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Page 26


Some called it going up to Egypt for grain but we did what had to be done to help our little daughter in any way that we could. If the road was winding and twisted we were on it and nothing was going to stop our traveling the journey.

The Oak Cliff congregation was filled with warm friendly people. I was impressed with their soft southern ways and something about the atmosphere reminded me of old plantations and genteel manner of quiet ladies and strong gentlemen as, indeed, I would learn this probably was the original Texan’s culture. Oak Cliff was made up of the older part of Dallas. This was the area where Lee Harvey Oswald ran to try for hiding in that Movie theater. He must not have known too much about Dallas. Each little area is like a small town and everyone knows everything about anyone who comes through.

The apartment we had chosen was okay inside. However, there was nothing but a hard dirt yard with only sprinkles of dying grass in places, outside. No place to walk presented itself and anyway it wasn’t much of a residential area. Nothing but cement covered parking lots in shopping centers were close. The water cooler just barely provided escape from the heat and the outdoors were incredibly hot. I couldn’t believe it. I felt like that cartoon character, a wolf, who shlepped along in slow motion calling his goat, “Billllly Boooyyy boyy, boyy,” as he spoke with even a slower drawl.

Rhonda and I were quite alone. There were no children, no people and certainly no out who looked like someone I wanted to know. The meetings in the evenings were the only contact we had with humanity since Rhonda’s therapy wouldn’t start right away. Only after I had met some of the friends from Irving, Texas were we able to get acquainted. They were a family and right away invited us to have dinner with them in their home. Irving was only 10,000 population at the time but there was the building of new apartments. We attended the meeting and that was when they told us about new apartments which had just been built.

I was almost standing in the middle of the apartment with my mouth open. Soft, pleasant music came over an intercom in the living room. Air-conditioning made the space cool and comfortable The furnishings were brand new in the latest style of the day. Heavy drapes covered the sliding glass doors and when the apartment manager pulled them back a beautiful courtyard of rich, green St. Augustine grass truly looked like a carpet outdoors. Rod and I walked through the door just steps and were into the pool area where cool, blue-green, clear water shimmered invitingly.

“Oh my! Would you look at this? I think these folks have created a paradise in miniature.”

For some reason Rodney took a more active interest in Rhonda’s therapy and he dutifully drove her back and forth to Oak Lawn close to downtown Dallas every day. He could do that because he was now working nights. When the song “Downtown” came out, Rhonda loved it and hummed along. “No wonder,” I thought, “we spent a lot of time running back and forth to downtown Dallas, ”and in the process became well acquainted with the sites. The tall insurance building with an elevator that zipped the many floors at too fast a speed to be believed, Fair Park with the art museum then located there, Highland Park with its small, almost little town feel, the zoo, the galleries around Oak Lawn, of course, Turtle Creek and too many other places to list. We were like kids in a candy store and found ourselves wishing to live forever in Dallas. The apartment was wonderful and some great times were had in community service with friends while in Irving.

The residents of the apartment building were a mix of all sorts who were moving into Dallas for jobs. I didn’t meet one of them I didn’t like. They were such a friendly group. We all spent many an hour around the pool while Rhonda bobbed happily atop the water on her float. I never let her out of my reach and we both enjoyed the pool. There was never a lack of companionship since everyone was in the other’s apartment doing something for entertaining ourselves, or the children and Rhonda played for hours right outside our door on that cool grass. Again, I witnessed how those little ones took turns so that someone was always with Rhonda. I was mystified at this quality of tenderness in such small children. No one instructed them to do this. How did they know?


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