Domingo, 4 June 1989

Some days it gets to the early ’80s.

Sábado, 3 June 1989

Just getting April showers now.

Viernes, 2 June 1989

Still looking.

Jueves, 1 June 1989

Looking for a job.

Miércoles, 31 May 1989

Last day of school my junior year. Stayed after with Denice Stifler & Angie & Ashley Ozmet & looked in all the lockers for stuff left behind like notebooks, pens & pencils, calculators, & odds & ends. I found a cute doll that I kept. The floors were covered with school papers that the kids just threw there. Next year I’ll buy a yearbook. For memories.

Tuesday, 16 May 1989 5:43 P

I suppose it’s about time I wrote to you again. It’s been nearly 3 months. We now have a white (very nice) station wagon as well as the little blue Spirit w/the sun roof. We got rid of the brown station wagon when a car got in Barbara’s way while she was driving it. It was the other driver’s fault. 3 days ago was exactly 1 year since I got my license & in that year I drove maybe 4 times. The 13th was also Angie’s birthday. She’s 15. It’s hot out & I have my fan on. School ends the 31st. I’m doing terrible in all of my resolutions (Jan 12th). Sarah has her own trike & her favorite word is “Sarah’s?” On Friday I was confirmed w/8 other churches besides mine; the Bishop was there. Several things happened since February 26. And warm weather is the best thing.

18 April 1989

Dear Jack

I thought you might be interested to know that I am presently sitting in my sixth hour typing class. I finished my assignment early, so I’m using my spare time to type to you. So how’s the life? Would you believe perfect little Jolie got a C in typing third quarter? It’s true. I can’t do timings to save my life. As to other things that are currently happening in my life, I am at this moment in a rut. I have very little to no money (income) coming in. I believe there is a conspiracy against me, for all of a sudden no one needs a babysitter. I do have a job tonight, though. I am going to be babysitting for Mrs. Todd at the bottom of the hill until nearly midnight tonight. Maybe now I’ll be able to pay Mom back for the money I borrowed from her about a month ago. I would have paid her back sooner, but now that I’m selling candy bars, half my income goes to mom and the other half goes toward candy bars. So far I’ve earned $72.00. Soon it will be $96.00, as soon as I empty this case I have now. I’m planning on getting a good paying job this summer, as well as selling more candy bars next year (my senior year). I think school is going by too fast. I know I sound like a geek, but that is where all my friends are.

The bell is just about to ring so I had better say good-bye.

Your devoted sister,

Jolie

P.S. Been nice typing to you!

 

April 1989

I gaze out the window. It looks so warm out, so why is it so cold? It’s already the middle of April, and we still have some snow in our driveway. I glance at the clock. Still ten minutes until class is over and I can relax by my locker, finishing my school work. My bus won’t come for another 25 minutes. Then I’ll walk on and find a seat with some shy seventh-grader and won’t say a word. I’ll look forward as though I’m bored, as though I don’t mind not having anyone to talk to. I’ll listen to the other juniors behind me, laughing and making jokes. Almost all of them smoke, they all swear. Slowly the bus gets less crowded; soon I’ll be home. Then I’ll wait another 1/2 hour for my little sister, the 3rd-grade pessimist. Maybe I’ll take a nap, maybe I’ll read a book. I’ll wait some more, until 8:00, when I’ll go babysitting. The children will soon be in bed, then I’ll wait, wait. Wait for the parents to come home. Then, when I’m home, I’ll crawl into bed and sleep until tomorrow.

At last, the bell!

Thursday, 9 March 1989

It all started exactly one week ago. We knew the day before that our grandma was very ill. We also knew several relatives were coming down to see her. For that reason, we were told to clean the house as soon as we got home. At 3:30 Joey, Angie, and I bounded off the bus happily, excited about seeing our cousins. We ate chocolate pudding as our after-school lunch, watched “OPRAH” on T.V., danced around to Footloose, and did basic cleaning.

I remember the phone kept ringing, interrupting me as I made supper. My mom called a couple times for messages and info about the relatives. One time my cousins called and we all talked to Katie. Katie is now 12, but we haven’t seen her since she was about 9 years old. There was a big dispute between Katie’s mom and the rest of the family that kept us apart. It’s hard to tell exactly when it started. It could’ve started when Grandma was driving at night with Katie in the car when Katie was about 6 or 7. My grandma accidentally went off the edge of the road and into the ditch. Katie wasn’t hurt in the least; in fact, she was sleeping in the back seat at the time, and when the car was stopped she rolled onto the floor and continued to sleep. But for some reason Martha was very upset. She wrote a cruel letter to my Grandma that is believed to have caused her to have a minor heart attack, which began a series of medical problems.

I think Lou had a lot to do with the bitterness between Martha and the rest of the family which developed later on. Lou is Martha 2nd husband. She remarried about 4 or 5 years ago, after having written to him several times. That is how they met. I think it was Martha who put the ad in the paper about wanting a pen pal. They began to write to each other, then talked on the phone. After a while, Lou came to visit and soon they were married. Ever since then, things became heated. Lou is a quiet, fat, and bald man. He barely talks to the adults and never smiles. One of the first things he did were to make Katie give all her toys away. Many were given to us. Soon Katie was calling him “Daddy,” whether by force or choice, I’m not sure.

It is also believed by some that it started a couple summers ago, when we all got together to clean Grandma’s house. Apparently George made a small comment to Martha that some of us already knew what we were getting. George doesn’t remember saying that, but Martha said he did & ever since Martha’s been writing extremely wicked letters to Grandma, saying we were stealing her [Grandma's] money, we were not letting Martha have any of Grandma’s things, and that she was going to take us to court when Grandma dies. Then she tells Grandma that she [Martha] & Jesus love her, & we’ll be punished by God.

Friday, 3 March 1989

Grandma died; big blizzard.