will call, or we’ll run into each other at the supermarket. It’s a bit strange if you think about it.

Wednesday, January 4, 1956

Michael and Stacy came running into the house with such a commotion. Really, I thought they were going to break something! I had to raise my voice, even though I feel bad having to scold them, but rules are rules. After they settled themselves down a little, I let them play in their rooms for a while, and then I told them to clean up for supper because Daddy would be home soon. They were all quiet during the meal and afterward.

Thursday, January 5, 1956

Stanley came home with a headache from his job, so that meant he didn’t want to be bothered. Poor Michael was so excited to see him that he wanted to go out in the backyard to build a snowman. There was just enough snow outside that they could do that. Stanley told him that he would do it another time, and I told Michael to leave Daddy alone. I just fixed his supper so he could sit there and eat it by the television. Honestly, I don’t even see why he bought that thing in the first place.

Friday, January 6, 1956

Mommy and Daddy came by for a visit before Stanley took the lights down outside. The children helped me take the decorations down around the house and put them in their proper boxes. Mommy and Daddy always enjoy seeing their grandchildren. It’s nice for them too. Stanley’s mother has been dead since he was a child. It’s been really hard for him over the years, so it’s something that he does not want to talk about with anyone.

Saturday, January 7, 1956

Michael helped Stanley carry the tree to the woods near our backyard. He does it every year—just drops it off a little behind the trees in the woods. Mommy and Daddy left after dark last night, so it was too late for him to do it then. Michael really likes spending time with his Daddy, and it makes Stanley very happy to know that.

Sunday, January 8, 1956

Dear old Betty called and told me that her nephew, Tommy, was sick with the flu. It’s such a shame, poor child. Sometimes, he and Michael play together, but Michael spends more time with his other friends. Stanley was in a good mood, so he wanted to take us out to dinner. I asked him what about the dinner I fixed, and he said to save it for tomorrow night. The kids were delighted and excited to hear that they were going out to eat. We got back, and the kids went to bed after an hour of television. (Honestly, they are becoming so spoiled!) Stanley kissed me and took me to bed. The children were fast asleep, but we were not…

Monday, January 9, 1956

After supper, Stanley went out to the backyard and built a snowman with Michael. Sometimes, I like to watch them from the window, and today was one of those days. After they came in, they were laughing, and Stanley was rubbing his hand through Michael’s hair. He said how proud he was that his son was growing up to be such a fine man. I couldn’t agree more.

Tuesday, January 10, 1956

Today was a quiet day around the house. I hummed tunes while I cleaned. I don’t think my voice is all that great, but no one is around to hear it. None of my friends called, so that made me feel more lonely than usual. I don’t know why I get like this, but I just do. Even though Boo-Boo is a porter terrier and a small dog, he does not like to be held, so much for that. This is one of the days that I count the hours until the kids come home because they know just how to make me feel loved. I know that I am my own person, but I don’t quite feel complete without others around, and I can’t really explain it either, that’s just the way I think.

Wednesday, January 11, 1956

It’s like a yo-yo circus in this house sometimes! Michael had over Todd, Joey, and Steven to play with him in his room. I am glad that he has friends, but I wish he would spend more time on his homework. Stacy is a quiet little girl and always has been. I hoped she would try and make some friends, but I guess you can’t always force such things. I just want her to be well and happy, such are the concerns of any mother.

Thursday, January 12, 1956

Today was peaceful, so much so that I could not imagine it being much different from any other day, really. I had another girlfriend of mine over for dinner, Mabel. I had only met her last year at the supermarket, but she is a fine woman. She told me that she is thirty-five and has never married. I must admit that I was a