Chapter 4: 1973, Gainful employment, a visit and a fire

 In 1973, Wayne was working for American Shipbuilding at the Lorain Shipyards on Lake Erie. He had previously worked on two of the great ore carriers of the Great Lakes: the Edmund Fitzgerald and the Roger Blough.

2 “They are going to dedicate a new ship at the Shipyards, and I want the boys to see what I do for a living,” Wayne told Edna. “I think that would be a great idea,” she replied. Thus, Lonnie and Steven were in attendance when George Steinbrenner and Ava Gabor dedicated the Paul Thayer that year. Years later, Wayne would suffer from the condition known as asbestosis because of his years of crawling through ships that were literally lined with asbestos.

3 In the meantime, Linda was working as a waitress in a restaurant above the Higbee’s Department Store at the Midway Mall. Edna took the boys to see their mother there one afternoon, but they didn’t see much of her that day.

4 “I’d like to see my boys, but I’m not waiting on that bitch,” she told her coworkers. “That’s ok, Linda, I’ll get this one,” Trudy volunteered. “Thanks, I’ll owe you one,” Linda told her.

5 Later that day, after they had returned from Higbee’s, Annie called from Alabama. “I am at my wit’s end with these children,” she began. “I simply cannot keep taking care of them by myself - I can’t even take care of myself!” she continued. “Between my kidneys and this colostomy, I’m just about done for - I need a break!” “Do you think that Dick would be willing to help me?” she asked.

6 “Why don’t you and the kids come up here for a visit?” Doodle suggested. She wasn’t sure that her brother would be willing to have any further dealings with his former wife, but she was willing to help her try for the sake of the children.

7 “Oh Doodle, that would be wonderful,” Annie replied. “Have you got enough room for all of us?” she asked.

8 “We can make room,” Edna responded. “If we have to, we can make a Baptist pallet in the floor for the kids, and I’ve got a couple of couches,” she explained.

9 As Edna replaced the phone on its base, she wondered how her brother would react to the news of Annie’s visit to Ohio. “I hope that he will look past her and think about his grandchildren,” she told Clayton. “I don’t know,” Clayton replied. “How do you think Jean and the boys will feel about this?” he asked. “I don’t know,” Doodle admitted.

10 At first, it seemed like old times. Annie grabbed Edna and hugged her tight. “I’ve missed you,” she told her. “I’ve missed you too!” Doodle replied. They talked for hours about things that had happened when they were younger and the people they had both known then.

11 “Has Dick said anything about seeing the children?” Annie finally asked. Edna squirmed. “No, he hasn’t said anything to me,” she replied.

12 In fact, to say that Dick was not eager to see his first wife would have been a colossal understatement. He had built a new life for himself with Jean, and they were taking care of three boys of their own. Annie and his grandchildren represented an unpleasant past – one that he thought he had put behind him a long time ago. “I don’t understand why Doodle invited them up here!” he exclaimed in exasperation.

13 Edna did her best to entertain her guests and make them feel welcome, and Lonnie and Steven enjoyed the novelty of having cousins to stay with them. Nevertheless, Annie and the children returned to Alabama without any offer of help or interest from Dick. In the end, the visit had only served to damage Doodle’s relationship with her brother and his wife.

14 As the summer waned, Clayton and Doodle decided to refocus their energy on their own grandchildren. Clayton had purchased a large and well-equipped recreational vehicle, and they made several trips to the local campgrounds that summer to keep the children entertained and out of trouble.

15 That fall, Clayton and the boys gathered a large store of firewood and coal for the approaching winter. They all knew that Doodle would keep a fire going in the family room from the time they woke up in the morning until the time they went to bed each evening. Hence, one entire side of the yard was stacked with the fuel that would be necessary to sustain them.

16 Then, in early December, Lonnie and Steven went out late one evening to gather enough firewood for the following morning. As they bent over to collect an armload of wood, however, Lonnie suddenly stopped what he was doing and straightened back up.

17 “Something is wrong,” he proclaimed. “What is it?” Steven asked. “Something doesn’t feel right – something is going to happen tonight,” Lonnie tried to explain. “It’s dark and cold out tonight – probably just your imagination,” Steven reassured him. “Let’s get this wood and get back inside,” he urged his older brother.

18 That night, in the wee hours of the morning, Lonnie and Steven awoke to a loud banging sound. Someone was pounding on the side of the house, and there was smoke everywhere. They sprang out of bed and filed out into the hallway.

19 Clayton was already headed downstairs, and Edna ushered her grandchildren in the same direction. There was an eerie orange glow coming from the direction of the kitchen. The house was on fire!

20 “Get Smokey and Princess and put them in the car,” she instructed. “You and your brother wait outside.” She ran to the hutch in the dining room and grabbed her silver service and headed for the door.

21 Clayton had already hooked up the garden hose and was fighting the flames that were now leaping over the roof at the rear of the house. “I called the fire department,” a neighbor shouted. Edna handed her silver service to another lady and headed back into the house to save something else.

22 By the time that the fire department finally arrived, Clayton had managed to extinguish most of the flames. The firemen quickly put out what was left and set up large fans to pull the thick, black smoke out of the house.

23 “We were on our way home from my company’s Christmas party, and we noticed the flames,” one of the neighbors explained to Clayton. “We knocked on the front door and rang the doorbell several times, but no one answered,” he continued.

24 “They were already being overcome by the smoke,” one of the firemen interjected. “You’re very lucky that he woke you up when he did,” the fireman continued. Clayton thanked the neighbor and the firemen for their help.

25 When they finally went back inside of the house, everything was covered in a thick layer of soot and smelled of smoke. “We aren’t going to be able to stay here tonight,” Edna observed. “I’ll get us a motel room,” Clayton agreed. Lonnie shivered. They had survived the fire, but they all realized that this night could have ended very differently.