Characters:
MAXINE- A twenty something young woman working as head bank teller in Keokuk, Iowa. (She is also my mother.)
NANA- Maxine's mother (my grandmother) who has raised four children through the Great Depression, and now has two sons overseas fighting in WWII.
HAROLD- Son of Nana. He is a soldier in the Army deployed somewhere in Europe.
WILBER- Maxine's fiance. He is in the Army and will be deployed to Europe soon. Maxine and Wilber became engaged before he leaves.
MRS. H- Wilber's mother
MORTON- A soldier in the Army with the nick name of, The Senator, given to him by his Army buddies.
There are many other characters, but these are the main ones for the beginning of this story. Let's go back to when Maxine had graduated from high school at the age of 16 in 1937. The Great Depression did not hinder her from getting her first job in a box factory. Oh how exited she was. It was loud and dirty, but Maxine was excited to make her own money and be able to buy fancy clothes. This is the only graduation picture I can find of Maxine. It is a bit blurry, but I think the pose is all Maxine.
Maxine's job was making lids for containers. These containers would be for things like ice cream and cottage cheese. During slow times, Maxine would draw pictures on the insides of the lids. These were innocent pictures of women wearing clothes that mother had designed. On one lid she decided to write a note. How did she know if others enjoyed her pictures if no one could write back to her? So, she wrote, "Hi, this is Maxine. If you like my picture let me know." And of course, she added her address. Here is a sample of what she drew on the container lids.
We must remember, that Maxine is only 16. The Depression has been dreary and difficult for everyone. This is her first step into the real world. She really did not expect a reply, and if she did get a reply, she did not expect the one that came in the mail a month later. Maxine never told me the exact message, but I think it would be rated XXX and not for the eyes of an innocent 16 year old. Nana burned the letter in the old kitchen stove. For the rest of her time working at the box factory, Maxine continued drawing pictures in some of the lids, but never again did she write a note. Here are a few of early pictures of Maxine.
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| Maxine is on the right. I am not sure what play this is but she is in a costume she designed. |
A year later, Maxine changed jobs. She was now the stationery department clerk at F.W. Woolworth. Now she would wear pretty dresses to work and not worry about getting dirty. She was responsible for ordering greeting cards, stationery, writing utensils and other various items found in such a department. She loved it. She liked making the displays pretty. She liked meeting people and helping them. I found this picture of her while she was still working at F.W.Woolworth, August 16, 1940. She is top row, second from the left. I am sure she wished that she had smiled more.
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| Maxine is top row, second from the right. This is F.W. Woolworth Co., 1940 |
Her favorite part about working at Woolworth's was subbing at the soda fountain. This is where she learned the proper way to dip ice cream out of the container. "Do not dip deeply into the carton making a big hole. You must start at the top and go in layers." (It has something to do with the air in the ice cream.) People began to notice when Maxine was subbing. The root beer floats were perfect and the ice cream sundaes were amazing. Maxine made them just the way she liked them with lots of toppings. She always added extra hot fudge and whipped cream. Banana splits were her favorite. Strawberries, chocolate and marshmallow cream would be poured on just full enough but not overflowing the dish. Then she would pile on the whipped cream, nuts and not one, but three cherries (one for each dip of ice cream) topped these delicious creations. There were always the most customers waiting in line when Maxine was subbing at the fountain. Finally, the owner of the store told her that she needed to stick with the recipes because they were making no profit when she subbed.
This is the end of this part one. How long will Maxine be employed at F.W. Woolworth? When will she meet her true love? Is he really her true love? These will be answered in the next chapter of this story with no title.
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