Aileen
Interviewee: Aileen, Interviewer: Rohini, location: Aileen’s Daughter’s home, Date: 5/3/11
At 3:30 on a bright summer’s afternoon, Aileen was wearing a blue summer dress with white flowery print. She was sitting in a comfortable chair in the living room, with glasses on and her walking stick close by. Aileen welcomed me with a pleasant smile and shook my hand. My worries about whether she will understand my accent were quickly dispelled as Aileen, after I explained my project pointed out, that she had many more full moons to her credit than the requirement of 1000!
Age: 88 yrs
Birth Place: Chicago, USA
Background information: Aileen is of Swedish descent, was born in Chicago in 1922, had one brother and raised five children. Apart from being a wife and a mother she held many different jobs such as a secretary, sales person and a realtor. She has 17 - 18 grand children and 44 great grand children. “Not a year goes by without me holding a baby in my arms, that makes me happy,” said Aileen very casually.
“Will you share a happy memory with me?” I asked.
“I don’t have one, I have so many…” She gave me all the background information and said, “Now you ask questions and I will answer.”
We talked about her school and college and how it meant that one had to get married if they didn’t go to college. How she got married after two years of junior college…at this point her daughter interjected,
“You eloped, didn’t you?”
I was all ears but Aileen just smiled and continued.
Accompanied by her friend and her friend’s fiancé, Aileen had gone to see her fiancé in Tullahoma, Tennessee where he was stationed. She remembered it being a long weekend that turned out to be much longer…Since her friends deserted her mid way she had to be with her fiancé. But times were different then, she could not be with him unless they were married. So they got married.
“I remember I won a purse for telling this story,” she said.
“Where and when was that?” Aileen was reaching in to her memory bank.
“It was in Chicago. Long after we were married, there was a shoe store and they were celebrating their 25th year. They had invited radio and T.V. Crew. There were four or five other people sharing their respective marriage stories. I told my story and I won a leather purse. They gave me a purse…the first expensive purse I had,” Aileen chuckled; the laughter reached her eyes. She looked beautiful.
“They gave you a purse? I did not know that,” said her daughter.
“Yes, they gave me a purse…”
Isn’t the working of our mind very intriguing? When we stumble upon a happy memory many more come flooding in…
We chatted some more and then I said goodbye so Aileen could open her purse and enjoy the treasures she found within…
Note: The purse in the picture above is not the purse that Aileen received at the store.
No comments:
Post a Comment