Eunice Reynolds told the clerk that she was twenty-one
years old when she applied for her marriage license in Lucas County, Ohio. In
reality, she was only fifteen years old at the time. Earl McLaughlin had lied
about his age too. The lies, however, had worked; and the young lovers were
married before Eunice gave birth to a baby girl she named Madge.
2 Times being what they were, however, there would be
no living on their own. Earl didn’t have a job, and they would have to live
with Earl’s parents in rural Carroll County, Ohio.
3 “Where did they find this place?” Eunice wondered.
And the place wasn’t the only thing that she would have to get used to.
4 Earl’s parents were very clear about who paid the
bills and who made the rules in their household. Eunice resented the fact that
she was treated like a child and was expected to work like a hired servant.
Life quickly degenerated into a mind-numbing routine of abuse with little
freedom and virtually no opportunities for relief. It felt like she was in a
prison in the middle of nowhere.
5 “Eunice, Mama’s getting tired of your lazy ass! You
need to get in that kitchen and wash those damn dishes,” Earl shouted. “You and
your Mama can shove those dirty dishes up your asses!” she snapped back. Earl
slapped her face.
6 “That’s it!” Eunice cried. She packed her and the
baby’s clothes and called her brother to come and get them. She knew that her
mother and father would allow her to come home, but she knew that that wouldn’t
be any picnic either.
7 Having a child at such a young age had certainly
narrowed life’s prospects for her, and her situation did not evoke a great deal
of sympathy from the society that surrounded her. No one cared that she had had
to assume a great deal of responsibility at such a young age (which was even
more difficult for a person who was such a free spirit).
8 Her mother and father, along with a majority of the
family, were now living in Lorain County, Ohio. “Mama and Daddy will help me
with Madge,” she hoped.
9 Still, she had wanted a change. That’s why she had
gotten involved with Earl in the first place. She had grown tired of living
under her parent’s rules and depending on them for every dime that came her
way.
10 Worse yet, her parents were country folk. Their
notions about what constituted a good time did not mesh with her own ideas on
that subject.
11 Although Eunice had definitely not wanted to attend
yet another “farmer’s picnic” as she called them, the rest of the family had
insisted on going to the backwater affair. Even so, her mother had agreed to
look after Madge, and she would be free to roam among the picnic tables for a
while and peek into the tents that had been set up for the occasion.
12 As she strolled around the grounds, she spotted a
group of young people playing cards. “That’s more my style,” she thought as she
approached the table. They were laughing and talking when she reached them, and
one of the men had just won what was apparently his third hand in a row.
13 “Otto you’re a regular card shark!” she heard the
one named Charles exclaim. The Hall sisters giggled and looked adoringly in
Otto’s direction while he blushed and looked down at the cards spread out
before him. “He’s kinda easy on the eyes,” thought Eunice.
14 “So you’re pretty good at this, huh?” she
interrupted. “Care to try your hand against a real card shark?” Eunice
demanded.
15 She won the next two hands before Otto recovered
his equilibrium. She hadn’t had this much fun in ages and was more than a
little delighted that the handsome young man beside her appeared to be
bumfuzzled by her ability and presence. She was free of care, concern and
responsibility for just a moment, and Eunice was relishing the feeling.
16 Otto had just quietly won another hand when
everyone noticed that folks had begun to drift back to their own families. The
women folk were clearing away what was left of the food and packing it up for
the journey home.
17 “You don’t say a whole lot, do ya?” Eunice prodded.
“I guess not,” Otto mumbled as he glanced in her direction. “Well, are you
going to ask me out or not?” she demanded. “Well, uh, sure,” he stammered.
“I’ll think about it,” she replied after a brief pause. “I’m just kidding!” she
quickly reassured him with a smile.
18 “You can pick me up Tuesday evening at six o’clock.
And don’t be late!” she added. “Oh, I won’t,” Otto promptly responded. He had a
puzzled look on his face as she walked away. “He’s not sure what just hit him,”
she thought as she giggled to herself.
19 “Eunice, help me load this food into the car. And
then, you take Madge for a while,” her mother ordered. “What will he think
about Madge?” Eunice wondered. She grabbed a basket in one hand and her
daughter’s small hand in the other and began walking back to the car.
20 Otto Westlake was an enigma. There was something
different about him, but he did show up for their date. And Madge didn’t scare
him off. And there were more dates over the months that followed.
21 His parents, however, did not approve of the match.
“Why do you want to get involved with a divorced woman with a child?” his
father demanded. “You could have almost any of the young women around here,”
his mother told him; but Caleb knew that wasn’t true.
22 He had been so painfully shy where the opposite sex
was concerned that he had only had two real dates before meeting Eunice, and
both of those young ladies had given up on him after the first date. “He
doesn’t talk,” they complained.
23 Eunice was different. She did enough talking for
both of them. She was fun; and, for some unknown reason, she seemed to like
him. “This might be my only opportunity for a normal life,” Otto thought.
24 Even so, Eunice was shocked when he finally popped
the question. “What will your parents say?” she asked. “They’re not invited,”
he said without smiling.
25 “Everybody around here knows that I’m divorced,”
she persisted. “I’ve thought about that too,” Otto said. “I’ve done a little
checking, and we can get married in New York.” “Well, it sounds like you’ve
given this a little thought,” Eunice smiled. “Let’s do it!”
26 They drove to a little town named Ripley, not far
from the Pennsylvania border in Chautauqua County, New York and were married
there by a young Methodist minister. “They’ll have to accept it now,” Otto said
and finally cracked a smile.
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