Mom and dad had just returned from a short honeymoon after being married in Tacoma in early September. They arrived home at nearly midnight before dad had to head out to his brother's butcher shop where he had worked the past two years. The day was busy as usual cutting meat as neighbors made their daily runs for the evening meal and dad and Uncle Auby filled their requests.

The day started with the meat truck arriving early. Dad and Uncle Auby got there around 4:30 AM to load the meat into the lockers and begin the preparation so that by the time they opened later that morning they would have freshly cut strips displayed and prime sections trimmed and ready to cut to the desired thickness. Dad knew this was not his future but for now, it paid the bills.

Everyone was asking dad about the wedding and the honeymoon and kidding him about "the little woman". Of course, everyone from the neighborhood knew dad well since they had watched him grow up over the years and although many did not attend the ceremony it was only because they all worked hard during the depression and time was of a premium. Mom and dad both understood.

All in all, it was a good day. Dad was well liked and he could feel the love of the neighborhood as it wished him and his new bride the best. Dad looked forward to getting home to see what Betty had in store for their first dinner in their home and also finally getting a full nights rest in their own bed. But what Harold didn't know, he was in for quite a surprise.

When mom was 14 and her sister Francis was 12, their mom died of cancer. Grandma had been dealing with the illness for close to a year and during that time she spent hours with her daughters preparing them to handle things for their father when she was gone. Francis was given kitchen duty and mom was responsible for cleaning the house. And in both cases it was important to do things just right so that had to be their focus. Grandfather was the President of a bank in Tacoma and not only did Grandma feel there were standards to be upheld because of Grand dad's position, Grandfather ran his home much like the bank and although he loved his family and was a loving father, it was important to him that those standards were met ' to built character and display pride.

As a result, Francis became quite a cook and mom never missed a beat when it came to keeping a home looking well cared for. But when it came to marriage time, there was one thing that dad didn't know: Mom didn't even know how to boil water.

Dad got off work around 6 PM and made the 5 mile trip home. He had eaten lunch but just a snack of sorts since his first day back to work was so busy with everyone wanting to know about the wedding and honeymoon. As he walked in the door he yelled "Betty, I'm home!" But there was nothing but silence. "Betty, are you here?" Dad walked to the back of the house thinking maybe mom was outside talking to a neighbor but he could see no one. Then he looked at the stove and nothing was in the oven. There was a knife on the counter and a small pan but nothing else. "Mmmmm..." he thought and just then he could hear something coming from upstairs. It sounded like whimpering. "Betty, are you upstairs", he said as he started to take his first step.

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