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We arrived back in Lake City the next day, and Eric went back to work. He thought
the Youngs would appreciate him going back to work on Saturday.

I’ve decided it pays to volunteer-^to be so helpful to people. If someone really needs
help, then you can apply yourself.

We had arrangements before our marriage to rent a bedroom in the home of one of
our neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Axman, who had a 14-year-old son. We had agreed to
cook and eat with them which worked out fine. We also did our laundry together. I was

doing half the work with two of us and three of them. I ironed as long as there was a piece
of clothing to iron. I mopped floors most of the time by myself. We paid half the groceries,
half of the water and electric bills, and half of the rent.

None of this sharing bothered me. The rub came when Ma and Pa brought us some
vegetables, eggs, milk, butter, syrup, chickens, a five-gallon can of lard—no cooking oil back
then—and other needed food items from their farm. The Axmans didn’t consider any of

these as groceries, and there were three of them. Eric and I didn’t think this was a fair deal.
Our second home was an apartment right uptown, just across the park from the
theater. But living in this location almost broke us. It was so wonderful to live in town where

I could walk across the park to the theater .to see a movie for just a quarter. I couldn’t resist
going a couple of times a week. But a quarter then was more like $5 today.
Sadie Sweat played the piano during the movie. She could really tear that piano up. I
later became good friends with her. She played for Sharon’s wedding reception. This apart­

ment was less expensive than the Axman house, so we figured we could actually live
cheaper, and I wouldn’t have near as much work to do. Not only was it cheaper, it was also
just two blocks from Young’s Hardware store where Eric worked. A lot of unexpected

company dropped in for dinner which became an added expense.
We loved the apartment and its owners. They had four children: a boy and three girls.
The two youngest girls, the same age as my young sisters Opal and Fay, had tricycles, skates,
a little red wagon, dolls, and many other toys. The older boy and girl had bicycles. Opal and

Fay just loved to visit me because the two girls were so generous with their toys. They let
Opal and Fay ride their tricycle half the day.

Opal and Fay were 7 and 6 years old and about the same size; they looked like twins
especially since Ma dressed them'alike. They both had dark hair and black eyes. I was still
their barber. I parted their hair down the center on top of their heads, and they wore bangs

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