Maxine's Story, Chapter 6

 

Maxine As a Young Woman

It has been a long time (again) since I have written the next chapter of Maxine's Story, and my guilt has overtaken my neglectfulness.  We left Maxine visiting her brother, Harold, in the ......hospital for amputees. He had been injured in battle and was recuperating and getting physical therapy.  While there she and my Nana would visit the other wounded soldiers.  One day one of them, the one known as The Senator, asked Maxine if she would go to a movie with him.  He knew she was engaged, but still wanted to go on this movie date.  

Maxine has never been good at saying "No" to anyone, and so she went.  The thought of Wilber back home would come to mind, but she would push the thought away. It was just a thought, it was not tugging at her heart.  Well, one date led to another and Maxine knew that she was falling in love with this handsome, kind, funny and smart man. When it was time for Nana and my mother to return to Iowa, there were tears and thoughts of leaving part of her heart in Utah.

The Senator is also known as Mort Haworth. He had grown up in Indiana and joined the Army after his mother had died. He had been the caregiver for his mother, and when she died, he was crushed. Joining the Army had to have been a difficult decision because there were Quaker values in his family. His father's side of the family were Quakers (even though not always active) and did not believe in serving in the armed forces. He could have been a conscientious objector due to religion. Despite objections from his father and others in his family, and knowing how angry some would be, he stuck to his decision. 

I can write more about Mort later. But this is Maxine's Story and even though Mort will be a big part of the rest of her story, I will save his biography for another time. Maybe I could call it Mort's Story.

Maxine and Nana returned to Iowa and life began to take on the same routine as before they left. But there was a difference. Maxine was restless. She could not relax and get back to normal. She would go to work at the bank and she would go on dates with Wilber, but it was not the same.  Soon she began getting cards and letters from Mort. He asked if he could come visit. Nana really liked Mort and encouraged him to come visit.

It was time for Maxine to tell Wilber that she had to break the engagement. I know that had to have been so hard for her because she always hated confrontations, but her heart was not with him. Wilber was devastated and refused to believe that she was serious. He would come into the bank to her window and put the ring in his deposits. Maxine began to waver and wonder if maybe he was the right one since he was so determined.  She was also writing to Mort and in one of the letters told him that she was so conflicted in what to do. 

Mort loved Maxine, and unlike Wilber, he wanted the best for her even if it would hurt himself. So he told Maxine that when he came to visit, he would like to meet Wilber. He said that after meeting him, if he realized that Wilber was the right guy for her, then he would bow out and let her be. But first, he wanted to meet Wilber.

Mort was called the Senator for a reason. He was smart, fair, unselfish (I know this doesn't sound like a lot of senators today) and a leader. Before his visit, he whittled this little puzzle game. I have seen similar ones sold at farmer's markets sometimes. When he got to the house, he was welcomed with joy and excitement. Uncle Harold was there, Aunt Marge, Nana, Papa, Uncle Frank and his wife Aunt Dorothy, and of course Maxine. Wilber arrived soon and they all sat down to one of Nana's feasts. I still wonder what that meal was like. Did anyone really enjoy it?

After dinner, Mort took Wilber out on the porch and they just talked. No one knows what they talked about. Mort kept playing with his whittled toy and it peaked Wilber's interest. Mort explained the puzzle to him and let Wilber try. After some time, Mort went back inside and found Maxine in the kitchen. "Maxine, I have made my decision. You could never be truly happy with Wilber. He is still out there trying to figure out that puzzle. You are much too smart for him and he would never appreciate your quick wit. But you need to make the decision on what you want, and in fairness to Wilber and me, it needs to be final. I am going on a trip to Florida with my cousin, Jack. That should give you some time to think. I know I love you and if you choose Wilber, even though it will hurt, I will respect your choice."

This is similar to the puzzle Mort whittled. It has two parts. It is a block of wood about four to five inches long. There is a hole drilled in the center through the whole block. It is large enough for a small dowel pin to slip in and out.  The small dowel pin (about three inches long has a notch cut near the bottom. The top of the pin is glued into another piece of wood that is like a cap to the maim block. The top part of the cap has been whittled into a dome shape leaving the bottom half square to sit on top of the block of wood. This picture shows the bottom of the small block. As you can see, the hole has a small square peg inserted in it.  What this not show are two ends of a rubber band sticking out about half an inch. That is how Mort made it. On the cap he numbered each side, 1-2-3-4 and on the top of the block he also had numbers, 1-2-3-4.  The object of the puzzle is to find the right combination for the hidden rubber band to connect to the notch on the small dowel pin, and then when pulled out, will snap back into the block.

 

So, Mort traveled to Florida. I don't know how long. He returned to Indianapolis where he was living with cousins, Al and Dorothy Hall and their two children Tim and Susie. They knew he was pining away for Maxine and hoped the trip to Florida would settle things a bit. 

Maxine was in distress. Wilber would not leave her alone. His mother would not leave her alone. Finally, Nana said. "Is this how you want to live the rest of your life? Do you want to live with someone who will not respect you and give you time to make a decision? Think about who makes you feel like your feelings and your thoughts are important." It was not difficult for Maxine to realize that Mort was the man who made her feel loved for being just who she was. At that time she was able to tell Wilber good-bye with enough strength for him to understand that he had lost.

Mort courting Maxine

And so now the romance begins with Maxine, my mom, and Mort, my dad.  He sent letters, cards and gifts everyday. She never received less than four pieces of mail from him each day, and one time she received 14!  He would drive the seven hours each weekend to visit her and well, the rest is history.  Oh, but no, there has to be more, and there is. I promise to write the next chapter sooner than this one.