Jennifer's Dad

By Rene Bird

A life lived in fear of reaction and retribution was all Jennifer knew living with her father. She grew up in an environment of stress and constant awareness of what her father’s actions held for her. It was not until her late teens did she come to learn that living in fear was not normal. Jennifer’s memories were sad but were also elevated with her ability to see humor in some of her experiences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Jul 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796003963

Rene Bird

After a career as a Private Secretary and Personal Assistant, Rene decided to use the talents she was blessed with for her own purpose. Rene lives at the seaside on the outer reaches of Melbourne, Australia. She is an avid reader herself and has always found time the time to read, not only as a relaxing tool but also to open her mind. She graduated from college and then traveled before settling down and marrying. Her two daughters and their four children keep her busy. At 55 years of age Rene has found writing a great past time and stimulates her thinking.

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JENNIFER’S DAD

Rene Bird

Copyright © 2019 by Rene Bird.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-7960-0397-0

               eBook           978-1-7960-0396-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 06/25/2019

Xlibris

1-800-455-039

www.Xlibris.com.au

798363

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

This book is dedicate

d to:

Judy W - for allowing my thoughts to be said out loud without criticism, and then giving me courage to write them down.

Valentina, Linda, Jenny and Pamela – for accepting me, faults and all, and teaching me to laugh at my misgivings.

My husband Graeme – for being beside me through all adversity and still loving me. He brightens my every day.

CHAPTER 1

Jennifer’s dad was born on a very hot morning on 18th January 1920. As most babies do when born, he gave out a loud cry because he was leaving a safe warm haven to face an unknown journey into an unknown world.

His parents named him Jack. Not John – just plain Jack. His father came from a very Irish catholic background and his mother from a German background. When Jack was born he was the second child as he had an older sister Ulma.

Two years after Jack’s birth another sibling was born – another sister. This little girl was named Zelda. Jack’s mother had three little children under the age of five and found it very difficult to manage each day, so when she again became pregnant she was in great despair. Despair so deep she enquired locally how she could possibly lose the foetus and was given the name of a backyard abortionist who would be able to help her. Unfortunately, as was the case in that particular time in history, her local priest would give her no sanction to use any form of contraception, except the rhythm method, which in the majority of cases left the woman unprotected and vulnerable. Jack’s father exercised his marital rights without thought or protection for his wife. The Catholic Church dominated Jack’s family and the family lived strictly within the laws of the church.

Jack’s mother penny pinched for weeks and borrowed money from her parents to pay for the abortion. Just before her first trimester she arranged to meet the lady concerned at a mutual friend’s home. Within a few hours of returning home Jack’s mother hemorrhaged and was taken to hospital where she died two days later from septicemia.

Because Jack’s mother had sinned in the eyes of the church, the priest did not allow a formal burial service in front of the altar.

The service was conducted at the side of the altar and the burial plot was set apart from the catholic Christian area.

The family survived with the help of Jack’s maternal grandparents who lived in the house next door. As the two little girls grew up it was their role to cook, clean and generally act as housekeepers for their brother and father. Jack also had to take on responsibilities that we would look upon as huge today. The First World War was finishing, but instead of there being a peaceful environment for young people to grow up in, the Great Depression put many families in desperate situations. Jack’s father was only able to be employed every second day and he thanked God that he could do so, as many families had no income at all.

Jack, at the age of six, was selling newspapers at a busy intersection. He was able to add to the families small income by nearly a shilling a week. Times were tough and he knew if he complained his job would be very smartly taken over by other desperate boys. Jack would get up at 5.30am and be at the newsagents by 5.45 – in time to drag as many newspapers as he could manage to the corner intersection to sell. If the newsagent was unhappy with the amount of newspapers sold he would smack Jack around the head and curse him, then give him an extra job to do so that Jack would be late arriving at the church where his father had committed him to altar boy duties. From the 8.00 am mass Jack would then go to school.

What can we say about Catholic schools? All has been said and history speaks for itself.

Needless to say that Jack felt the fury of the Nuns many times. One Nun had a favorite punishment of twisting a ruler around an open mouth so many times that the child would gag and ultimately throw up, and then of course be punished for that as well.

At the age of 11 Jack left primary school and entered secondary school. He did not sell newspapers after this time as the Depression was over and along with school lessons his a father had enrolled him in studies to become a priest. Jack had absolutely no choice in the matter and his days were divided into school and seminary lessons.

Although Jack’s family were strict Catholics, Jack had other ideas. He had learned to be street smart and knew that for him to succeed in life he had to grasp opportunities with both hands and look after himself first – always first, regardless of anyone that stood in his way. He developed a cruel view of the world and acted it out when situations arose, but along with a sadistic streak he had a sense of humor. The sense of humor sometimes getting him into more strife than the cruel side.

When Jack was 16 he left school and became an apprentice men’s hairdresser. His father was most upset at this decision because Jack had excelled in seminary lessons and had passed all exams with honors. Jack however stood firm in his resolute not to become a priest as he envisaged greater things for himself.

Whilst working as a hairdresser he would go twice a week to evening training at the local football club. As he had grown into a very handsome youth, he prided his physique and football prowess and was soon accepted into the Saturday afternoon team. He thoroughly enjoyed the masculinity of training and team events and met many other young men like himself. All wanted to get ahead in the world and many relied on their football ability to take them to places they would not normally have access to. They felt that football could possibly broaden their horizons and assist in their chosen careers.

At one Saturday afternoon game Jack met the love of his life. Her name was Betty. Betty was everything Jack had ever dreamed of in a young woman. From their first date they became totally overwhelmed with each other, their thoughts for nobody or anything else.

Betty would follow Jack to every Saturday afternoon match he played and would stand at the entrance to the football rooms to catch every glimpse of him she could.

Jack’s sisters would also get to as many football matches as they could, especially when the local side played at home. The football field was not too far away and they took pleasure in watching Jack play and would talk about their wonderful brother all the way home. Especially if Jack’s team had won and he had contributed to its win.

His younger sister Zelda took along a school friend of hers one Saturday afternoon to introduce Marion to her brother. Jack took very little notice of Marion, and Marion was surprised therefore when Jack called at her home two weeks later to ask her out to a dance at the Town Hall on that coming Saturday night.

Jack had established through his sister that Marion’s family were wealthy. The father, Frank, had an excellent position with the local council and owned other properties.

Marion was from a family of five boys and five girls, with their mother employing a housekeeper and cook to help with such a large family. Half the family spent time on their farm in the Western District and life for their family was so very different to the life Jack lead.

Marion and Jack became a regular couple attending dances at the town hall, pictures at the local theatres and would spend time on weekends together. Jack’s relationship with Betty was put on hold. He told Betty he would always love her but that for his future and career he would marry Marion if he could. And so began one of the longest affairs maybe on record. It would please Jack enormously and get his juices going to have two very attractive women watching him play football on a Saturday afternoon.

Around this time also, he found he could deal with all the ups and downs in his life if he used his pay back system. If someone hurt, disappointed or just generally upset him, he would endeavor to pay them back in whichever way he could. Most of the time this was done discretely and he would just relish the thought that someone was paying for his disappointment. His first pay back, which was one he absolutely delighted in was at the age of 18. His maternal grandparents lived next door to his family home and were much a part of his life. His grandmother was a very large German lady and his grandfather was also German but had a milder disposition and gave Jack all the love and time he could.

His grandparents had purchased a large car, which was used for occasional family outings and this car had been promised to Jack when Jack turned eighteen years of age. However, as Jack, in his grandparent’s eyes, was capable of establishing his own career and home life, his grandparents gave the car to a distant cousin by the name of Les. On the night before Les was to come and collect the car Jack got up about 2.00am and entered his grandparent’s garage, slid under the car and managed to loosen a bolt which held the car’s steering. He then went back to bed and slept so soundly his sister Ulma had to shake him awake the next morning.

That afternoon when Les came to pick up the car Jack was out the front of his home watching. Les backed the car out of the garage and up the rather steep drive onto the street. When he then drove down the street, which was on a slight hill, the car went out of control and smashed into another car parked close by. Jack was so pleased with himself and prided himself on just what he had done.

As Jack had gotten away with this pay back so easily he thought he would then try another form of manipulation. His football career was going well, but not all attention was being placed on just how good he was. Another footballer in his team was getting all the acclamation and prizes. Jack knew that the sports writer for the local paper carried a lot of weight with the football club selection committee and the fans. This particular sports writer also liked to have far too much to drink whilst supposedly writing the events of the football match when he was seated in the grandstand on any particular day. Over a couple of Saturday afternoons Jack bought bottles of beer to be given to the sports writer by one of Jack’s friends, the friend would then seat himself just far enough away from the sports writer to yell out at different intervals Good mark Jack, Good goal Jack, and so on.

Each column in the newspaper for the following weeks predominately featured Jack and his great football ability. So much so, that at the end of the football season when Presentation Night arose, Jack was given a medal for being the best & fairest footballer of the team. Another victory for Jack, using all his ability to make every opportunity to feather his own nest and promote himself, regardless of anyone else.

Jack did have an amazing football ability and from the local team was asked to try out for Collingwood, a major league team. Jack’s uncle had previously played for this particular team and had stayed on with the club acting in a role as selector and committee member. Using this to his advantage Jack was able to make himself known to other players and those like himself who were there at many training sessions to see if they were good enough to make a league team.

When war broke out most sporting activities were curtailed as most of the young healthy males were called up for service. And to Jack’s dismay he was called up also. Training for battle was not what Jack thought