Bruce's Story - Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The new found wealth did not create any animosity between the couple; in fact, Amanda took complete control over it. They bought a modest house close to the college in Omaha. Sam started a course for accounting and Amanda took odd jobs around the city. Omaha was a much larger city than Florida and with her good looks and easy demeanor it was not long before she became a sales girl at a high end boutique. These were the times of unrest within in the country, but the elite in Omaha did not seem to be effected.

Sam was not home as often as Amanda would have liked, but she understood that he was a full time student and had an internship with a Financial Investment Company. There were many nights when Sam would stay at work overnight and then go straight to school. It was not uncommon for Amanda not to see him for several days at a time.

On January 5, 1968, a letter arrived in the mail addressed to Sam Patterson from the United States Defense Department. It appeared that Sam was eligible for the mandatory draft. His birth date would be eligible until he was twenty five years old unless he could prove that either he was unfit to serve or that it was a major burden on his family.

Amanda was devastated. “What constitutes unfit or a major burden?”

“Unfit means there is some medical issue that would keep me from serving and a major burden would be if I was the sole provider for my family.”

“So I should quit my job?” She asked.

“That would help,” Sam replied, “Also we could have a baby and that would make it a stronger case.”

“Sam! I am only twenty years old! I didn’t want to make the same mistake that my mother did.”

“Sweetheart, it doesn’t matter how old you are, you will never make the same mistakes as your mother. I am not you father and you are not your mother.”

They both went about their lives as they had before, hoping that Sam’s birthday would not appear at the top of the draft role.

On July 1, 1968 the role had been completed and Sam’s birthday was number 360. He was safe! But on August 1, 1968 Amanda told him they were pregnant and would be having a baby around her birthday in 1969. Sam was ecstatic!

The news did not bring Sam home any more often, but he was more attentive when he was home. He had completed his schooling by fall of 1969 and was working full time with his company.  They had so much faith in him that they sent him on the road to line up new clients. Sam was a natural born salesman and brought the company a lot of new business. He was rewarded with a trip to Maine, but he did not tell Amanda about it. He told her he was traveling.

At this point in the story Bruce interrupted Monica. “How is any of this possible? My parents were married on July 14, 1967.”

Monica replied, “Honestly I don’t know. The only thing I can figure out from all of this overlap is that our father was a first class liar and had the ability to keep two separate lives separate. He had our mothers convinced that he traveled for business and all of those ‘business’ trips were really the time he spent with his ‘other’ family. I’m not sure if I love him for that or hate him.”

Bruce shook his head, “Monica, this is a lot for me to take in right now. I need time to digest this.”