Going Away

By Jill Marzinske

Julie Mueller's world was changing: her sister Laurie gets married, Valerie prepares for college, and John learns how to drive. There is also going to work with Dad on Saturdays, playing with the neighbor kids, visiting relatives on holidays, and going to camp, the Christmas program at church and school, and putting up with her so-called friend Dawn Mason.So far, everything has been fine. But when Laurie and Ron have their first baby, does that mean Julie's childhood is over?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685262365

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Going Away

Jill Marzinske

ISBN 978-1-68526-233-4 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68526-236-5 (Digital)

Copyright © 2022 Jill Marzinske

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

Table of 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

To my siblings Penny, Vickie, Jerry, Charlie, and Dick. Thank you for a wonderful story. I couldn’t have done this without you.

Chapter 1

March 1967

It was the tail end of winter before heading into spring. The harshest part was over. Those surprise snowstorms resulting in a day off from school were coming to an end. My sliding days were almost over. Soon, the Blue Earth River running along our backyard would no longer be covered with a thick sheet of ice. No more skating parties.

One day last fall, shortly before Christmas, my oldest sister Laurie arrived at the house, the pink rambler at the end of the row, to announce she was engaged. Judging by the beaming smile on her face, this was a good thing. And why not? Laurie may have been only nineteen, going on nineteen and a half; but apparently, she was in a good place. And she had been on her own for over a year now. I’m sure if she’d had her way, she would have lived at home a while longer, but unfortunately, that was not to be. Not even close.

Ron Chambers was to be the first outsider to marry into our family. I could almost picture Dad glaring at the man, demanding, Why are you marrying my daughter? Instead, the two of them shook hands and greeted each other as Dad welcomed his soon-to-be son-in-law into the family.

The first time I met Ron, I was a little intimidated, almost afraid of him. I thought, Who was this tall stranger about to marry into our family? What was he doing here?

My brother Rick, at the ripe old age of ten, chose a more direct approach. Staring at our future brother-in-law, he wore a look of complete confusion and declared, What do you wanna marry her for? Apparently, he thought weddings were dumb. He didn’t always feel this way, however.

They were a set of Army bunkbeds Dad picked up one day. He brought them home because they were good and sturdy. Anything connected to his sons had to be. They were placed in the boy’s room so that when Mark walked in, all he had to do was climb up the end and dive into the top bunk. Rick had the bottom bunk, and John had a single bed. The three beds made an L.

One day, all three boys were in their room. They were supposed to be doing their homework. But Rick couldn’t seem to get into it. He lay on his bed, his legs crossed at the ankles, and his hands clasped behind his head, just like he’d seen Dad do countless times. The only difference was, Rick had a smile on his face and a faraway look in his eyes.

Hey, Rick, guess what? Mark yelled out.

No response.

Hey, Rick, what’s the matter? Are you asleep? Mark leaned over the side of the bed and looked down at his little brother. He saw Rick lying there with that stupid grin on his face. What’s the matter, Ricky? Are you sick?

I know what’s wrong with him. John had been sitting up against his headboard. He moved down towards the foot of his bed, lying on his stomach. He’s in love.

Love? Yuck! Mark wrinkled up his face in disgust. He had no use for girls. With whom?

Only with the most beautiful lady I’ve ever seen, Rick said.

Women! Mark snorted. What do you know about women? You’re only eight.

Enough to know that someday when I’m old enough, I’m gonna marry her.

Where did you meet this lady? John wanted to know.

She’s my teacher.

Mrs. Belquoir? Mark asked.

Yeah, Rick admitted.

I hate to tell you this, Rick, but she’s already married. John broke the news to him.

Rick sat bolt upright. She is not!

Yes, she is, John insisted. "Miss means she’s single. Mrs. means she’s married."

Rick jumped out of bed. He hurried out to the living room where his mother was watching television.

Mom confirmed it. Mrs. Belquoir was married.

That settled it, Rick decided. From now on, she could clean her own blackboards.

Our oldest sister Laurie was of medium height, standing around five feet five inches. She had velvety-looking chestnut brown hair. In spite of the dark horn-rimmed glasses she wore, it was obvious. She was pretty. In fact, Laurie could have dated anyone she wanted. I shouldn’t have been too surprised therefore, when she announced her engagement at only nineteen and a half. I recalled the first boyfriend Laurie ever brought home from a date. One day towards the end of her senior year, a ’57 Chevy convertible pulled into the yard.

The young man behind the wheel was David Sommers. He was out of high school, having graduated the previous June. At eighteen, he was rather attractive and wore his blond hair in a ducktail.

Laurie, with a head scarf tied firmly in place, sat beside Dave, his arm around her. Music wafted from the car radio.

Dave backed his car up in front of our three-stall machine shed and turned off the engine. This white-painted building was located on the northeast corner of our yard, right next to a big field that ran past the front of our house, paralleling part of our driveway. It’s also where Dad kept the Allis. Dave left the radio on as the two of them listened to the Beatles finish I Wanna Hold Your Hand.

Dave was Laurie’s first steady boyfriend. They had been going together for weeks. They made it a practice to rush out to the farm once Laurie was finished with school for the day. The song ended. Dave clicked off the radio. He swung his door open, ambling his long legs out of the car. He gave Laurie a smile as he offered her his hand. Laurie returned his smile as she slid across the seat in Dave’s direction.

Dave slammed the door, and the two of them hurried hand in hand to the house. The couple removed their wraps, hanging them on pegs located just inside the back door, then helped themselves to a snack. They retired to the living room sofa. Laurie quickly kicked off her shoes. Today, her outfit was a sunny-yellow knit two-piece skirt and short-sleeved top.

All too soon, Laurie’s younger siblings burst into the house with a storm of energy. We quickly scrambled out of our outer clothes, then invaded the living room.

Val was discreetly absent. She had gone to her room to study. She didn’t get all those As for nothing. Val knew Laurie preferred to be alone with Dave. Maybe she couldn’t do much about me and the boys, but she could at least make herself scarce.

Laurie was careful not to show her disappointment. As the oldest, she was expected to set a good example. She must take her disappointments in stride and appear gracious at all times, especially when all she really wanted to do was kick off her shoes and enjoy being seventeen. Instead, she pasted on her best big-sister smile and accepted her little brothers and sister as a part of life.

Dave actually got a kick out of Laurie’s family. He was an only child and had never experienced the joys of little brothers and sisters. He enjoyed it when we shared our life’s experiences with him.

Rick had just lost a tooth. He stood in front of Dave and proudly showed him the hole in his mouth.

Another one? Dave commented. You keep this up and you’ll lose all your teeth. You won’t be able to eat anything. You’ll starve to death.

We all laughed.

I’m gonna put it in a glass of water on the kitchen windowsill. Then tomorrow, I’ll have a dime.

Wow! What are you going to do with all that money?

Rick shrugged.

Probably buy candy, Mark teased.

Yeah, John added. Then all the rest of his teeth will fall out.

We all laughed.

Are you guys going out tonight? Mark wanted to know.

Probably, Dave told him.

What do you do when you go out? Rick asked.

Oh, Laurie shrugged. We’ll probably go to Mankato and cruise Front Street.

Really? Mark asked. That’s all you do is drive around?

Can I come? I asked eagerly.

I don’t think so, Laurie smiled. Even she had her limits.

On the night of her high school graduation, at the reception out at the house, Dave gave Laurie two special gifts. One was a cedar chest. The other was a proposal. Laurie turned Dave down. She simply wasn’t ready for marriage. The cedar chest was returned. We haven’t seen Dave since.

The previous evening, before the wedding was to take place, which was to be on Saturday, we gathered at the church for the rehearsal, the same Methodist church we attended every Sunday without fail.

This, however, was one of those rare occasions when I wouldn’t get bored in church. Ordinarily, on any given Sunday, as soon as Reverend Smith began his sermon, my mind wandered off. Reverend Smith was a great guy. We loved him dearly. He was actually the only minister I remembered. He showed up when I was around two. Unfortunately, public speaking was not his strong suit. His sermons could be dull and boring. Then, my brother Rick came up with a plan.

He’d take out his bulletin, the one the ushers handed out at the door. Taking a hymnal from the back of the pew and spreading out the bulletin on top of it, he’d take a pen and begin to circle every word, every piece of punctuation he could find. If he timed it just right, he could finish the bulletin just when Reverend Smith was about to finish his sermon.

To be honest, I doubt Dad ever heard an entire sermon in his life. He usually fell asleep. Mom seemed to time it right. At the precise moment, she gave the cue. Then, the one sitting next to Dad nudged him in the ribs, causing the man to snap awake. Sure enough, Reverend Smith uttered those famous words, the ones he said at the end of every sermon—And in conclusion. As a result, we got through another sermon.

I sat in the sanctuary along with my three older brothers in the second pew from the front, the very one the family was to sit in tomorrow morning, watching the rehearsal in progress. I watched as Dad walked Laurie down the aisle. I felt a smile tug at my mouth. Imagine! Someday, he would do the same thing for me. For some reason, this made me happy and sad at the same time.

Before handing Laurie over to Ron, the reverend asked Dad a customary question, Who gives this woman to this man to be wed?

And Dad gave his customary answer. Her mother and I do. At this time, he came over and sat down beside me. He took in the contented look on my face. Well, you look happy.

I am, I revealed.

Dad slipped his arm around my shoulders. I rested my head in the crook of his arm as we watched Laurie and Ron rehearse their vows.

Now, it was time to decorate the church for the wedding.

Mom had been cleaning for days. Every wall had been scrubbed, along with the ceilings. Every windowpane was shined. Every floor was cleaned, every curtain washed. The boys even cleaned their room. Mom put me to work. What was I cleaning for? I wasn’t the one getting married.

The dining room table was expanded to its fullest. It was covered by a white linen tablecloth. Over this was a lace one, the same tablecloth that was used for every special occasion: first Laurie’s high school graduation; next year, Val’s; and my brothers down the line, including mine.

The evening before the wedding, there was a rehearsal dinner at the house. With the lace tablecloth in place, along with Mom’s best Currier and Ives, the good dishes she bought with green stamps. That was the first time we ever met Ron’s parents. They didn’t have to worry about liking the meal. Mom was a great cook.

She didn’t start out that way, however. Far from it. Instead of teaching her only daughter how to cook as her generation was known to do, Grandma Reenie did everything. Mom grew up not even having to do dishes. Nice!

That all changed, however. When she met our father, Mom came to a decision. She must learn how to cook. Not only that, but her daughters must learn how to cook also. It worked. Mom kept her promise. By the time they were seniors in high school, Laurie and Val could cook a meal all by themselves and had many times. And at the age of nine, I was already helping my mother in the kitchen. I was learning how to make cakes.

Everybody came in their Sunday best. Mom splurged and bought herself a new outfit, a pearl-colored knit suit with a matching jacket and skirt. After all, it wasn’t every day her daughter was getting married. She was of the belief that every woman should marry the person of their dreams and start a family. She expected the same for Val and me. Mom looked forward to the day when she could become a grandmother.

Mom made me an outfit: a skirt and a matching blazer with little white roses on a green background.

Dad looked smart in his new suit, a black one with a crisp white