| Biographical Non-Fiction posted March 15, 2024 | Chapters: |
...4 5 -6- 7... 
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The days lead toward the family additon.
A chapter in the book At Home in Mississippi
Countdown to Delivery
by BethShelby
Lucille was relieved that she no longer had to hide the fact that she was pregnant. Glover had accepted it better than she’d expected. Except for some minor nausea in the mornings, she was feeling good. She was a naturally energetic person who had always considered herself healthy. It was spring planting time, and she was anxious to get a garden going. Glover, not having ever been around a pregnant female, was afraid she might overdo it. He loved her and didn’t want anything to happen to her.
“Lucille, you can’t be doing all that lifting and hoeing. Aren’t you supposed to be taking it easy and resting? Come on in the house and sit down. Let that garden go. You canned enough stuff last summer. We are not going to starve.” His voice showed both concern and irritation.
“No, I’m fine. I feel better than I ever have.” She did a few steps of the Charleston to prove her point. “Being pregnant doesn’t make an invalid out of a person.”
“Well, damn it, I’ve warned you. If you have a miscarriage, don’t go blaming me. If you want to act like a fool, go ahead.”
Glover got busy trying to finish sealing the rooms and make everything as airtight as possible. Lucille continued milking their two cows and churning the milk using a dasher in the gray crockery churn. They always had plenty of fresh butter, cream and buttermilk.
Each morning, she made biscuits from scratch using a starter she kept in a large bowl covered with a white cloth. There were always fresh eggs gathered the day before and sausage or bacon. There were also molasses, thanks to Glover’s dad, who had his own cane mill.
Glover complimented his wife on her biscuits saying they tasted better than his mother’s which had a strong soda taste. He still preferred his mother's cornbread though. As she mixed the freshly ground cornmeal, eggs and buttermilk, she was overly generous with the lard.
Lucille also gardened, cooked, and cleaned. Knowing there was a baby on the way made her happy and she sang as she worked. In the evening, when it was too late to work outside, she would sit by the oil lamp and knit little bootees and sweaters for the baby. She had chosen pink and white skeins of yarn because she was sure the baby was a girl.
In the unpainted frame house down the road, her mother-in-law, Alma, was busy getting ready for the new baby too. She was quilting little crib blankets, which she would later embroider with baby lambs. She, too, hoped the baby would be a girl. Her own baby girl had died at birth many years before.
Since there was no electricity, there was no radio. Newspapers from Meridian were delivered to the store to be sold for a nickel a copy. Glover got into the habit of picking up a copy each day so they could keep up with the news of the world. Lucille loved to read, so when she had the chance, she read the paper from cover to cover. She especially enjoyed the Dorothy Dix advice column. Glover scanned the front page and read the funnies.
Lucille was amazed with news of the German blimp which would be coming to the US. She imagined what it might be like to see such a large air ship. The news in May of the Hindenburg disaster was shocking. The fire aboard, possibly caused by lightening, made the helium and hydrogen explode and burn, killing people in the compartment beneath the blimp, and even more on the ground, as it crumbled and fell.
Another news story which captured Lucille’s imagination was in June, when she read of Amelia Earhart, the gutsy lady, who flew airplanes and had plans to fly around the world. In July, came the sad news that her plane had gone missing somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. Each daily paper afterward continued to carry stories of vain search attempts, with no clues as to what the fate of her plane may have encountered.
The garden was looking great by summer. Lucille’s meals were mostly fresh vegetables which she harvested daily. What she didn’t cook, she put away in pint and quart jars. She still had a lot of energy, but her expanding stomach was starting to make her uncomfortable.
The little town of Newton had an ice plant, and each week, they would send a truck around delivering ice in large blocks. People with no electricity kept the ice blocks in air-tight insolated ice boxes. The ice box was a piece of furniture large enough to preserve the food which needed refrigeration.
With summer temperatures hovering around 100 F., Lucille constantly craved ice, which she used an icepick to chip up as fine as possible. The block obtained from the iceman wasn’t lasting long with her constantly munching on ice chips.
“Glover, honey, I hate to ask you, but do you mind running back into town and picking up another block of ice? We’re running out. I just feel like I can’t get enough.”
He always obliged her without grumbling too much. He’d heard pregnant women had cravings. There were more expensive things she could be craving. He often brought her back a small cup of vanilla ice cream as well. Newton had both an ice cream plant and a CocaCola drink bottling company.
Lucille visited the doctor only once during her pregnancy. He declared everything looked good. Dr. Simmons assured her, he would be available around the due date, which he believed would occur in early September. Since the Newton Hospital wasn't completed, he told her he would make house calls and to be prepared to have the baby at home.
Lucille visited the doctor only once during her pregnancy. He declared everything looked good. Dr. Simmons assured her, he would be available around the due date, which he believed would occur in early September. Since the Newton Hospital wasn't completed, he told her he would make house calls and to be prepared to have the baby at home.
As the baby grew more active, Lucille would rock and sing to her spreading belly. She would also talk, hoping the child would bond to the sound of her voice. She would say, “I can’t wait to hold you. Your mama loves you.”
Glover couldn’t visualize a child just yet. He wouldn’t be able to feel it was real until he could actually see it. He was starting to feel he might be playing second fiddle to this new addition.
Annie Jane, Lucille’s mom, decided it was time for her to come and help out as September grew closer. She packed her suitcase with the intention of staying for a few weeks. She would be there for the birth and as long as Lucille might need her.
Annie Jane declared that Lucille would need to stay in bed for two weeks after the birth of the child. This was the proper length of time for the confinement, according to her own mother, who had been the country doctor and midwife for the community when she was young.
It was around midday on the tenth of September when Lucille’s water broke and she began experiencing the labor pains. One of the neighbors was alerted to go into town and tell Glover that he would soon be a father. His heart started racing as he informed his boss he would be taking the remainder of the day off.
He went home with a feeling of excitement as well as fear. He couldn’t imagine what he would do if this didn’t go well and he lost Lucille. She was his world, and he didn’t see how he could make it without her.
Characters:
Glover Weir: Husband of Lucille He works in town as clerk in store.
Lucille: Glover's wife She is housewife.
Annie Jane Lay: Lucille's mother.
Alma Weir: Glover's mother.
 Recognized |
Biographical story of my family who are living in Newton, Mississippi in the late thirties. Lucille and Glover are my parents, but at this time, my mother is pregnant with me.
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