We drove across Washington State to Idaho and visited with a friend of Larry’s who was a policeman in CouerD’Alene. Of course he showed us the town and we got really drunk. We left the next day driving through Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and on to Chicago. We stayed three days with friends in Chicago and got drunk with them, then went to Lakehurst New Jersey and visited a friend of Larry’s there and of course got drunk there too, then on to Connecticut.
Driving in July across country without air conditioning in the car is miserable doubly so with a hangover!! Larry never wanted to stop anywhere. I only brought a 5th of scotch, and I didn’t know we wouldn’t stop anywhere for shopping, so the bottle was gone in two days!! The only time we ever stopped was for gas. We stopped at the end of the day for dinner and a motel. He didn’t want me to drive as he was the MAN and in control! Hmmmpppff!! We had a CB radio, and would talk to the truckers when we got bored. Actually when I got bored I would make google eyes at the truckers and wink and kiss my window. They would call on the CB asking for the little brown Pinto. Larry didn’t know why they were all calling for us. Hehehehehe.
We arrived in Connecticut and found a motel. We had to stay there for two weeks waiting for military housing to open a space for us. That was great because we were in the middle of a heat wave, and we don’t own an air conditioner.
We moved into a three bedroom house in Plainville, CT. Larry had to drive to Hartford every day to work which was about 20 miles away. I was left at home with no car and not knowing a soul there. It was like a prison to me. I walked across the street to a liquor store and bought a bottle of wine just about daily. Larry would get off work and the guys he drove to work with always wanted to stop for drinks on the way home. I was stuck home alone and getting madder by the day! I was the party girl and he was out every night with the guys, and I was home!! I met some of the wives and didn’t have a thing in common with any of them. They were all raising children and keeping the dinner warm for the husband! BAH!!! Larry turned into a real Archie Bunker, and I was forced to be Edith!! I asked Larry for some money once to go to the grocery store, and he asked what I wanted. I told him we needed milk and he gave me a dollar! I’m surprised he didn’t ask for the change back!! When he came home drunk I would sneak in his pockets and dig out some money a dollar here and there for my wine. Our first Christmas there was very meager. We had no money, as I wasn’t working. I tried looking for work but with no car it was hard. I was on the way to the store a mile away once and half way there I got a panic attack and had to turn around and come home!! Eight months without work, I finally found a job in a chain retail store kind of like Kmart. It was King’s department store. It was a new store opening in Plainville, so I got in on the ground floor there. They placed me in the layaway department and also as the sign maker and ad circular layout person. I loved the job there. In the Summer time it seemed that when I got off work at 6PM every night, there would be a thunder storm. We never get thunder storms at home, and I only remember the ones in Virginia, so it was scary to me. I would run like heck to the car praying I wouldn’t get struck!! The gals at work would watch me and laugh. The Fall was beautiful in Connecticut. The trees would put on quite a show. We would drive to New London once a month to the commissary for groceries. We had friends in Marlboro and they invited us to an auction. That was fun. I have never been to an auction, and was amazed.
We had a blizzard in January 1978!! I LOVE the snow. I was bouncing from window to window watching the snow and listening to the howling wind. I finally went to sleep, and the next morning I woke up and slung the bedroom curtains open and there was snow drifted up to the roof on that side of the house!! It scared me, so I ran to the front of the house and there was only about 2 feet of snow there! I have never experienced anything like that!! I loved it! The blizzard dumped 6 feet of snow on the State, and Governor Grasso got on the news and told everyone the State was closed, and not to go anywhere. Well with 6 feet of snow on the roads, I don’t think too many people would venture out!! We got freezing rain after that, and the weight of all the snow and ice collapsed the roof where I worked. What a mess it was!! Luckily it happened at night when the store was closed. The following Summer was a record breaker hot. It was horrible!! I remember one time I was home alone (of course) and the heat was unbearable, and the sky was pea soup green! I could taste electricity in the air, and then the sky burst open and dumped rain and thunder and lightening!! It was a really weird storm! I grabbed the vodka, orange juice, cigarettes, and radio and hid out in the closet for the afternoon. I heard about tornado warnings, but luckily never saw one. That storm put the lights out in New York City and they had riots. Larry came home after all the excitement was over of course. I was really building some resentments over him!!
I was getting heartburn a lot and finally went to the doctor. He told me to quit red meat, salt, sugar, and coffee. He also told me to have a glass of wine before dinner to calm me down. I told him I would drink the bottle of wine and have no dinner. He then told me to quit the booze too. I didn’t drink for 7 months and lost 125 pounds. (I had gained a lot of weight sitting home and drinking). I looked great and felt great!! Larry didn’t like me skinny, he is a sick man!!
Larry retired in April 1979 and we were heading home!!
Tomorrow, homeward bound!!
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