The war broke out the summer that Paul went to off Marquette University in Milwaukee, and I was a senior in high school. Paul went into the paratroops, but he no sooner left than they sent him home because he had the measles! How he was babied before leaving again.

I went to work in a defense factory, doing piecework painting tiny pieces for something used in planes. I worked there until I had enough money to go to Miss Brown’s Business College. After graduation I got a job at an insurance company in downtown Milwaukee called The Employers Group. My boss Mr. Ball was nice but nothing about the job was exciting or even interesting. It was fun working downtown and I made good friends, including Irene and Sadie among others. We even rented a cottage together one summer and had a great time.

I met Meg Bert at the Business College and we became good friends. She was a friend of Doug Graham and when Doug was home on furlough, a friend of his had a party for him. Meg called me to see if I would have a date with Warren Graham, Doug’s cousin who was stationed at Great Lakes, Illinois and was there for the weekend. Ann and I had recently gone to a fortune teller in Shorewood (just for something to do), who told me I would soon meet a handsome, blonde, blue-eyed man, so I should never say no to such an invitation. When Meg called I was washing my hair and said I couldn’t go – then I remembered our fortune teller so I agreed to go. The party was at a girl named Patty’s house and we stood around a piano and sang songs. I remember a kitty that we were both petting and when our hands touched we liked it.